Hastings is clearly identified with his tune "Toplady" which is now sung in the hymn "Rock of Ages." As a teenager, Hastings led a village choir, taught singing, and was active in the musical society of Oneida County. By 1832 he had moved to New York City where he conducted the Bleeker Street Church and by 1858 the University of New York awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Music. He composed over 600 tunes used for hymns, produced a number of musicological books and articles, and founded the musical periodical "Musical Magazine." The tune-books which Hastings collected included "Musica sacra," "Springfield Collection," "Music sacra: or, Springfiled and Utica Collection," "Musical Miscellany," and "Manhattan Collection." Hasting's thought about discrimination and technique in American music were well-demonstrated in his works. Chordal sequences and feelings within the scope of the American genre of sacred music were well within Hasting's grasp and communication. ~ Keith Johnson
