Benjamin Carl Unseld
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Carl Unseld better known as B. C. Unseld, was a U.S.
gospel music teacher, composer, and publisher.
. In the early 1860s, he moved to Pennsylvania. Though mostly self-taught, he sang in the choir and accepted a position as organist at the Methodist Church in Columbia, Pennsylvania
. He studied music under Eben Tourjée and Theodore F. Seward. B. C. Unseld taught at the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston, Massachusetts, and was the school's first secretary. Later he taught at Fisk University
in Nashville, Tennessee
, and was the first principal of the Virginia Normal School of Music. Unseld and Seward, with Biglow and Main publishers, imported John Curwen
's Tonic Sol-fa
and promoted it. The method was never widely received in the United States
.
During his lifetime, he worked with the Biglow & Main Company (New York City), Fillmore Music House (Cincinnati, Ohio
) and the Lorenz Publishing Company (Dayton, Ohio
). In 1911 Unseld moved to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to serve as dean of the new James D. Vaughan School of Music, one part of that famed entrepreneur's publishing enterprise. After 1914 he also served as editor of The Vaughan Family Visitor, the company's monthly house periodical. Unseld died in Lawrenceburg but was not buried there. His wife returned with his body to "Old Virginia." He is buried in historic Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
. His most popular musical piece was entitled "Twilight Is Stealing", written with Aldine S. Kieffer
.
in 2004.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gospel music teacher, composer, and publisher.
Biography
Unseld was born October 18, 1843 in Shepherdstown, West VirginiaShepherdstown, West Virginia
Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located along the Potomac River. It is the oldest town in the state, having been chartered in 1762 by Colonial Virginia's General Assembly. Since 1863, Shepherdstown has been in West Virginia, and is the oldest town in...
. In the early 1860s, he moved to Pennsylvania. Though mostly self-taught, he sang in the choir and accepted a position as organist at the Methodist Church in Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Columbia, once colonial Wright's Ferry, is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles southeast of Harrisburg on the left bank Susquehanna River across from Wrightsville and York County. Originally, the area may have been called Conejohela Flats, for the many islands and islets in the...
. He studied music under Eben Tourjée and Theodore F. Seward. B. C. Unseld taught at the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston, Massachusetts, and was the school's first secretary. Later he taught at Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and was the first principal of the Virginia Normal School of Music. Unseld and Seward, with Biglow and Main publishers, imported John Curwen
John Curwen
Reverend John Curwen was an English Congregationalist minister, and founder of the Tonic sol-fa system of music education. He was educated at Wymondley College and University College London.-Tonic sol-fa:...
's Tonic Sol-fa
Tonic Sol-fa
Tonic Sol-fa is an all-male a cappella quartet from the Minneapolis-St. Paul region. With a largely pop-music-oriented repertoire, their CDs have sold over 1,000,000 copies, and the group has toured throughout the US and abroad.-History:...
and promoted it. The method was never widely received in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
During his lifetime, he worked with the Biglow & Main Company (New York City), Fillmore Music House (Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) and the Lorenz Publishing Company (Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
). In 1911 Unseld moved to Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, to serve as dean of the new James D. Vaughan School of Music, one part of that famed entrepreneur's publishing enterprise. After 1914 he also served as editor of The Vaughan Family Visitor, the company's monthly house periodical. Unseld died in Lawrenceburg but was not buried there. His wife returned with his body to "Old Virginia." He is buried in historic Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Works
The Tonic Sol-Fa Music Reader (with Theodore Seward, 1880), The Choral Standard (1895), Fillmore's School Singer for Day Schools, Juvenile Classes and Teachers' Institutes (with J. H. Fillmore, 1895), and Progress in Song (with E. T. Hildebrand, 1911). B. C. Unseld prepared the rudiments of music for A. S. Kieffer's popular Temple Star. Unseld’s tunes accompany hymns by James Rowe and Fanny J. CrosbyFanny Crosby
Frances Jane Crosby , usually known as Fanny Crosby in the United States and by her married name, Frances van Alstyne, in the United Kingdom, was an American Methodist rescue mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. During her lifetime, she was well-known throughout the United States...
. His most popular musical piece was entitled "Twilight Is Stealing", written with Aldine S. Kieffer
Aldine Silliman Kieffer
Aldine Silliman Kieffer was a leading 19th century proponent of shape note musical notation, music teacher and publisher....
.
Legacy
B. C. Unseld was inducted into the Southern Gospel Music Hall of FameSouthern Gospel Music Association
The Southern Gospel Music Association is a non-profit corporation formed as an association of southern gospel music singers, songwriters, fans, and industry workers. Membership is acquired and maintained through payment of annual dues...
in 2004.
Further reading
- Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers, by Jacob Henry Hall, New York: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1914.