Benjamin Carr (September 12, 1768 – May 24, 1831) was an American composer, singer, teacher, and music publisher.
7-839: 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 . Its first public concert on April 22, 1821 and featured Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony. The Musical Fund Hall , 808 Locust Street in Philadelphia , is a landmark home of the society. Benjamin Carr Born in London , he
14-487: A prominent member of the city’s musical life. He was "decidedly the most important and prolific music publisher in America during the 1790s (as well as one of its most distinguished composers), conducting, in addition to his Philadelphia business, a New York branch from 1794 to 1797, when it was acquired by James Hewitt ". In 1794 he began publishing "a new song every Monday". The initial offering, The Kentucky Volunteer ,
21-434: Is noteworthy as the first song copyrighted under the new US Constitution . This song was composed by Carr's friend and fellow English immigrant, Raynor Taylor . This particular "each Monday" series, however, only lasted 5 weeks. Carr was well-known as a teacher of keyboard and singing, and he served as organist and choirmaster at St Augustine's Catholic Church (1801–31) and at St Peter's Episcopal Church (1816–31). In 1820 he
28-814: The Musical Journal for the Piano Forte (1800–04) and Carr’s Musical Miscellany in Occasional Numbers (1812–25). Also among his songs are several sets of ballads, including Six Ballads from The Lady of the Lake op.7, published in the same year (1810) as the poem by Sir Walter Scott on which they are based; the set contains the Hymn to the Virgin ("Ave Maria"), which is especially notable for its harp-like arpeggiated accompaniment. Carr’s most popular song
35-538: Was one of the principal founders of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, and he is known as the "Father of Philadelphia Music". Mrs. French , who had achieved a degree of fame as a singer, was one of his students. Carr's best known orchestral work was the Federal Overture (1794), composed for theatrical audiences. He published many of own 61 art songs in two serial anthologies,
42-541: Was the son of Joseph Carr and older brother of Thomas Carr . He was also the nephew of his namesake Benjamin Carr (1731–80), who ran an instrument-making and repair shop in London for over 20 years. 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 stayed until 1797. Later that year he moved to Philadelphia, where he became
49-450: Was “The Little Sailor Boy” (1798). He was perhaps the first American composer to set a Shakespeare text to music, and his Hymn to the Virgin (1810) is generally considered one of the finest early American songs. His piano music includes shorter sonatas, rondos and variation forms; much of it was written for pedagogical purposes, although a few works are more technically advanced. He also wrote several important pedagogical works, including
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