Annals of Music in America Part 2

1787. First pipe organ west of the Alleghanies set up in Cookstown (now Fayette City), Pa. Built by Joseph Downer, who was born in Brookline, Ma.s.s., 1767 (Jan. 28) and trekked to Pennsylvania with his family. The organ is preserved at the Carnegie Inst.i.tute, Pittsburgh.

1788. May 4. A great concert given with an orchestra of fifty and a chorus of two hundred, in the Reformed German Church in Philadelphia, Pa.

1788. "The Musical Society" of New York City established.

1788. Publication of a book ent.i.tled "Seven Songs" by F.

Hopkinson (1737-1791), the first publication in America of songs by a native composer.

1789. May. 15. Concert given at Salem, Ma.s.s., by Gottlieb Graupner in which first mention is made of the use of the oboe (hautbois) in New England.

1790. June 4. A company of French comedians gave a performance, in French, of the opera "The Mistress and Maid" at Baltimore, Md.

1790. Oct. 7. First performance in America of Audinet-Gossec's "Le Tonnelier" given at the City Tavern, New York City.

1790-1800. During this period the following musical works were known and performed in New Orleans, Charleston, S. C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City: Rousseau's "Pygmalion" and "Devin du Village"; Dalayrac's "Nina" and "L'Amant Statue"; Monsigny's "Deserteur"; Gretry's "Zemire et Azor," "La Fausse Magic" and "Richard Coeur de Lion," by a company of French comedians.

1791. A "Cecilia Society" formed in New York City. Lasted but a short time. An "Apollo Society" was also in existence.

1792. Oliver Holden, composer of "Coronation" and other well known hymn tunes, published his "American Harmony," and in 1793, "The Union Harmony."

1792-1872. Lowell Mason. Composer, educator in music. First teacher of singing in the public schools. President of the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston.

1793. "Uranian Society" of New York City, organized for sacred vocal music.

1793. Miss Broadhurst, a noted singer, made her American debut in Philadelphia.

1793. Jacob Kimball (1761-1826, born Topsfield, Ma.s.s.,) published his "Rural Harmony."

1793. A company of French players reached America from San Domingo, remaining three years. They played in Norfolk, Va., in 1793, Charleston, S. C., 1794, Richmond, Va., 1795, Boston, Jan.

1796, and Philadelphia, Dec. 1796.

1793. A "Cecilia Society" was in existence at this time in Newport, R. I.

1794. Paisiello's opera "The Barber of Seville" (English version) was played in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and elsewhere.

1794. Mrs. Oldmixon, a noted singer, made her first appearance in America at the Chestnut St. Theatre, Philadelphia, in "Robin Hood."

1796. April 18. "The Archers of Switzerland," an opera by B. Carr, produced in New York City. It is claimed by some authorities that this was the first American opera.

1796. July. Gluck's overture to "Iphegenie en Aulide," and Haydn's "Stabat Mater," given in Charleston, S. C., with an orchestra of about thirty instruments. Mrs. Pownall, J. H. Harris and Mr.

Bergman, soloists.

1796. Dec. 19. Production in New York City of "Edwin and Angelina," music by Pellesier. Also said to be the first opera of American composition. (Carr was English, Pellesier French.)

1797. Anniversary meeting of the Concord (N. H.) Musical Society.

1797. Jan. 25. First recorded performance in America of Gretry's opera, "Richard Coeur de Lion," given at the Federal St.

Theatre, Boston.

1798. Columbia Garden Summer Concerts established in New York.

Lasted till 1800.

1798. Concerts are on record as having been given at Albany, N.

Y., April 18; New Brunswick, N. J., Dec. 11; Trenton, N. J., Dec. 18; also an interesting group in Salem, Ma.s.s., by Gottlieb Graupner.

1798. Jan. 29. Park Theatre opened in New York City with a performance of a musical piece ent.i.tled "The Purse,--or American Tar." This theatre was, for twenty years, important in local musical history.

1798. April 25. First public performance of "Hail Columbia" by Gilbert Fox in Philadelphia. The words were written by Joseph Hopkinson Smith (1770-1842) and sung to the tune of "The President's March." First sung under the t.i.tle of "Federal Song" but changed a few days later to "Hail Columbia."

1799. A "Musical Society" existed in Baltimore.

1799. "Euterpean Society" formed in New York City.

1799. "The Vintage," an American opera by Pellesier and Dunlap, produced in New York City.

CHAPTER III

1800-1825

In 1800 we find the first mention of the use of the ba.s.soon. This was in Bethlehem, Pa., and it seems to complete the list of instruments for the average orchestra. Notwithstanding the record of the importation of oboes, many years earlier, and the fact that Graupner, one of the leading musicians in Boston about this time, was, or had been an oboeist, some historian has stated that even well into the nineteenth century there was only one oboe player in the United States, and he lived in Baltimore. Surely this must be an error.

In December 1800 we find the first annual concert of the Philharmonic Society in New York City. This society died in a few years, and in 1820 another Philharmonic Society was formed. This society also dwindled, though it did not die, for in 1840 it was reorganized, and has ever since taken a leading part in the musical life of New York.

Many musical societies made a beginning. Few lived long. But of those which lived perhaps the most noted is the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, formed in 1815. This society gave what was claimed to be the first complete performance of Handel's "Messiah," but it is also claimed that this was done in 1801 in the hall of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Handel and Haydn Society also gave what was called the first complete performance of Haydn's "Creation," an honor which is also ascribed to King's Chapel in 1816, while portions had been performed in 1811 at Bethlehem, Pa. Thus it is difficult to fix definitely the first performances of many of the large works. In later days, especially in the case of Wagner's operas, portions were given at concerts long before complete stage performances were essayed.

Another musical society which is in existence at the present day, and which undoubtedly has had much influence on the musical life of America, was the Pierian Sodality of Harvard University, established in 1808 by the undergraduates.

In Philadelphia we find the establishment of the Musical Fund Society, which, for a number of years, did much to promote good music in that city. At its first concert, on April 24, 1821, Beethoven's First Symphony was played for the first time in America. Mr. Goepp gives us a full account of this and tells us that the whole symphony was too severe a task for an audience of that period, so the performance was broken and diversified by vocal and other solos between the movements.

New England possessed several musical societies in 1821, by which performances of oratorio were given. The Sacred Music Society was formed in New York City in 1823 and lasted till 1849. So it may easily be seen that, as the population increased, musical societies were soon established.

Theatres, while not strictly part of the musical life of the country, can hardly be separated from it because they were the home of ballad operas, and all musical stage representations. They were already in existence in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia before the beginning of the nineteenth century, but we find in 1807, the opening of "Le Theatre St. Philippe" in New Orleans with Mehul's one-act opera, "Une Folie."

This theatre being burned in 1817, a new one, "Le Theatre d'Orleans,"

was built and opened in the following year. This theatre was the finest in the country at that time and was the home of opera for a number of years. The record of opera in New Orleans is incomplete, but it is well known that New Orleans was the home of French opera in America long before it became popular in other parts of the country.

But America was gradually edging up to the time of grand opera. Singers were arriving from abroad and brought with them their ambitions. We find that an English version of Rossini's opera, "Il Barbiere," was given at the Park Theatre, New York City, in 1819, with Miss Leesugg as Rosina, and in 1823 an English version of Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" was presented. Again in the early part of 1825, Weber's opera "Der Freyschutz" was presented, in English, at the Park Theatre, with Miss Kelly and Mrs. de Luce in the leading parts. Similar performances followed in other cities, and the country was thus gradually prepared for the real thing,--grand opera,--in its native language.

While the record of items during the period 1800 to 1825 is not very long it still shows considerable progress. The people grew up in a country where there was little musical cultivation, where there were small communities, and where the struggle for existence had been the first consideration. They responded warmly to the efforts of the country singing teacher, the choral society promoter, and later to the producer of opera, and if history shows many failures, it may be pointed out that these failures could not have taken place if no effort had been made.

Perhaps efforts in many cases were premature. Also there was much to learn in the management of ma.s.ses of people. The virtues of a true democracy are nowhere more necessary than in a choral society.

1800. Ba.s.soon used in Bethlehem, Pa.

1800. Dec. 23. First Annual Concert of the Philharmonic Society given at Tontine Hall, Broadway, New York City.