William Henry Fry
Encyclopedia
For the woodcarver and gilder, see William H. Fry
.
William Henry Fry (August 10, 1813 – December 21, 1864) was a pioneering American composer, music critic, and journalist. Fry was the first person born in the United States to write for a large symphony orchestra, and the first to compose a publicly performed opera
. He was also the first music critic for a major American newspaper, and he was the first person to insist that his fellow countrymen support American-made music.
. His father, William Fry, was a prominent printer and, along with Roberts Vaux and Robert Walsh, ran the National Gazette and Literary Register, a major American newspaper at the time. William Henry had four brothers -- Joseph Reese, Edward Plunket, Charles, and Horace Fry. He was educated at what is now Mt. St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland
. After returning to Philadelphia to work for his father, he studied composition with Leopold Meignen, a former band leader in Napoleon Bonaparte's army and the music director of the Musical Fund Society
orchestra. He eventually became secretary of the Musical Fund Society.
Fry's operatic compositions include Aurelia the Vestal, Leonora
(based on the 1838 play The Lady of Lyons
), and Notre-Dame of Paris. Leonora was a very successful production at its premiere in 1845 and second run the following year. Leonora is also significant as it was the first grand opera written by an American composer.
After a six-year sojourn in Europe (1846–52), where he served as foreign correspondent to the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Horace Greeley
's New York Tribune
, and The Message Bird (later known as the New York Musical World and Times), Fry gave a series of eleven widely publicized lectures in New York's Metropolitan Hall. These dealt with subjects such as the history and theory of music as well as the state of American classical music.
In addition to his operas, Fry wrote seven symphonies that have extra-musical themes. His 1854 Niagara Symphony, written for Louis Jullien's orchestra, uses eleven timpani
to create the roar of the waters, snare drums
to reproduce the hiss of the spray, and a remarkable series of discordant
, chromatic
descending scales to reproduce the chaos of the falling waters as they crash onto the rocks.
His Santa Claus: Christmas Symphony of 1853, which was very well received by audiences but derided by many of Fry's rival critics, may be the first orchestral use of the saxophone
, invented barely a decade before.
Fry's other works, including Leonora (New York debut in 1858) and Notre-Dame of Paris (1864, Philadelphia), received mixed reviews along partisan lines: conservatives
tended to dislike Fry's music, whereas political progressives
highly enjoyed it.
From 1852 until his death in 1864, Fry served as music critic and political editor for the New York Tribune
. His other musical works included the Overture to Macbeth, the Breaking Heart, string quartets and sacred choral
music.
. His death was apparently from tuberculosis
"accelerated by exhaustion."http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559057#
William H. Fry
William Henry Fry was a wood carver and gilder of the Aesthetic Movement born in England. In the 1850s Fry moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to work in a shop run by his father, Henry Fry. In the 1870s the family began giving private instruction to Cincinnatians on woodcarving techniques. His father,...
.
William Henry Fry (August 10, 1813 – December 21, 1864) was a pioneering American composer, music critic, and journalist. Fry was the first person born in the United States to write for a large symphony orchestra, and the first to compose a publicly performed opera
Opera
Opera 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...
. He was also the first music critic for a major American newspaper, and he was the first person to insist that his fellow countrymen support American-made music.
Biography
William Henry Fry was born on August 10, 1813 in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. His father, William Fry, was a prominent printer and, along with Roberts Vaux and Robert Walsh, ran the National Gazette and Literary Register, a major American newspaper at the time. William Henry had four brothers -- Joseph Reese, Edward Plunket, Charles, and Horace Fry. He was educated at what is now Mt. St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland
Emmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
. After returning to Philadelphia to work for his father, he studied composition with Leopold Meignen, a former band leader in Napoleon Bonaparte's army and the music director of the Musical Fund Society
The Musical Fund Society
The Musical Fund Society is one of the oldest musical societies in the United States founded in February 1820 by Benjamin Carr, Raynor Taylor, George Schetky and Benjamin Cross, and the painter Thomas Sully...
orchestra. He eventually became secretary of the Musical Fund Society.
Fry's operatic compositions include Aurelia the Vestal, Leonora
Leonora (opera)
Leonora, ossia L’amore coniugale is an opera in two acts by the Italian composer Ferdinando Paer. The libretto, by Giovanni Schmidt, is based on Léonore ou L’Amour conjugal by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, which was also the source of Beethoven's Fidelio...
(based on the 1838 play The Lady of Lyons
The Lady of Lyons
The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride, commonly known as The Lady of Lyons, is a five act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton...
), and Notre-Dame of Paris. Leonora was a very successful production at its premiere in 1845 and second run the following year. Leonora is also significant as it was the first grand opera written by an American composer.
After a six-year sojourn in Europe (1846–52), where he served as foreign correspondent to the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley
Horace Greeley was an American newspaper editor, a founder of the Liberal Republican Party, a reformer, a politician, and an outspoken opponent of slavery...
's New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
, and The Message Bird (later known as the New York Musical World and Times), Fry gave a series of eleven widely publicized lectures in New York's Metropolitan Hall. These dealt with subjects such as the history and theory of music as well as the state of American classical music.
In addition to his operas, Fry wrote seven symphonies that have extra-musical themes. His 1854 Niagara Symphony, written for Louis Jullien's orchestra, uses eleven timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
to create the roar of the waters, snare drums
Snare drum
The snare drum or side drum is a melodic percussion instrument with strands of snares made of curled metal wire, metal cable, plastic cable, or gut cords stretched across the drumhead, typically the bottom. Pipe and tabor and some military snare drums often have a second set of snares on the bottom...
to reproduce the hiss of the spray, and a remarkable series of discordant
Consonance and dissonance
In music, a consonance is a harmony, chord, or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance , which is considered to be unstable...
, chromatic
Chromaticism
Chromaticism is a compositional technique interspersing the primary diatonic pitches and chords with other pitches of the chromatic scale. Chromaticism is in contrast or addition to tonality or diatonicism...
descending scales to reproduce the chaos of the falling waters as they crash onto the rocks.
His Santa Claus: Christmas Symphony of 1853, which was very well received by audiences but derided by many of Fry's rival critics, may be the first orchestral use of the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, invented barely a decade before.
Fry's other works, including Leonora (New York debut in 1858) and Notre-Dame of Paris (1864, Philadelphia), received mixed reviews along partisan lines: conservatives
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
tended to dislike Fry's music, whereas political progressives
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
highly enjoyed it.
From 1852 until his death in 1864, Fry served as music critic and political editor for the New York Tribune
New York Tribune
The New York Tribune was an American newspaper, first established by Horace Greeley in 1841, which was long considered one of the leading newspapers in the United States...
. His other musical works included the Overture to Macbeth, the Breaking Heart, string quartets and sacred choral
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
music.
Death
William Henry Fry died at age 51 on December 21, 1864, in Santa Cruz (Saint Croix) in the Virgin IslandsVirgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
. His death was apparently from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
"accelerated by exhaustion."http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.559057#
Compositions
- Opera Leonora (1845)
- Santa Claus, Christmas Symphony (1853)
- Niagara Symphony (1854)
- Overture to MacBeth (1864)
- The Breaking Heart (aka Adagio, Adagio sostenuto)
External links
- Encyclopedia of World Biography on William Henry Fry
- Liner notes by Kile Smith for recording of Fry's Santa Claus Symphony, Overture to Macbeth, Niagara Symphony and The Breaking Heart (Naxos 8.559057)