Anthony Philip Heinrich
Encyclopedia
Anthony Philip Heinrich (1781-1861) 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 figure of America's small classical music community. He chaired the founding meeting of the New York Philharmonic Society in 1842.
, Heinrich was given into the care of a rich uncle, whose thriving business empire he inherited in 1800. In 1810 he became stranded in Boston by the loss of his entire fortune in the Napoleonic Wars and the ensuing economic crash. Penniless, he resolved to take up his long-time avocation
and become a professional violinist and conductor.
A formative experience for him was a 700-mile journey, on foot, into the wilderness of Pennsylvania
and then along the Ohio River
into Kentucky
. The sights and sounds of the new American frontier inspired some of the most original, if not strange, program music
of the nineteenth century. Settling for a year in a log cabin near Bardstown, Kentucky
, in a curious foreshadowing of Thoreau, he began to produce a body of work unlike anything being written in Europe at the time. Some of the titles of his pieces include: The Dawning of Music in Kentucky, or the Pleasures of Harmony in the Solitudes of Nature; The Columbiad, or Migration of American Wild Passenger Pigeons; The Ornithological Combat of Kings, or the Condor of the Andes; The Minstrelsy of Nature in the Wilds of North America; The Wild Wood Spirits' Chant; The Treaty of William Penn with the Indians (a rare 19th century concerto grosso
).
Stylistically Heinrich's music has more in common with other early American music than with the models of his European contemporaries. He shunned development, preferring episodic forms, especially the theme with variations, which he used to impressive expressive effect. He occasionally wrote passages of startling, even jarring, chromaticism
, usually in an attempt to express an extra-musical idea. Often his music has an improvisatory quality (much of his music may be notated improvisation, considering its copious quantity). His generous allowances for performer interpretation are arguably the beginning of indeterminacy in American music.
Heinrich was successful in his European tours, undertaken because of a lack of competent orchestras in the United States in the period before the American Civil War. He nevertheless died neglected, in 1861 in New York City
, in the poverty he had fled.
Occasionally Heinrich's music is revived, often with some amazement at his enthusiasm, expressiveness and eccentricity.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and the most prominent before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He did not start composing until he was 36, after losing his business fortune in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. For most of his career he was known as "Father Heinrich," an emeritus figure of America's small classical music community. He chaired the founding meeting of the New York Philharmonic Society in 1842.
Life
Born in modest circumstances in Schönbuchel (now Krásný Buk), BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Heinrich was given into the care of a rich uncle, whose thriving business empire he inherited in 1800. In 1810 he became stranded in Boston by the loss of his entire fortune in the Napoleonic Wars and the ensuing economic crash. Penniless, he resolved to take up his long-time avocation
Avocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...
and become a professional violinist and conductor.
A formative experience for him was a 700-mile journey, on foot, into the wilderness of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and then along the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
into Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. The sights and sounds of the new American frontier inspired some of the most original, if not strange, program music
Program music
Program music or programme music is a type of art music that attempts to musically render an extra-musical narrative. The narrative itself might be offered to the audience in the form of program notes, inviting imaginative correlations with the music...
of the nineteenth century. Settling for a year in a log cabin near Bardstown, Kentucky
Bardstown, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,700 people, 4,712 households, and 2,949 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,113 housing units at an average density of...
, in a curious foreshadowing of Thoreau, he began to produce a body of work unlike anything being written in Europe at the time. Some of the titles of his pieces include: The Dawning of Music in Kentucky, or the Pleasures of Harmony in the Solitudes of Nature; The Columbiad, or Migration of American Wild Passenger Pigeons; The Ornithological Combat of Kings, or the Condor of the Andes; The Minstrelsy of Nature in the Wilds of North America; The Wild Wood Spirits' Chant; The Treaty of William Penn with the Indians (a rare 19th century concerto grosso
Concerto grosso
The concerto grosso is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and full orchestra...
).
Stylistically Heinrich's music has more in common with other early American music than with the models of his European contemporaries. He shunned development, preferring episodic forms, especially the theme with variations, which he used to impressive expressive effect. He occasionally wrote passages of startling, even jarring, chromaticism
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...
, usually in an attempt to express an extra-musical idea. Often his music has an improvisatory quality (much of his music may be notated improvisation, considering its copious quantity). His generous allowances for performer interpretation are arguably the beginning of indeterminacy in American music.
Heinrich was successful in his European tours, undertaken because of a lack of competent orchestras in the United States in the period before the American Civil War. He nevertheless died neglected, in 1861 in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in the poverty he had fled.
Occasionally Heinrich's music is revived, often with some amazement at his enthusiasm, expressiveness and eccentricity.