Timeline of music in the United States to 1819
Encyclopedia
This is a timeline of music in the United States prior to 1819.
| : | Before 1500: circa 500 - circa 1000 - circa 1300 16th century: 1540 - 1559 - 1564 - 1565 - 1598 17th century: 1607 - 1612 - 1619 - 1620 - 1626 - 1628 - 1633 - 1640 - 1642 - 1645 - 1651 - 1653 - 1655 - 1659 - 1667 - 1677 - 1680 - 1685 - 1687 - 1694 - 1698 18th century: 1704 - 1707 - 1710 - 1713 - 1714 - 1716 - 1717 - 1718 - 1719 - 1720 - 1721 - 1723 - 1725 - 1729 - 1730 - 1732 - 1733 - 1734 - 1735 - 1736 - 1737 - 1739 - 1741 - 1742 - 1744 - 1746 - 1750 - 1752 - 1753 - 1754 - 1755 - 1756 - 1757 - 1758 - 1759 - 1761 - 1763 - 1764 - 1766 - 1767 - 1768 - 1769 - 1770 - 1774 - 1775 - 1776 - 1777 - 1778 - 1779 - 1780 - 1781 - 1782 - 1783 - 1784 - 1786 - 1787 - 1788 - 1789 - 1790 - 1791 - 1792 - 1793 - 1794 - 1795 - 1796 - 1797 - 1798 - 1799 19th century: 1800 - 1801 - 1802 - 1803 - 1804 - 1805 - 1807 - 1808 - 1809 - 1810 - 1811 - 1812 - 1813 - 1814 - 1815 - 1816 - 1817 - 1818 - 1819 References - Notes - Further reading |
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circa 500
- Approximate: The oldest archeological remains of raspRaspA rasp is a tool used for shaping wood or other material. It consists of a point or the tip, then a long steel bar or the belly, then the heel or bottom, then the tang. The tang is joined to a handle, usually made of plastic or wood. The bar has sharp teeth...
s, made from sheep horn, wood, deer bone, antelope scapula and elk rib, can be dated to approximately this timeframe. - 620-670 C.E.: Earliest wood flutes from the Prayer Rock district of NorthEastern Arizona.
circa 1000
- Approximate: Copper and clay bells can be dated to this era, and were traded across the Mississippi ValleyMississippi RiverThe Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and into Mexico.
circa 1300
- Approximate: PercussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
stones from the PuebloPuebloPueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
region of the Rio GrandeRio GrandeThe Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
can be dated to the 14th century.
1540
- A FranciscanFranciscanMost Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
priest named Juan de PadillaJuan de PadillaFather Juan de Padilla , born in Andalusia, was a Spanish Roman Catholic missionary who spent much of his life exploring North America with Francisco Vasquez de Coronado....
, a member of an exploration group led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, crosses from what is now Mexico to what is now New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, where de Padilla taught plainsongPlainsongPlainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
and Catholic liturgy to the MoquiHopiThe Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
, PuebloPuebloPueblo is a term used to describe modern communities of Native Americans in the Southwestern United States of America. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the communities housed in apartment-like structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material...
, and Zuñi Native Americans
1559
- Missionary and musician Pedro Martín de Feria begins teaching plainsongPlainsongPlainsong is a body of chants used in the liturgies of the Catholic Church. Though the Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church did not split until long after the origin of plainchant, Byzantine chants are generally not classified as plainsong.Plainsong is monophonic, consisting of a...
liturgyLiturgyLiturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
to Native Americans near what is now Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, FloridaPensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
1564
- The first Protestant musicChristian musicChristian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
to leave historical documentation comes from the French HuguenotHuguenotThe Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s, who found a colony at Fort CarolineFort CarolineFort Caroline was the first French colony in the present-day United States. Established in what is now Jacksonville, Florida, on June 22, 1564, under the leadership of René Goulaine de Laudonnière, it was intended as a refuge for the Huguenots. It lasted one year before being obliterated by the...
, near where Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, FloridaJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, is today. These settlers probably sang from the Geneva Psalter.
1565
- The first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States is St. Augustine, FloridaSt. Augustine, FloridaSt. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
, created by the Spanish. The music there includes Spanish stylesMusic of SpainThe Music of Spain has a long history and has played an important part in the development of western music. It has had a particularly strong influence upon Latin American music. The music of Spain is often associated abroad with traditions like flamenco and the classical guitar but Spanish music...
and the African musicMusic of AfricaAfrica is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....
of slaves and free blacks; this is the beginning of African American musicAfrican American musicAfrican-American music is an umbrella term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large and significant ethnic minority of the population of the United States...
.
1598
- The "first documented European music education" in the United States begins in a colony in New Mexico, founded by a group of Spanish friars accompanying Juan de OñateJuan de OñateDon Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:...
.
1607
- Jamestown, VirginiaJamestown, VirginiaJamestown was a settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Established by the Virginia Company of London as "James Fort" on May 14, 1607 , it was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States, following several earlier failed attempts, including the Lost Colony of Roanoke...
, becomes the first permanent settlement by the British in what is now the United States.
1612
- The Book of Psalmes: Englished Both in Prose and Metre is published in Amsterdam by Henry AinsworthHenry Ainsworth-Life:He was born of a farming family of Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the Separatists....
. This book will be the basis for the psalmody of the Pilgrims who colonize New England.
1619
- The first African slaves arrive in Virginia, marking the beginning of African American musicAfrican American musicAfrican-American music is an umbrella term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large and significant ethnic minority of the population of the United States...
1620
- The Pilgrims arrive in Plymouth, Massachusetts, who begin the well-documented sacred song tradition of New England. The psalmody of the Pilgrims and other early New England Protestants was "spare and plain", reflecting their CalvinistCalvinismCalvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
theology. - John Utie, the first fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
r in the United States, lands in Virginia.
1628
- The history of Christian church music in New York City begins with the foundation of a church by Dutch ReformedDutch Reformed ChurchThe Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
pastor Jonas Michaelius.
1633
- The earliest documentation of military music in the future United States comes from drummers in Virginia performing for drill practices.
1640
- The Bay Psalm BookBay Psalm BookThe Bay Psalm Book was the first book, that is still in existence, printed in British North America.The book is a Psalter, first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Psalms in it are metrical translations into English...
is published in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
; it is the first full-length book published in the English colonies, and became the basis for psalmody in the Protestant congregations of New England until the 18th century. It is prepared by Richard MatherRichard MatherRichard Mather , was a Puritan clergyman in colonial Boston, Massachusetts. He was father to Increase Mather and grandfather to Cotton Mather, both celebrated Boston divines.-Biography:...
, John EliotJohn Eliot (missionary)John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...
and Thomas Weld.
1642
- Jean de BrébeufJean de BrébeufJean de Brébeuf was a Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada on March 16, 1649.-Early years:Brébeuf was born in Condé-sur-Vire, Normandy, France. He was the uncle of the fur trader Georges de Brébeuf. He studied near home at Caen. He became a Jesuit in 1617, joining the Order...
composes a song in HuronWyandot languageWyandot is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known variously as Wyandot, Wyandotte, Wendat, or Huron. It was last spoken primarily in Oklahoma and Quebec...
, using the French melody of "Une Jeune PucelleUne Jeune PucelleUne Jeune Pucelle is a French folk song from 1557, which has a melody that is based loosely on an older French song entitled Une Jeune Fillette.Une Jeune Fillette is itself based on an Italian ballad from 1465, entitled "La Monica".St...
", to create a song known in English as "Twas in the Moon of WintertimeHuron CarolThe "Huron Carol" is a Canadian Christmas hymn , written in 1643 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia"...
", which has been called the first North American Christmas carolChristmas carolA Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
.
1645
- The Dutch Reformed ChurchDutch Reformed ChurchThe Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
in New York colony orders the precentorPrecentorA precentor is a person who helps facilitate worship. The details vary depending on the religion, denomination, and era in question. The Latin derivation is "præcentor", from cantor, meaning "the one who sings before" ....
(voorzanger) to "tune the psalm" for the congregation to sing along; this practice consisted of the leader singing a line, which is then repeated, and often elaborated upon, by the audience. This practice is later known as lining outLining outLining out is a form of a cappella hymn-singing or hymnody in which a leader, often called the clerk or precentor, gives each line of a hymn tune as it is to be sung, usually in a chanted form giving or suggesting the tune...
and is a crucial feature of African American church music.
1651
- The Bay Psalm BookBay Psalm BookThe Bay Psalm Book was the first book, that is still in existence, printed in British North America.The book is a Psalter, first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Psalms in it are metrical translations into English...
is published in its third edition, its definitive form, often called the New England Psalm Book. There is, as yet, no music provided in the collection.
1653
- The earliest known military band is formed in New Hampshire, consisting of fifteen oboists and two drummers.
1655
- The first documented music in New SwedenNew SwedenNew Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, was the first settlement. New Sweden included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania....
(now New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) is from the military, when Governor Johan Risingh exited a fort with drums and trumpets or fifesFife (musical instrument)A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
playing to meet with the Dutch forces to whom he was capitulating.
1659
- Fray García de San Francisco founds a Catholic mission in what is now El Paso, TexasEl Paso, TexasEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, making him perhaps the first music teacher in the future United States.
1667
- The Pilgrim congregation in Salem, MassachusettsSalem, MassachusettsSalem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, votes to stop using the Henry AinsworthHenry Ainsworth-Life:He was born of a farming family of Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the Separatists....
psalm collection because the tunes were considered too difficult.
1677
- The General Assembly of East New JerseyEast JerseyThe Province of East Jersey and the Province of West Jersey were two distinct, separately governed parts of the Province of New Jersey that existed as separate provinces for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. East Jersey's capital was located at Perth Amboy...
bansBlue LawsThe Blue Laws of the Colony of Connecticut, as distinct from the generic term "blue law" that refers to any laws regulating activities on Sunday, were the initial statutes set up by the Gov. Theophilus Eaton with the assistance of the Rev. John Cotton in 1655 for the Colony of New Haven, now part...
the "singing of vain songs or tunes" on the Sabbath.
1680
- The Pueblo RevoltPueblo RevoltThe Pueblo Revolt of 1680, or Popé's Rebellion, was an uprising of several pueblos of the Pueblo people against Spanish colonization of the Americas in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México.-Background:...
leads to the destruction of the Spanish missions in what is now New Mexico, obliterating all known printed music and other musical documentation.
1685
- The Pilgrim congregation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, votes to stop using the Henry AinsworthHenry Ainsworth-Life:He was born of a farming family of Swanton Morley, Norfolk. He was educated at Caius College, Cambridge, and, after associating with the Puritan party in the Church, eventually joined the Separatists....
psalm collection because the tunes were considered too difficult.
1687
- Money is authorized by several Virginia counties to purchase drums and trumpets for use in their state militia.
1694
- Johannes KelpiusJohannes KelpiusJohannes Kelpius , a German Pietist, mystic, musician, and writer, interested in the occult, botany, and astronomy, came to believe with his followers in the "Society of the Woman in the Wilderness" that the end of the world would occur in 1694...
, leader of the German Pietists who settled near Philadelphia, brings an organ, becoming the first individual in the future United States to do so.
1698
- The ninth edition of the Bay Psalm BookBay Psalm BookThe Bay Psalm Book was the first book, that is still in existence, printed in British North America.The book is a Psalter, first printed in 1640 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Psalms in it are metrical translations into English...
is published. It is the first to feature printed music.
1704
- Christopher Witt comes to America, where he will build his own pipe organPipe organThe pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, becoming the first private organ-owner in the United States. - Elias Neau is sent by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to minister to black slaves in North America; he opens a school, which includes psalm singing as part of the daily program.
1707
- Isaac WattsIsaac WattsIsaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
' Hymns and Spiritual SongsHymns and Spiritual Songs (book)Hymns and Spiritual Songs for the Fasts and Festivals of the Church of England, by Christopher Smart, was published in 1765 along with a translation of the Psalms of David and a new version of A Song to David...
revitalizes church music in the colonial United States. The book's influence on African American hymnody is "enormous", and it is "well known and greatly admired" throughout North America.
1713
- George Brownell of Boston becomes perhaps the first dancing master in the United States.
1714
- The first permanent church organ in the United States, the Brattle organ, imported by Thomas BrattleThomas BrattleThomas Brattle was a well-educated and prosperous Boston merchant who served as treasurer of Harvard College, and was a member of the intellectually elite Royal Society....
, is installed in Boston at King's ChapelKing's ChapelKing's Chapel is "an independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association" that is "unitarian Christian in theology, Anglican in worship, and congregational in governance." It is housed in what was formerly called "Stone Chapel", an 18th century...
. The colonial American aversion to music, which was viewed as sinful, led to the church leaving the organ unpacked for a full year before actually installing it. - John Tufts publishes the first instructional book for singing in the country. It was extremely successful.
1717
- The first organized classes in music are organized in New England, for the improvement of church music.
1718
- The first Spanish colony in Texas is established at San Antonio, thus marking the beginning of Tejano musicTejano musicTejano music or Tex-Mex music is the name given to various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas...
.
1719
- Africans are first brought to New Orleans in large numbers, bringing with them new styles of music straight from Africa.
- Thomas Fleet publishes Songs for the Nursery, one of the earliest published collections of secular music in the American colonies. It is the origin of Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
songs like "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep".
1720
- The lined-outLining outLining out is a form of a cappella hymn-singing or hymnody in which a leader, often called the clerk or precentor, gives each line of a hymn tune as it is to be sung, usually in a chanted form giving or suggesting the tune...
style of hymnHymnA hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
ody begins to be criticized for abandoning conservative notation in favor of an oral tradition. - Reverend Thomas Symmes publishes an essay, The Reasonableness of Regular Singing, in which he proposes schools to educate the public in psalm singing. Such schools were to become a major musical institution in New England in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The AmishAmishThe Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
arrive in Pennsylvania, thus beginning the Amish musicAmish musicAmish music is primarily German in origin, and includes ancient singing styles not found anywhere in Europe, as well as modern hymns derived from the Pennsylvania German culture....
tradition in the United States. - The Ephrata CloisterEphrata CloisterThe Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
is founded in Lancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
; they will develop their own musical system and form of hymnody.
| Early 1720s music trends |
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1721
- Two psalm collections are published in Boston, the first two emphasize the music and instructions for singing the tunes over the sacred verses of the psalms. These were John Tufts' An Introduction to the Singing of Psalm Tunes and Thomas Walters' The Grounds and Rules of Musick, Explained. These two publications "began a new era in American music history: between them they formed a point of contact between music as an art with a technical basis and a public motivated to learn that technique". Walter's is particularly influential and highly regarded, and is the first book to be printed (by James FranklinJames Franklin (printer)James Franklin was an American colonial author, printer, newspaper publisher, and almanac publisher...
) with bar lines in British North America.
1723
- Nero Benson, a trumpeter of Framingham, MassachusettsFramingham, MassachusettsFramingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, is the first documented black army musician in the United States.
| Mid 1720s music trends |
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1729
- The first public concert in the country is held in Boston, in a room used by a local dancing master for assemblies.
1730
- The first singing school in the United States is formed in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, where music is taught by John Salter at a boarding school for girls run by his wife. Salter is the first secular music teacher in the country. - The first opera written by an American to be both published and produced is The Fashionable Lady; or, Harlequin's Opera by James RalphJames RalphThis article is about the eighteenth-century American/British writer. For the cricket player, see James Ralph .James Ralph was an American born English political writer, historian, reviewer, and Grub Street hack writer known for his works of history and his position in Alexander Pope's Dunciad B. ...
, which is premiered this year in London.
1732
- Conrad BeisselConrad BeisselJohann Conrad Beissel was the German-born religious leader who in 1732 founded the Ephrata Community in Pennsylvania.-Background:...
founds the Ephrata CloisterEphrata CloisterThe Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
in Pennsylvania; the Cloister embraces hymn-singing enthusiastically. - The first performance of "the American musical stage" occurs in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
.
1733
- The first song recital in the country is held in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. Only English and Scotch songs are performed. - The first "organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
actually designed for church use" is installed in Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, in Trinity ChurchTrinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in...
.
1734
- John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
's A Collection of Psalms and Hymns is the "first book of religious music published in the colonies". - The first newspaper advertisement concerning a fugitive slaveFugitive slaveIn the history of slavery in the United States, "fugitive slaves" were slaves who had escaped from their master to travel to a place where slavery was banned or illegal. Many went to northern territories including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts until the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed...
with a reference to the slave's musical ability comes from American Weekly Mercury, about runaway Samuel Leonard of Perth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy, New JerseyPerth Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The City of Perth Amboy is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 50,814. Perth Amboy is known as the "City by the Bay", referring to Raritan Bay.-Name:The Lenape...
, a half-Native American, half-African fiddler.
1735
- Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, hosts the first performance of a ballad operaBallad operaThe term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century and later. There are many types of ballad opera...
, Flora: Or Hob in the Well, in the United States on February 18, at the New World Theatre. The city also hosts a production of The Adventures of Harlequin and Scaramouch, the first pantomimePantomimePantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
balletBalletBallet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
in the United States. - Georgia's Governor James OglethorpeJames OglethorpeJames Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
invites minister John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
to come with him to Georgia, on a ship with Moravian missionaries whose hymn-singing had a profound effect on Wesley, who would go on to lead the Great AwakeningFirst Great AwakeningThe First Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, and especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of personal...
of Christianity, often expressed through music. ted in the colonies. Music historian David W. Stowe has called this the most profound event in the history of American sacred music. - John Peter ZengerJohn Peter ZengerJohn Peter Zenger was a German-American printer, publisher, editor, and journalist in New York City. He was a defendant in a landmark legal case in American jurisprudence that determined that truth was a defense against charges of libel and "laid the foundation for American press freedom."-...
is imprisoned in New York after publishing ballads about the political opposition. His lawyer, Andrew HamiltonAndrew Hamilton (lawyer)Andrew Hamilton was a Scottish lawyer in Colonial America, best known for his legal victory on behalf of printer and newspaper publisher John Peter Zenger. This 1735 decision helped to establish that truth is a defense to an accusation of libel...
, successfully argues that the juryJuryA jury is a sworn body of people convened to render an impartial verdict officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Modern juries tend to be found in courts to ascertain the guilt, or lack thereof, in a crime. In Anglophone jurisdictions, the verdict may be guilty,...
should judge the law – whether or not the ballads were justly considered libelous – rather than simply the fact of publication. The not guilty verdict is a precedent for freedom of speechFreedom of speechFreedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
, freedom of the pressFreedom of the pressFreedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and jury rights.
1736
- Charles Theodore PachelbelCharles Theodore PachelbelCharles Theodore Pachelbel was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist of the late Baroque era...
gives the first documented public concert in New York City. - The oldest surviving music from New Orleans dates to this year. It is a piece of sacred music.
- The first major instrument manufacturer in the United States, John Clemm, comes to Philadelphia, where he will establish an organ and piano business.
- Hanover, VirginiaHanover Courthouse, VirginiaHanover Courthouse is a census-designated place in and the county seat of Hanover County, Virginia, United States. Hanover Courthouse is located at the junction of U.S. Route 301 and State Route 54 south of the Pamunkey River. While historically and technically known as Hanover Courthouse, the...
, hosts the first documented fiddling contest in the country.
1737
- St. Philip's ChurchSt. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 , this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition...
in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, hires Charles Theodore PachelbelCharles Theodore PachelbelCharles Theodore Pachelbel was a German composer, organist and harpsichordist of the late Baroque era...
as its organist, one of the earliest churches to hire a high-profile organist in the country. - John WesleyJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
publishes A Collection of Psalms and Hymns, inspired by the MoravianMoravians (ethnic group)Moravians are the modern West Slavic inhabitants of the historical land of Moravia, the easternmost part of the Czech Republic, which includes the Moravian Slovakia. They speak the two main groups of Moravian dialects , the transitional Bohemian-Moravian dialect subgroup and standard Czech...
s of Pennsylvania; the hymnal launches his career.
1739
- The slaves of the Stono RebellionStono RebellionThe Stono Rebellion was a slave rebellion that commenced on 9 September 1739, in the colony of South Carolina...
- the largest slave rebellion in British North America - in South Carolina are reported to use drums to recruit fighters, and music and dancing for emboldening the rebels. As a result, African American drumming is banned in South Carolina.
1741
- Trinity ChurchTrinity Church, New YorkTrinity Church at 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
in New York begins instructing African Americans in psalmody, one of the earliest examples of formal African American music instruction; the teacher is organist Johann Gottlob Klem (John Clemm). - Religious persecution at home leads to a wave of German-speaking Moravian immigrants, who will play a vital role in establishing American concert music, become known for their brass choirs and become among the earliest instrument manufacturers in the country. They will settle in Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem, PennsylvaniaBethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
this year, flourishing and becoming widely known for their music. - English hymn writer John CennickJohn CennickJohn Cennick was an early Methodist and Moravian evangelist and hymnwriter. He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England to an Anglican family and raised in the Church of England....
publishes his first collection, Sacred Hymns for the Children of God; he will go on to become the "real founder of folky religious song in the rebellious eighteenth century movement".
1742
- JohnJohn WesleyJohn Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
and Charles WesleyCharles WesleyCharles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
publish their first collection of hymns with music, the Foundery Collection. - The hymnal of the MennoniteMennoniteThe Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
s, Der Ausbund: Das ist etliche christliche LiederAusbundThe Ausbund is the oldest Anabaptist hymnal and one of the oldest Christian song books in continuous use. It is used today by North American Amish congregations.-History:...
, is first published in the United States in Germantown, PennsylvaniaGermantown, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGermantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
.
1744
- The first organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
designed for church use in Boston is installed at Trinity ChurchTrinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in...
in Boston.
1746
- The oldest extant manuscript of Das Gesäng de einsamen und verlassenen Turtel-Taub (Turtle-Taube), the central music text of the Ephrata CloisterEphrata CloisterThe Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
, dates to this year; it is the first original hymnbook published in the American colonies.
| Early 1750s music trends |
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1750
- Though the ban may not have been strictly or effectively enforced, the city of Boston prohibits theater entertainment, due to a Puritan influence that treated theater as a negative institution that symbolized a "preference for idleness and pleasure over hard work and thrift".
- The first comic ballad operaBallad operaThe term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century and later. There are many types of ballad opera...
, The Beggar's OperaThe Beggar's OperaThe Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
by John GayJohn GayJohn Gay was an English poet and dramatist and member of the Scriblerus Club. He is best remembered for The Beggar's Opera , set to music by Johann Christoph Pepusch...
, is first performed in the colonial United States, in New York City; it goes on to become hugely successful, and among the most popular pieces of the period. - Approximate: The African American 'Lection Day holiday, in which blacks paraded and elected an honorary ruler, is first celebrated, in Connecticut.
- An organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
at Zion Lutheran Church in New Germantown, New JerseyOldwick, New JerseyOldwick is an unincorporated area within Tewksbury Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08858. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population for ZIP Code Tabulation Area 08858 was 177.Oldwick was formerly known as...
, is the first documented organ in that state; the first organ in Pennsylvania also arrives in this year.
1752
- William TuckeyWilliam TuckeyWilliam Tuckey was an American composer, who exerted important influence on the musical life of the Colonial United States. He was one of the first American composers to gain notability, and was also a choir master and organist...
comes to New York City, where he will become the city's first music teacher.
1753
- The British MuseumBritish MuseumThe British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
has had a drum since this date, made in Virginia from local wood and deer skin, but in a manner typical of the Ashanti of Ghana, a major piece of evidence for African retention in African American music. It is also similar to the apinti drum of the Afro-GuyaneseAfro-GuyaneseAfro-Guyanese people are the inhabitants of Guyana of Black African origin...
.
1754
- An unused room in a building becomes the first concert hall in Boston.
1755
- The British begin expelling the French-speaking Acadians from Canada, many of whom will go to Louisiana, providing an important foundation for both Cajun musicCajun musicCajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
and Louisiana Creole musicCreole musicCreole music applies to two genres of music from south Louisiana: Creole folk and Creole. Creole folk dates from the 18th century or before, and it consists primarily of folk songs. Many were published, and some found their way into works by Louisiana composers such as Louis Moreau Gottschalk,...
. - An English surgeon composes the words to "Yankee DoodleYankee Doodle"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Anglo-American song, the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years' War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today and is the state anthem of Connecticut...
", which will become the most popular song in the country in the latter part of the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. It will remain the only national song of the United States until the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
.
1756
- The first documented public performance by a military band in the British colonies comes in a Philadelphia parade this year.
1757
- William Smith's Alfred, produced by the College of PhiladelphiaThe Academy and College of PhiladelphiaThe Academy and College of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, is considered by many to have been the first American academy. It was founded in 1749 by Benjamin Franklin....
, is the first "documented serious operaOpera seriaOpera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1710s to c. 1770...
written and performed in the United States". - Full military bands are sent to North America by the British, hoping to alleviate reluctance by the colonialists to join the British militias. New bands will arrive every year during the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
.
1758
- The First ChurchFirst Church in BostonFirst Church in Boston is a Unitarian Universalist Church founded in 1630 by John Winthrop's original Puritan settlement in Boston, Massachusetts. The current building is on 66 Marlborough Street in Boston.-History:...
of Boston forms a choir, the first of many New England churches to do so in the next decade. - The earliest known reference to music in a newspaper advertisement comes from the Newport Mercury of Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. The advertisement seeks a violinist.
1759
- An ode by James LyonJames Lyon (composer)- Life :James Lyon was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 1, 1735. It is known that his father was Zopher Lyon, but that he was orphaned at an early age. In 1750, Isaac Lyon and John Crane became James' guardians, until the age of twenty-one. Lyon then attended college at Nassau Hall, and...
for Princeton CollegePrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
's graduation and Francis HopkinsonFrancis HopkinsonFrancis Hopkinson , an American author, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. He later served as a federal judge in Pennsylvania...
's "My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free" are both composed; these two pieces are each cited as the first original musical composition by an American composer. Hopkinson has been called the first secular composer in the American colonies, and "My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free" is the first American secular song.
| Early 1760s music trends |
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1761
- James LyonJames Lyon (composer)- Life :James Lyon was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 1, 1735. It is known that his father was Zopher Lyon, but that he was orphaned at an early age. In 1750, Isaac Lyon and John Crane became James' guardians, until the age of twenty-one. Lyon then attended college at Nassau Hall, and...
publishes in Philadelphia the "first American tunebook to address the needs of both congregation and choir", Urania, or a Choice Collection of Psalm-Tunes, Anthems, and Hymns. This tunebook offers "something for every kind of sacred singer" and "was the first American tunebook to bring psalmody straight into the commercial arena", showing "how psalmody... could find a niche in the marketplace". The collection features the first published American anthemAnthemThe term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
s, fuging tuneFuging tuneThe fuguing tune is a variety of Anglo-American vernacular choral music. It first flourished in the mid-18th century and continues to be composed today.-Description:...
s and hymn tuneHymn tuneA hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm , and no refrain or chorus....
s. It is also the first work to identify its songs as "new", meaning composed in the colonies. Twenty-eight of the songs include both music and text, and are the first such printings in the country. - Barzillai LewBarzillai LewBarzillai Lew was an African American soldier who served with distinction during the American Revolution.-Family history:...
, a free-born African American musician from Massachusetts, becomes an Army fiferFife (musical instrument)A fife is a small, high-pitched, transverse flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. Someone who plays the fife is called a fifer...
and drummer during the French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. His wife, Dinah Bowman, is the first black woman in history to be identified as a pianist. The Lew family is prominent in the area around Dracut, MassachusettsDracut, MassachusettsDracut is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 29,457. Dracut is primarily a suburban community, belonging to Greater Lowell and bordering southern New Hampshire...
, and the family remains musically renowned well into the 20th century.
1763
- Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
's first theater opens. - The Moravian Church of Salem, North CarolinaSalem, North CarolinaSalem is a census-designated place in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,923 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, publishes a hymn book in the language of the Delaware IndiansLenapeThe Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
.
1764
- Approximate: Newport GardnerNewport GardnerNewport Gardner was an African American singing school master and composer.-Musical career:Gardner was brought into the colonies as a slave at the age of fourteen where he was sold to a Rhode Island merchant named Caleb Gardner...
, reportedly the first African American singing-school master is said to have composed the "Promised Anthem". - The only description of secular music among the Swedes in what is now New Jersey comes from Carl Magnus Wrangel, who reports that jubilant music and dance was common in private homes.
1766
- A pasticcioPasticheA pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
called Love in a Village, with music by Thomas Arne and based on a play by Isaac BickerstaffeIsaac BickerstaffeIsaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff was an Irish playwright and Librettist.-Early life:Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government position overseeing the construction and management of sports fields including bowls and tennis...
, becomes a major part of the American theater repertory after performances in Charleston and Philadelphia; it is also considered the first English comic operaComic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
. - Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, becomes home to the first musical society in the United States, the St. Cecilia SocietySt. Cecilia SocietyThe St. Cecilia Society of Charleston, South Carolina, named for the traditional patron saint of music, was formed in 1766 as a private subscription concert organization. Over the next fifty-four years, its annual concert series formed the most sophisticated musical phenomenon in North America...
.
1767
- Andrew BartonAndrew BartonSir Andrew Barton served as High Admiral of the Kingdom of Scotland. Notorious in England and Portugal as a 'pirate', Barton was a seaman who operated under the aegis of a letter of marque on behalf of the Scottish crown, and is therefore more widely described as a privateer...
's The Disappointment; Or, the Force of Credulity is the first American ballad operaBallad operaThe term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century and later. There are many types of ballad opera...
, and the first opera with a plot based in the United States. Its librettoLibrettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
is the first of its kind (comic operaComic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
) written and published in the country. It is not, however, performed until the 20th century. The scheduled debut in Philadelphia is cancelled because the opera "contained personal Reflections [sic] (and) is unfit for the stage", according to the Pennsylvania GazettePennsylvania Gazette (newspaper)The Pennsylvania Gazette was one of the United States' most prominent newspapers from 1728, before the time period of the American Revolution, until 1815...
. - The first reference to an African American dance comes from a description of a performance by Mr. Tea in a stage show documented in the New York JournalNew York Journal AmericanThe New York Journal American was a newspaper published from 1937 to 1966. The Journal American was the product of a merger between two New York newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst: The New York American , a morning paper, and the New York Evening Journal, an afternoon paper...
. - The first American patriotic songAmerican patriotic musicAmerican patriotic music is a part of the culture and history of the United States since its founding in the 18th century and has served to encourage feelings of national unity. These songs include hymns, military themes, national songs, and music from stage and screen, as well as songs adapted...
, known as "Liberty Song", advertised in the Boston Chronicle, with words by Mercy Otis WarrenMercy Otis WarrenMercy Otis Warren was a political writer and propagandist of the American Revolution. In the eighteenth century, topics such as politics and war were thought to be the province of men. Few women had the education or training to write about these subjects. Warren was the exception...
. - The first detailed account of an American military band concert comes the Royal American RegimentKing's Royal Rifle CorpsThe King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
(Sixtieth Foot) in New York.
| Late 1760s music trends |
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1768
- An advertisement in the Boston Chronicle is the one of the first for sheet musicSheet musicSheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
, for "Liberty Song", in the United States.
1769
- A concert is organized by John Gualdo in Philadelphia; this consisted of a wide range of pieces, much of which was composed by Gualdo himself, leading some historians to refer to this as the first "composers'-concert" in the United States.
- Roman Catholic missionary activity begins to "severely devastate" the civilizations of central coast and southern California, bringing new forms of Roman Catholic music to the indigenous peoples of California.
- In Isaac BickerstaffeIsaac BickerstaffeIsaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff was an Irish playwright and Librettist.-Early life:Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government position overseeing the construction and management of sports fields including bowls and tennis...
's comic operaComic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
The Padlock, the actor Lewis Hallam the YoungerLewis Hallam Jr.Lewis Hallam Jr. is an England-born American theater manager, son of Lewis Hallam, one of the pioneers of Theater in the United States...
performs "Dear Heart! What a Terrible Life I Am Led", the first documentation of a white stage presentation of an African American-styled song. - John HarrisJohn Harris (spinet maker)John Harris was a Bostonian maker of spinets and harpsichords.John Harris emigrated from England to Boston sometime before 1768. He completed his first spinet in 1769.-Sources:...
of Boston becomes the first spinetSpinetA spinet is a smaller type of harpsichord or other keyboard instrument, such as a piano or organ.-Spinets as harpsichords:While the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section...
-maker in the United States. - An anonymous manuscript published by John Boyles of Boston, Abstract of Geminiani's Art of Playing on the Violin is the first known instrumental education book in the future United States.
1770
- William BillingsWilliam BillingsWilliam Billings was an American choral composer, and is widely regarded as the father of American choral music...
' The New-England Psalm-Singer is the first compilation of entirely American music and the first compiled by a native-born American to be published, first major publication by a singing master, and the first the first tunebook in the country dedicated to the music of a single composer. The most famous song in the compilation is "ChesterChester (song)Among the patriotic anthems sung during the American Revolutionary War, only Yankee Doodle was more popular than William Billings's Chester. Billings wrote the first version of the song for his 1770 songbook The New England Psalm Singer, and made improvements for the version in his The Singing...
", which will be an unofficial anthem for Americans during the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Its publication begins a flourishing of distinctively American New England publications of sacred tunes. Billings himself will go on to become one of the first major figures in American music history, and is said to have been the first to introduce both the pitch pipe and the violoncello to the New England church choir. - William TuckeyWilliam TuckeyWilliam Tuckey was an American composer, who exerted important influence on the musical life of the Colonial United States. He was one of the first American composers to gain notability, and was also a choir master and organist...
, an organist and choirmaster in New York's Trinity ChurchTrinity Church (Newport, Rhode Island)Trinity Church, on Queen Anne Square in Newport, Rhode Island, is a historic parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Founded in 1698, it is the oldest Episcopal parish in the state. The current Georgian building was designed by architect Richard Munday and constructed in...
, presents a performance from Handel's MessiahMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
, the first performance from that piece in the United States.
1774
- The first ShakersShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
arrive in the United States, beginning American Shaker music. - English traveler Nicholas CresswellNicholas CresswellNicholas Cresswell was an English diarist.Cresswell was the son of a landowner and sheep farmer in Crowden-le-Booth, Edale, Derbyshire. At the age of 24 he sailed to the American colonies after becoming acquainted with a native of Edale who was now resident in Alexandria, Virginia...
notes a song which he describes as a "Negro tune". This "may well represent the earliest record of the influence of slave music on the white colonists". His work also contains the first reference to a banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
. - George LeileGeorge Lisle (Baptist)George Liele Liele, or Leile, or George Sharp was an African American and emancipated slave who became the founding pastor of the First African Baptist Church, in Savannah, Georgia . He became the first American missionary, leaving in 1782 for Jamaica; this is twenty years before Adoniram Judson...
, one of the first African Americans with official permission to preach, travels along the Savannah RiverSavannah RiverThe Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
preaching to slaves. He eventually formed one of the earliest self-governing black churches in the country, in Silver Bluff, South Carolina. - Samson OccomSamson OccomThe Reverend Samson Occom was a Native American Presbyterian clergyman and a member of the Mohegan nation near New London, Connecticut...
, a Native American minister, publishes the first hymnal to contain refrains. - John Behrent constructs a pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and is said to have been the first person in what is now the United States to do so.
1775
- Psalmodist Andrew LawAndrew LawAndrew Law was an American composer, preacher and singing teacher. He was born in Milford, Connecticut. Law wrote mostly simple hymn tunes, and arranged tunes of other composers. His works include Select Harmony and a Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems...
graduates from Rhode Island CollegeRhode Island CollegeRhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
, soon becoming an influential tunebook publisher and singing master. - "To Anacreon in HeavenTo Anacreon in Heaven"The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon in Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Attributed to the composer John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used by several writers as a setting for...
" is published in England; it will become a source of the tune for many patriotic songs of late 18th and earth 19th century, including "The Star-Spangled BannerThe Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
", the national anthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of the United States. - At a celebration following the victory of Ethan AllenEthan AllenEthan Allen was a farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, and American Revolutionary War patriot, hero, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of the U.S...
's Green Mountain BoysGreen Mountain BoysThe Green Mountain Boys were a militia organization first established in the 1760s in the territory between the British provinces of New York and New Hampshire, known as the New Hampshire Grants...
in the fight to capture Fort TiconderogaFort TiconderogaFort Ticonderoga, formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century fort built by the Canadians and the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in upstate New York in the United States...
, a band performs. This is the first documented performance of a military band in celebration of battle. - The Continental CongressContinental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
authorizes the creation of the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, the precursor to the United States ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. The authorization specifically requires the hiring of a drummer or trumpeter.
1776
- The ShakersShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
, led by Ann LeeAnn LeeMother Ann Lee was the leader of the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, or Shakers....
, settle at Niskayuna, New York, forming a communal religious society that used dance and music as an essential and sacred element of the religion. - George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
, worried that poor quality performance by musicians during drill practices would hinder military performance in battle, establishes tighter conditions for military bands in the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
.
1777
- TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s are added to military bands in the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
to control the maneuvers of cavalryCavalryCavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
. - The inspired musicianship of military drummers and fifers, under the command of Colonel John StarkJohn StarkJohn Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...
, is credited with victory at the Battle of BenningtonBattle of BenningtonThe Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War that took place on August 16, 1777, in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake Bennington, Vermont...
.
1778
- William BillingsWilliam BillingsWilliam Billings was an American choral composer, and is widely regarded as the father of American choral music...
' The Singing Master's Assistant includes songs that link the plight of the Israelites in Egyptian captivity with the lives of Bostonians of the time. This tunebook influentially "treated Scripture not only as a guide to spiritual inspiration and moral improvement, but as a historical epic that, bringing past into present, offered timeless parallels to current events". - Andrew LawAndrew LawAndrew Law was an American composer, preacher and singing teacher. He was born in Milford, Connecticut. Law wrote mostly simple hymn tunes, and arranged tunes of other composers. His works include Select Harmony and a Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems...
and his brother form a tunebook-printing company in Cheshire, ConnecticutCheshire, ConnecticutCheshire is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 28,543 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshire. In 2009 Cheshire was ranked 72 in Money Magazine's 100 Best Places to Live.Likewise, in 2011 Cheshire was ranked 73 in...
, beginning with 1779's Select Harmony, which reveals Law as a "champion of American composers, at a time when the notion that Americans could compose music at all was a new one". - Thomas JeffersonThomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
presents a view common to many of the upper-class elite in North America, in a letter to Giovanni FabbroniGiovanni FabbroniGiovanni Valentino Mattia Fabbroni was an Italian naturalist, economist, agronomist and chemist....
complaining that American music was in a state of "deplorable barbarism". - Captain CookJames CookCaptain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's arrival opens Hawaii open to regular outside contact and exposes European to the music of HawaiiMusic of HawaiiThe music of Hawaii includes an array of traditional and popular styles, ranging from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. Hawaii's musical contributions to the music of the United States are out of proportion to the state's small size. Styles like slack-key guitar are well-known...
. - A reorganization of the Continental ArmyContinental ArmyThe Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
establishes pay grades of military musicians and creates staff positions for drum and fife majors.
1779
- Friedrich Wilhelm von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben , also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
issues a manual, soon approved by Congress, which set the positions of military musicians and standardized on musical calls.
1780
- Composer Johann Friedrich PeterJohann Friedrich PeterJohann Friedrich Peter was an American composer of German origin. He emigrated to the United States in 1770, and for a time served as an organist and violinist with Unity of the Brethren congregations in North Carolina and Pennsylvania...
moves to the Moravian settlement in Salem, North CarolinaSalem, North CarolinaSalem is a census-designated place in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,923 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, where he will become a musical institution and found the Collegium MusicumCollegium MusicumThe Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German-Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century...
, as well as collect a great number of musical manuscripts.
1781
- Due to a manpower shortage, military musicians come to be chosen from enlisted men, rather than from performers who enlisted solely as musicians. This is the first evidence of musicians doing soldierly duties in the American army.
- Francis HopkinsonFrancis HopkinsonFrancis Hopkinson , an American author, was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence as a delegate from New Jersey. He later served as a federal judge in Pennsylvania...
composes the first American Grand OperaGrand OperaGrand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
, America Independent, Or the Temple of Minerva.
1782
- James Aird's Selection of Scotch, English, Irish and Foreign Airs is published, containing the earliest known printing of "Yankee DoodleYankee Doodle"Yankee Doodle" is a well-known Anglo-American song, the origin of which dates back to the Seven Years' War. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today and is the state anthem of Connecticut...
".
1783
- The Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
ends after the Treaty of ParisTreaty of Paris (1783)The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
, and George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
allows military musicians to keep their instruments as recognition for their dedication and service.
1784
- Joel BarlowJoel BarlowJoel Barlow was an American poet, diplomat and politician. In his own time, Barlow was well-known for the epic Vision of Columbus. Modern readers may be more familiar with "The Hasty Pudding"...
of Connecticut edits the very popular hymns of Isaac WattsIsaac WattsIsaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
to remove content supporting British sovereignty.
1786
- The city of New Orleans bans slaves from dancing in public squares on holy days and Sundays until after evening church services.
- The first Sunday schoolSunday schoolSunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
in the United States is established in Virginia; Sunday schools will become a major part of religious music instruction throughout the country. - The Stoughton Musical SocietyStoughton Musical SocietyOrganized in 1786, this is currently America's oldest choral society. Over the past two centuries it has had many distinguished accomplishments. In 1908, when incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the name was changed to Old Stoughton Musical Society...
, which remains in existence today, is founded in Stoughton, MassachusettsStoughton, MassachusettsStoughton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,962 at the 2010 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, and from Cape Cod.-History:...
; this is also the beginning of American choral societies. It may be the oldest continuous musical organization in the country, and is the oldest choral society in the United States, and has been called the "earliest musical organization of importance". - Johann Friedrich PeterJohann Friedrich PeterJohann Friedrich Peter was an American composer of German origin. He emigrated to the United States in 1770, and for a time served as an organist and violinist with Unity of the Brethren congregations in North Carolina and Pennsylvania...
founds the Collegium MusicumCollegium MusicumThe Collegium Musicum was one of several types of musical societies that arose in German and German-Swiss cities and towns during the Reformation and thrived into the mid-18th century...
in Salem, North CarolinaSalem, North CarolinaSalem is a census-designated place in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,923 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. - Daniel ReadDaniel ReadDaniel Read was an American composer of the First New England School, and one of the primary figures in early American classical music.-Life and work:...
and Amos DoolittleAmos DoolittleAmos Doolittle was an American engraver and silversmith, known as "The Revere of Connecticut."A self-taught artist from Cheshire, CT, Doolittle became an expert in copper engraving and specialized in scenes of the American Revolutionary war...
begin issuing the American Musical Magazine, the earliest music periodical in Anglo North America.
1787
- John AitkenJohn Aitken (music publisher)John Aitken was a Scottish-American music publisher.-Early life:Born in Dalkeith, Scotland around 1745. In October 1771, he arrived in Philadelphia via Rotterdam and became an indentured servant to goldsmith William Taylor for one-and-a-half years...
becomes the first American publisher of strictly music, and the first to publish secular sheet music in the United States. Most of the music is composed or arranged by Alexander ReinagleAlexander ReinagleAlexander Robert Reinagle was an English-born American composer, organist, and theater musician...
. Aitken engraves Reinagle's A Selection of the Most Favorite Scots-Irish Tunes, which is the first use of punching tools to engrave music in the country. - Johannes Herbst, a Moravian bishop and hymn writer, begins collecting music manuscripts, creating a massive archive that will not be made available until 1977.
1788
- Andrew Bryan founds the First African Baptist ChurchAfrican Meeting HouseThe African Meeting House, also known variously as First African Baptist Church, First Independent Baptist Church and the Belknap Street Church, was built in 1806 and is now the oldest black church edifice still standing in the United States. It is located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston,...
in Savannah, GeorgiaSavannah, GeorgiaSavannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, the first "permanent (African American) congregation in the nation". - John GriffithsJohn GriffithsJohn Griffiths AM is a Welsh Labour Co-operative politician and the Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development...
, an itinerant New England dancing master, publishes A Collection of the Newest and Most Fashionable Country Dances and Cotillions, the first collection of country danceCountry dancingThe term "Country Dance" was first coined in print by John Playford of London in 1651. It is a generic term for a social dance form in which two or more couples dance together in a set. In the course of the dance each dancer dances to his or her partner and each couple dances to the other couples...
s in the United States.
1789
- The Constitution of the United StatesUnited States ConstitutionThe Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
comes into effect, granting Congress the power to "promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries", the beginning of American copyrightCopyrightCopyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
law. - A ban on theatrical music is lifted, for the first time since the American Revolution.
1790
- The first theater opens in Augusta, GeorgiaAugusta, GeorgiaAugusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. - The first copyrightCopyrightCopyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
act is passed in the United States. - The first piece of music to be copyrighted is Andrew AdgateAndrew AdgateAndrew Adgate was a musician, music director, and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
's Rudiments of Music. - The first singing contest in the United States is held, between the choirs of Dorchester, MassachusettsDorchester, MassachusettsDorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
, and Stoughton, MassachusettsStoughton, MassachusettsStoughton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 26,962 at the 2010 census. The town is located approximately from Boston, from Providence, and from Cape Cod.-History:...
.
1791
- A slave named Newport GardnerNewport GardnerNewport Gardner was an African American singing school master and composer.-Musical career:Gardner was brought into the colonies as a slave at the age of fourteen where he was sold to a Rhode Island merchant named Caleb Gardner...
wins a lottery and buys his freedom, opening a singing school and becoming one of the first African American music teachers. - The ban on theaters in Philadelphia is ended.
1792
- Congress passes a law requiring all able-bodied white males to join a state militia; the result helps spur the development of military bands, as opposed to fifeFifeFife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
-and-drum corps, which Congress authorizes for the first time the same year. The Militia ActMilitia Act of 1792The Militia Act of 1792 was a series of statutes enacted by the second United States Congress in 1792. The act provided for the President of the United States to take command of the state militias in times of imminent invasion or insurrection.-History:...
standardized the instrumentation of military bands. - Thomas WignellThomas WignellThomas Wignell was an English-born actor and theatre manager in colonial United States.-Early life:He was born in England and came to North America in 1774 with his cousin Lewis Hallam, then left for Jamaica until 1785.-Career:...
forms a theatrical companyTheatreTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Philadelphia, with Alexander ReinagleAlexander ReinagleAlexander Robert Reinagle was an English-born American composer, organist, and theater musician...
as his music director.
1793
- The ban on theater entertainment in Boston ends.
- John AitkenJohn Aitken (music publisher)John Aitken was a Scottish-American music publisher.-Early life:Born in Dalkeith, Scotland around 1745. In October 1771, he arrived in Philadelphia via Rotterdam and became an indentured servant to goldsmith William Taylor for one-and-a-half years...
ends his music publishing career for a time, as composer Alexander ReinagleAlexander ReinagleAlexander Robert Reinagle was an English-born American composer, organist, and theater musician...
become music director for the New Theater in Philadelphia. One impetus for Aitken's ending his business comes from increased competition, as the American music publishing industry diversifies and competitors arise in New York, Boston and Baltimore. - Benjamin CarrBenjamin CarrBenjamin Carr was an American composer, singer, teacher, and music publisher. Born in London, he studied organ with Charles Wesley and composition with Samuel Arnold. In 1793 he traveled to Philadelphia with a stage company, and a year later went with the same company to New York, where he...
opens a musical instrument shop in Philadelphia, and soon begins publishing music as well, one of the first music publishing ventures in the United States. His periodical The Gentleman's Amusement included Philip PhilePhilip PhilePhilip Phile was an American composer and violinist. His year of birth is uncertain, but believed to be approximately 1734. His works include a lost Violin Concerto , but he is best known for " The President's March", written and performed at the inauguration of President George Washington.He died...
's "The President's MarchHail, Columbia"Hail, Columbia" is an American patriotic song. It was considered, with several other songs, one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States until 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" was officially named the national anthem...
", which is later the tune for "Hail, ColumbiaHail, Columbia"Hail, Columbia" is an American patriotic song. It was considered, with several other songs, one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States until 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" was officially named the national anthem...
".
1794
- A comic operaComic operaComic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
called The Children in the Wood premiers in Philadelphia; with music by Samuel ArnoldSamuel Arnold (composer)Samuel Arnold was an English composer and organist.Arnold was born in London , and began writing music for the theatre in about 1764. A few years later he became director of music at the Marylebone Gardens, for which much of his popular music was written...
and libretto by Thomas MortonThomas Morton (playwright)Thomas Morton was an English playwright.-Life:Morton was born in the city of Durham. He was the son of John and Grace Morton of Whickham, County Durham. He went to London to study law at Lincoln's Inn, but abandoned his studies for playwriting. For much of his life, Thomas lived in Pangbourne in...
, the opera becomes wildly popular in the United States. - Andrew LawAndrew LawAndrew Law was an American composer, preacher and singing teacher. He was born in Milford, Connecticut. Law wrote mostly simple hymn tunes, and arranged tunes of other composers. His works include Select Harmony and a Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems...
publishes The Art of Singing, a trio of books aimed at educating Americans in music; these publications "represent nothing less than a conversion in musical taste", as he abandoned American composers in favor of European principles of composition. - Ann HattonAnn HattonAnn Julia Hatton , was a popular novelist in Britain in the early 19th century.-Biography:...
and James HewittJames HewittJames Hewitt is a former British household cavalry officer in the British Army. He had an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales for five years, receiving extensive media coverage after revealing details of the affair.-Early life:...
's Tammany; or, The Indian Chief is the both first American opera on a Native American subject and the first on an American subject of any kind. It is also the first with a female librettist.
| Mid 1790s music trends |
|---|
|
1795
- Oliver HoldenOliver HoldenOliver Holden was an American composer and compiler of hymns.Born in Shirley, Massachusetts, he served a year as a marine, for which he received a small annual pension. He lived most of his life in Charles Town, Boston, Massachusetts, after he moved with his parents in 1786. He was known to be a...
, with Hans Gram and Samuel Adams HolyokeSamuel Adams HolyokeSamuel Holyoke, American composer and teacher of vocal and instrumental music, was the son of Rev. Elizur Holyoke and Hannah Peabody. He was born on 15 October 1762 in Boxford, Massachusetts, in Essex County, and died on 7 February 1820, Concord, New Hampshire, in Merrimack County...
, publishes The Massachusetts Compiler, the most "up-to-date manual of music theory" from the United States to that time.
1796
- The French operaFrench OperaFrench opera is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions, containing works by composers of the stature of Rameau, Berlioz, Bizet, Debussy, Poulenc and Olivier Messiaen...
tradition in New Orleans begins with a production of Silvain, an opera by André Ernest Modeste Grétry. New Orleans will remain the center for opera in the United States until the 1860s. - William DunlapWilliam DunlapWilliam Dunlap was a pioneer of the American theater. He was a producer, playwright, and actor, as well as a historian. He managed two of New York's earliest and most prominent theaters, the John Street Theatre and the Park Theatre...
and Benjamin CarrBenjamin CarrBenjamin Carr was an American composer, singer, teacher, and music publisher. Born in London, he studied organ with Charles Wesley and composition with Samuel Arnold. In 1793 he traveled to Philadelphia with a stage company, and a year later went with the same company to New York, where he...
's The Archers is one of the first major American operas to enter the standard repertoire.
1797
- The Pocket Hymn Book is published in Philadelphia. It will become the standard collection of hymns for the camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
s of the Great AwakeningSecond Great AwakeningThe Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
of the early 19th century.
1798
- William Smith and William LittleWilliam LittleWilliam Little may refer to:* William Brian Little , founding partner of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm* William Carruthers Little , Ontario farmer and political figure...
successfully copyright a shape noteShape noteShape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
system that would become the standard in the 19th century. - The first complete work to be copyrighted is a pair of ballads, "Ellen Arise: A Ballad" and "The Little Sailor Boy: A Ballad", both by Benjamin CarrBenjamin CarrBenjamin Carr was an American composer, singer, teacher, and music publisher. Born in London, he studied organ with Charles Wesley and composition with Samuel Arnold. In 1793 he traveled to Philadelphia with a stage company, and a year later went with the same company to New York, where he...
. - The first governmental subsidy for music comes in the form of the United States Marine BandUnited States Marine BandThe United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the United States...
, led by Drum Major William FarrWilliam FarrWilliam Farr was a nineteenth-century British epidemiologist, regarded as one of the founders of medical statistics.-Early life:He was born in Kenley, Shropshire, England to poor parents...
; this is the first military musical establishment in the United States. - The first political campaign song is "Adams and Liberty", set to the tune of "To Anacreon in HeavenTo Anacreon in Heaven"The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon in Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Attributed to the composer John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used by several writers as a setting for...
", by Robert Treat PaineRobert Treat PaineRobert Treat Paine was a signer of the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts.-Early life and ancestors:...
. - The song "Hail, ColumbiaHail, Columbia"Hail, Columbia" is an American patriotic song. It was considered, with several other songs, one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States until 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" was officially named the national anthem...
", set to the music of "The President's MarchHail, Columbia"Hail, Columbia" is an American patriotic song. It was considered, with several other songs, one of the unofficial national anthems of the United States until 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" was officially named the national anthem...
", is published, with the intent of "arousing the American spirit"; it becomes one of the most popular and long-lasting patriotic songs in the country. - The New Jersey Immorality Act bans "dancing, singing, fiddling, or other music for the sake of merriment".
1799
- The Longhouse ReligionLonghouse Religionthumb|right|A traditional longhouse.The Longhouse Religion, refers to the religious movement, founded in 1799, among peoples who formerly lived in longhouses. Prior to the adoption of the single family dwelling, various groups of peoples lived in large, extended-family homes also known as...
of the Iroquois is founded by Handsome LakeHandsome LakeHandsome Lake was a Seneca religious leader of the Iroquois people. He was also half-brother to Cornplanter....
; music and dance are integral parts of the burgeoning religion.
1800
- Samuel Adams HolyokeSamuel Adams HolyokeSamuel Holyoke, American composer and teacher of vocal and instrumental music, was the son of Rev. Elizur Holyoke and Hannah Peabody. He was born on 15 October 1762 in Boxford, Massachusetts, in Essex County, and died on 7 February 1820, Concord, New Hampshire, in Merrimack County...
's first volume of The Instrumental Assistant is the first "comprehensive instrumental and collection of traditional music for band instruments published" in the United States. - The first camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
is held in Logan County, KentuckyLogan County, KentuckyLogan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
, led by minister James McGreadyJames McGreadyRev. James McGready was a Presbyterian minister and a revivalist during the Second Great Awakening in the United States of America. He was one of the most important figures of the Second Great Awakening in the American frontier.- Early life :...
. Camp meetings will become an essential component of the Second Great AwakeningSecond Great AwakeningThe Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
of Christian fervor, which will dominate the "religious life of America's frontier communities". Hymn-singing was a major part of camp meetings. - James HewittJames HewittJames Hewitt is a former British household cavalry officer in the British Army. He had an affair with Diana, Princess of Wales for five years, receiving extensive media coverage after revealing details of the affair.-Early life:...
and William DunlapWilliam DunlapWilliam Dunlap was a pioneer of the American theater. He was a producer, playwright, and actor, as well as a historian. He managed two of New York's earliest and most prominent theaters, the John Street Theatre and the Park Theatre...
Pizarro in Peru is the first "important American operatic melodrama".
1801
- Reverend Richard AllenRichard Allen (reverend)Richard Allen was a minister, educator and writer, and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal , the first independent black denomination in the United States in 1816. He opened his first church in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was elected the first bishop of the AME Church...
publishes A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns for Bethel Church in Philadelphia; this is the first such collection "assembled by a black author for a black congregation". The collection includes works by Isaac WattsIsaac WattsIsaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
and others, as well as some that are unattributed and may have been composed by Allen himself. It was also the first collection "to employ the so-called wandering refrains -- that is, refrain verses or short choruses attached at random to orthodox hymn stanzas". - William Smith and William LittleWilliam LittleWilliam Little may refer to:* William Brian Little , founding partner of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm* William Carruthers Little , Ontario farmer and political figure...
publish The Easy Instructor in Philadelphia; it is the first shape note tunebook, which would become the standard for American shape note singing in the 19th century. - Richard AllenRichard Allen (reverend)Richard Allen was a minister, educator and writer, and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal , the first independent black denomination in the United States in 1816. He opened his first church in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was elected the first bishop of the AME Church...
publishes his own hymnal, A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns, which becomes very popular. - The first camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
is held near the Gasper RiverGasper RiverThe Gasper River is a river in southwestern Kentucky, USA. It flows northeasterly into the Barren River. It is a rural river; the only town near it is Hadley in Warren County. It begins in northeast Logan County, and the river also flows through Warren and Logan counties...
in Logan County, KentuckyLogan County, KentuckyLogan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
; the diverse crowd forces the song leaders to keep the songs simple, leading to a style known as the camp meeting spiritualSpiritual (music)Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
.
| Early 19th century music trends |
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1802
- Publisher Andrew LawAndrew LawAndrew Law was an American composer, preacher and singing teacher. He was born in Milford, Connecticut. Law wrote mostly simple hymn tunes, and arranged tunes of other composers. His works include Select Harmony and a Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems...
abandons traditional musical notationMusical notationMusic notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...
and copyrights his own system. - William LittleWilliam LittleWilliam Little may refer to:* William Brian Little , founding partner of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm* William Carruthers Little , Ontario farmer and political figure...
and William Smith publish The Easy Instructor, a book whose shape noteShape noteShape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
system will become the standard in the United States.
1803
- Publisher Andrew LawAndrew LawAndrew Law was an American composer, preacher and singing teacher. He was born in Milford, Connecticut. Law wrote mostly simple hymn tunes, and arranged tunes of other composers. His works include Select Harmony and a Collection of Best Tunes and Anthems...
begins to publish in shape noteShape noteShape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
s, with the publication of the fourth edition of The Musical Primer. His system had been copyrighted, but was beat by William LittleWilliam LittleWilliam Little may refer to:* William Brian Little , founding partner of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm* William Carruthers Little , Ontario farmer and political figure...
and William Smith's The Easy Instructor, which used a slightly different system and quickly became the standard for American shape note singing. - After the Louisiana PurchaseLouisiana PurchaseThe Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
, Etienne de BoréEtienne de BoréEtienne de Boré was the first person to hold the title of Mayor of New Orleans.Though born in Kaskaskia, Illinois, he was sent to Europe to be educated and spent most of his life there. On leaving school he entered French military service in the King's Musketeers, and, later, after a visit to...
, the Mayor of New Orleans, is tasked with appointing a location for slaves to dance on Sundays; the place chosen will eventually be known as Congo SquareCongo SquareCongo Square is an open space within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The Tremé neighborhood is famous for its history of African American music....
. - The earliest full description of the African American PinksterPinksterPinkster is a spring festival, taking place in late May or early June. The name is a variation of the Dutch word Pinksteren, meaning "Pentecost". Pinkster in English almost always refers to the festivals held by African Americans in the Northeastern United States, particularly in the early 19th...
day holiday comes from a poem published in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. - The earliest extant orchestral score for an American opera known to exist is The Voice of Nature by William DunlapWilliam DunlapWilliam Dunlap was a pioneer of the American theater. He was a producer, playwright, and actor, as well as a historian. He managed two of New York's earliest and most prominent theaters, the John Street Theatre and the Park Theatre...
and Victor Pelissier, composed in this year.
1804
- In Salem and western Middlesex County, MassachusettsMiddlesex County, Massachusetts-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
, clergymen and other local leaders and singers begin advocating for a more formal and European style of religious musical expression.
| mid-19th century music trends |
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1805
- Shape note singing grows in popularity and expands in influence after William Smith and William LittleWilliam LittleWilliam Little may refer to:* William Brian Little , founding partner of Forstmann Little & Company, a private equity firm* William Carruthers Little , Ontario farmer and political figure...
's The Easy Instructor is picked up by an Albany, New York publisher. - The Salem Collection of Classical Sacred Musick is published in Salem, MassachusettsSalem, MassachusettsSalem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
; it is described by traditionalist psalmodist Nathaniel D. Gould as a spearhead for musical reform in New England churches. - Approximate: Musical reformers of psalmody, who promote "European standards and 'correct taste'", begin using the name of George Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
to symbolize the idealized music they prefer. - Richard McNemar converts to become a ShakerShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
; he will become known as the "Father of Shaker music", and is the most prolific composer of Shaker hymns and anthems. - Librettist Lorenzo Da PonteLorenzo Da PonteLorenzo Da Ponte was a Venetian opera librettist and poet. He wrote the librettos for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Mozart's greatest operas, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte....
emigrates to the United States, where he will help to introduce operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
to mainstream Americans.
1807
- The Middlesex Collection of Church Musick is published in Boston; it is described by traditionalist psalmodist Nathaniel D. Gould as a spearhead for musical reform in New England churches.
1808
- Congress ends the importation of new slaves.
- The age of popular parlor musicParlour musicParlour music is a type of popular music which, as the name suggests, is intended to be performed in the parlours of middle class homes by amateur singers and pianists...
begins with the first publication of Thomas MooreThomas MooreThomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
's Irish Melodies, in Dublin, London and Philadelphia. The collection popularizes parlor music to a large audience of mixed social and economic backgrounds. The collection also inspires a vogue for nostalgic, sentimental songs throughout the Anglophone world. Two of the most important songs from the collection are "The Last Rose of SummerThe Last Rose of SummerThe Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. Moore wrote it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland...
" and "The Harp That Once Thro' Tara's Halls". - The earliest extant full piano vocal score known to exist is from James Nelson BarkerJames Nelson BarkerJames Nelson Barker was an American soldier, playwright, and politician. He rose to major in the army during the War of 1812, wrote ten plays, and served as mayor of Philadelphia.-Life:...
and John Bray's The Indian Princess; Or, La Belle Savauge, composed in this year.
1809
- The first African American Baptist church is formed in Philadelphia.
- A manuscript prepared by Jacob Eckhard Sr. for the choir at St. Michael's Episcopal ChurchSt. Michael's Episcopal Church-California:* St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Anaheim, California, listed on the National Register of Historic Places-New York:* St. Michael's Church, New York City, Episcopal, listed on the National Register of Historic Places-New Jersey:...
is one of the earliest documents containing Episcopal musicAnglican church musicAnglican church music is music that is written for liturgical performance in Anglican church services.Almost all of it is written for choir with or without organ accompaniment...
.
1810
- Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner founds the Boston Philharmonic Society, the first semiprofessional orchestra in the city.
- The keyed bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
is invented by Joseph Holiday, allowing that instrument to be played fully chromaticallyChromatic scaleThe chromatic scale is a musical scale with twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. On a modern piano or other equal-tempered instrument, all the half steps are the same size...
. - The first military band in New York City is formed, serving the 11th Regiment of the New York Militia and based on Bedloe's IslandLiberty IslandLiberty Island is a small uninhabited island in New York Harbor in the United States, best known as the location of the Statue of Liberty. Though so called since the turn of the century, the name did not become official until 1956. In 1937, by proclamation 2250, President Franklin D...
.
1811
- Russian visitor Pavel Svinin visits an African American church in Philadelphia; this is one of the first written depictions of black church music in the United States.
- The first use of the word hit referring to a success in show business comes from this year. The word is borrowed from the game of backgammonBackgammonBackgammon is one of the oldest board games for two players. The playing pieces are moved according to the roll of dice, and players win by removing all of their pieces from the board. There are many variants of backgammon, most of which share common traits...
.
| Early 1810s music trends |
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1812
- A hymnbook, popularly called The Bridgewater Collection is first published; it will be used at least until well into the 20th century.
- A musical celebration after the end of the War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
leads to the formation of the Handel and Haydn SocietyHandel and Haydn SocietyThe Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
of Boston. The War's chief musical effect is in the composition of songs celebrating American naval victories, most importantly "Hull's Victory", which commemorates the capture of the by the . - During the War of 1812, American military bands use bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
s rather than drums and fifes as in the Revolutionary War. - While British troops blockade American ports, European sheet music can not be imported, helping to spur the rise of the American music publishing industry.
1813
- Irish songwriter Thomas MooreThomas MooreThomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
publishes "The Last Rose of SummerThe Last Rose of SummerThe Last Rose of Summer is a poem by Irish poet Thomas Moore, who was a friend of Byron and Shelley. Moore wrote it in 1805 while at Jenkinstown Park in County Kilkenny, Ireland...
", a popular song that helped establish him as one of the best-known composers of American parlor songParlour musicParlour music is a type of popular music which, as the name suggests, is intended to be performed in the parlours of middle class homes by amateur singers and pianists...
s. - Thomas CarrThomas Carr (publisher)Thomas Carr was an American music publisher, along with his brothers Benjamin and Joseph Carr. Thomas ran a shop in New York, while his brothers did so in Philadelphia and Baltimore, respectively.Thomas Carr also arranged "The Star-Spangled Banner"....
and his father, Joseph CarrJoseph CarrJoseph "Joe" F. Carr was the president of the National Football League from 1921 until his death in 1939. Carr was born in Columbus, Ohio. As a mechanic for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Columbus, he directed the Columbus Panhandles football team in 1907 until 1922...
, create one of the earliest American music publishing outfits, beginning with Thomas' popular arrangement of "The Star-Spangled BannerThe Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
". - Millennial Praises, the first ShakerShakersThe United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, known as the Shakers, is a religious sect originally thought to be a development of the Religious Society of Friends...
hymnal, is published in Hancock, MassachusettsHancock, MassachusettsHancock is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 717 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. It contains only the text of the hymns. - The military band at West Point AcademyUnited States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
begins its formation, though the modern incarnation of the West Point Band will not be formally created until 1817.
1814
- Francis Scott KeyFrancis Scott KeyFrancis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
writes what will become "The Star-Spangled BannerThe Star-Spangled Banner"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
", which will become the official national anthemNational anthemA national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of the United States in 1931. It uses the tune of an English drinking song called "To Anacreon in HeavenTo Anacreon in Heaven"The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon in Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Attributed to the composer John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used by several writers as a setting for...
" by John Stafford SmithJohn Stafford SmithJohn Stafford Smith was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach....
. - Rayner Taylor's romantic grand opera, The Acthiop; Or, The Child of the Desert, is a popular and influential composition, which remains in production into the 1860s.
1815
- In Boston the Handel and Haydn SocietyHandel and Haydn SocietyThe Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...
is formed to "improve sacred music performance and promote the sacred works of eminent European masters". This marks "a new stage in Americans' recognition of music as an art". It remains an influential part of Bostonian culture. - The keyed bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
is introduced to the United States. The keyed bugle led to the development of a whole new class of valved brass instruments called saxhornSaxhornThe saxhorn is a valved brass instrument with a conical bore and deep cup-shaped mouthpiece. The sound has a characteristic mellow quality, and blends well with other brass.-The saxhorn family:...
s after their French inventor, Antoine-Joseph SaxAdolphe SaxAntoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax was a Belgian musical instrument designer and musician who played the flute and clarinet, and is best known for having invented the saxophone.-Biography:... - This is the earliest proffered date for the formation of the first minstrel troopsMinstrel showThe minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
. - The song "Backside Albany", with a melody borrowed from the British folk song "Boyne Water", is the first blackfaceBlackfaceBlackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
airAir (music)Air , a variant of the musical song form, is the name of various song-like vocal or instrumental compositions.-English lute ayres:...
. - Thomas HastingsThomas Hastings (composer)Thomas Hastings was an American composer, primarily an author of hymn tunes of which the best known is Toplady for the hymn Rock of Ages. He was born to Dr. Seth and Eunice Hastings in Washington, Connecticut...
, a prolific publisher of church music and author, publishes his "first and most famous collection", Musica Sacra.
1816
- The African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
is founded in Philadelphia, which "established a racial division in American Protestantism; music was to remain a major part of the Church's spiritual expression. - The earliest description of a specifically African American Christian music performance comes from George Tucker, who witnessed the song in Portsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
. - Daniel Loomis becomes the first teacher of music at the West Point AcademyUnited States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, and George W. Gardiner is assigned commander of the West Point Band. - Thomas Funk publishes Choral Music, a songbook that helps establish the American shape noteShape noteShape notes are a music notation designed to facilitate congregational and community singing. The notation, introduced in 1801, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools...
singing tradition. Funk's descendents will carry on his legacy in founding Ruebush-Kieffer, a publishing company that will be the predecessor of most of the Southern religious music publishing firms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
| Late 1810s music trends |
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1817
- The city government of New Orleans limits African American dancing to Sundays before sundown in Congo SquareCongo SquareCongo Square is an open space within Louis Armstrong Park, which is located in the Tremé neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana, just across Rampart Street north of the French Quarter. The Tremé neighborhood is famous for its history of African American music....
, which would become a hotbed of musical mingling and innovation. - Civilian Richard Willis is hired as teacher of music at the West Point AcademyUnited States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. The tradition of hiring civilians for this position will last until 1972. He will also introduce the keyed bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
to the American military.
1818
- Music teacher, keyed bugleBugle (instrument)The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure, since the bugle has no other mechanism for controlling pitch. Consequently, the bugle is limited to notes within the harmonic series...
r and bandleader Frank Johnson publishes Six Sets of Cotillions, establishing a career that will make him the leader of the "Philadelphia School", the first African American "school of classically trained composers". He also becomes the first African American to publish sheet music this year, and will later become the first widely acclaimed composer, both at home and in England, first to innovate a style or school elaborated upon by other individuals, first to give formal band concerts, and the first to perform with white musicians in public and the first to tour widely in the United States. He may be the first American of any race to tour abroad, in 1837. - Richard AllenRichard Allen (reverend)Richard Allen was a minister, educator and writer, and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal , the first independent black denomination in the United States in 1816. He opened his first church in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was elected the first bishop of the AME Church...
publishes a hymnal, the first for the African Methodist Episcopal ChurchAfrican Methodist Episcopal ChurchThe African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
, which became the world's "first black denomination" when it was founded in 1816. - African Americans begin organizing their own camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
s, start with one held this year by the African Methodist Episcopal Church, in Bucks County, PennsylvaniaBucks County, Pennsylvania- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
. - Bohemian composer Anthony Philip HeinrichAnthony Philip HeinrichAnthony Philip Heinrich was the first "full-time" American composer, and the most prominent before the American Civil War. He did not start composing until he was 36, after losing his business fortune in the Napoleonic Wars. For most of his career he was known as "Father Heinrich," an emeritus...
comes to the United States and is so impressed by the "natural scenery, (America's) exciting history, and the music of the Native AmericanNative American musicAmerican Indian music is the music that is used, created or performed by Native North Americans, specifically traditional tribal music. In addition to the traditional music of the Native American groups, there now exist pan-tribal and inter-tribal genres as well as distinct Indian subgenres of...
" that he began composing a string of works on these topics.
1819
- John Fanning WatsonJohn Fanning WatsonJohn Fanning Watson was a Philadelphia antiquarian and amateur historian, best known as the author of Annals of Philadelphia ....
, a Wesleyan Methodist, publishes a tract called Methodist Error, which criticizes clergy that hold camp meetingCamp meetingThe camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
s, on the basis that they were relatively racially egalitarian, and the music poorly-composed and performed, especially by African Americans. Though his criticism is not entirely aimed at African Americans, the features he most identifies as religiously inappropriate are characteristically African American. His chief complaint is the use of refrains "of their own composing", referring to those include in the hymnal of Richard AllenRichard Allen (reverend)Richard Allen was a minister, educator and writer, and the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal , the first independent black denomination in the United States in 1816. He opened his first church in 1794 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was elected the first bishop of the AME Church...
from 1801. - The "best-known stage for drama, concert music and opera" in Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, VirginiaRichmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, the Richmond Theater, opens. - John Siegling opens a music publishing firm, Siegling Music Company, in Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
; it will last for many years, and will be the oldest music publishing company in operation by the time the Civil War begins.