The Clarinet in Early America, 1758-1820

Résumé du livre

Abstract: The history and development of the clarinet in Europe are subjects that have received considerable scholarly attention, but no serious attempt has been made to trace the instrument's use in early America. This dissertation is an initial step toward supplying this missing chapter in clarinet history. The period survey encompasses the years 1758 (the year of the first documentary evidence of the clarinet in America) through 1820. The study covers primarily the five east-coast cities where musical life was most active in this period: Charleston, Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia and Boston. The important Moravian communities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina were also examined as important centers of clarinet activity. Primary sources of information were early newspapers, city directories, ships' passenger lists, naturalization papers, vital records, letters, and diaries. The aim of this dissertation is to document as many aspects as possible of the clarinet's history and use in early America. Chapter Two investigates the clarinetist's livelihood, considering the ways in which clarinetists earned their livings: in the military, the theatre, and on the concert stage. Chapter Three examines the Moravian communities, where clarinetists cultivated a repertory largely not found elsewhere in early America. Chapter Four surveys the repertory played by early American clarinetists, identifying works and composers that were important either because they were performed frequently, or because they were unique in some way. Chapter Four also deals with what might be categorized as amateur music: tunebooks, duets, songs, and music for church "gallery orchestras." Chapter Five focuses on clarinet teaching in early America, examining who taught the clarinet, what kind of clientele they were trying to attract, and which clarinet instruction books or tutors might have been used. Chapter Six is concerned with individuals and businesses that made and sold clarinets and clarinet-related merchandise (reeds, mouthpieces, music, and other accessories). Appendix A, "A Biographical Dictionary of Early American Clarinetists," is devoted to chronicling the lives of the approximately sixty-five clarinetists whose activities form the core of story being told here. Appendix B contains a table of all of the clarinet performances documented in the study.