Henry Hart (musician)
Encyclopedia
Henry Hart was an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. He composed, led the Henry Hart Minstrels
Minstrel show
The 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....
, was proclaimed a "social necessity" in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, and was the leader of a family musical group that Emma Lou Thornbrough called "the best-known group of colored entertainers in the state."
Early years (1839-1866)
Henry Hart was born on June 8, 1839 in Frankfort, KentuckyFrankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
. His father, Frederick Hart, was born in Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. The population was 118,811 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Burlington. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone...
, and his mother, Judith Brown, in Frankfort. Possibly the only archival source of this parental information is Henry Hart's death certificate
Death certificate
The phrase death certificate can describe either a document issued by a medical practitioner certifying the deceased state of a person or popularly to a document issued by a person such as a registrar of vital statistics that declares the date, location and cause of a person's death as later...
.
One nineteenth-century source of information about Hart's early years is an article in The Pacific Appeal, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, October 25, 1879. (The article is noted as copy from the Indianapolis News
Indianapolis News
The Indianapolis News was an evening newspaper published for 130 years, beginning December 7, 1869, and ending on October 1, 1999. At one time it had the largest circulation in the state of Indiana, and was the oldest Indianapolis newspaper in existence....
, but no date is given.)
The composer of some of the most popular plantation songs of the latter day negro minstrels well known in this city [Indianapolis] as Henry Hart, the colored violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and Bee Line freight office messenger... Henry Hart was born...of free parents. In 1853 he left Frankfort and went to ClevelandCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. There he learned to play the violin, and was a member of Stanton's band of white musicians. In 1864 he left for New OrleansNew Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, playing his way down the river on one of the fine steamersSteamboatA steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
. In that city he played for several months as first violinist in Prescott's Museum. He there married his wife, who was a professional pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, and who played with him in various places in that city until 1867, when he removed to Evansville [Indiana].
The 1850 US Census for Franklin County, Kentucky
Franklin County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,687 people, 19,907 households, and 12,840 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 21,409 housing units at an average density of...
, lists Frederick Hart, age 70, mulatto
Mulatto
Mulatto denotes a person with one white parent and one black parent, or more broadly, a person of mixed black and white ancestry. Contemporary usage of the term varies greatly, and the broader sense of the term makes its application rather subjective, as not all people of mixed white and black...
, and Judy Hart, 40, mulatto, and the 1860 US Census, Lorain County
Lorain County, Ohio
Lorain County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio, and is considered to be a part of what is locally referred to as Greater Cleveland. As of the 2010 census, its population was 301,356. an increase from 284,664 in 2000...
, Columbia Township, Elyria Post Office, June 1, 1860, lists Frederick Hart, 80, and Juda Hart, 40. (Perhaps "Juda Hart" was "Judy Hart", and there was a mistake regarding her age in the 1860 census, or perhaps Frederick Hart had remarried.) These census records indicate that in 1860 the Hart family lived near Cleveland in Lorain County, and they imply that Henry Hart had moved to the Cleveland area in connection with his father's move. (Henry Hart's name is missing from the 1850 and 1860 censuses.)
The 1866 city directory
City directory
A city directory is a listing of residents, streets, businesses, organizations or institutions, giving their location in a city. Antedating telephone directories, they have been in use for centuries....
of New Orleans lists Henry Hart as living at 98 Felicity Street. It seems likely that in 1866, the full name of Prescott's Museum was Burnell & Prescott's Museum and Zoological Institute, as advertised in New Orleans newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s.
Henry Hart's wife, Sarah F. Hart, was born September 6, 1849. According to her death certificate, she was born in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
to John Smith, birthplace unknown, and Angline Mason, born in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. (Other records indicate that the correct spelling is Angeline.)
Evansville years (1867-1878)
During the years that Henry Hart resided in Evansville, his compositions were published. These are listed here with comments:Those Charming Feet, song and dance, piano; Kunkel Brothers, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, 1870
The composer's name is given as Henry Hart, and no name is given explicitly as author of the words, so that they may have been by Hart. The title page is headed by the name Billy Emerson with a large picture of Emerson. Beneath are titles of four songs, of which the fourth is "Those Charming Feet." Billy Emerson (1846-1092), born William Emerson Redmond in Belfast, Northern Ireland, was a minstrel song and dance performer, having made his New York debut in 1866, as noted in The New Grove Dictionary of American Music. "Those Charming Feet" can be downloaded from
American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
My Thoughts Are of Thee, song and chorus, piano; Root & Cady, Chicago, 1871
The front cover indicates that the words are by Frank Manson Gilbert, as sung by Fred D. Goslee. Both Gilbert and Goslee were well known residents of Evansville. Indeed, Gilbert (1846-1916) was a humorist, local historian, editor, and in two cases, owner of Evansville newspapers. "My Thoughts Are of Thee" can be downloaded from
American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
Idlewild Mazurka, piano solo; Root & Cady, Chicago, 1871
Dedicated to Capt. Gus Fowler. In 1874, Fowler was captain of the riverboatRiverboatA riverboat is a ship built boat designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury units constructed for entertainment enterprises, such...
Robert Mitchell, owned by the Evansville and New Orleans Packet Co. The title refers to a location near Ligonier, IndianaLigonier, IndianaLigonier is a city in Perry Township, Noble County, Indiana, United States. The population was 4,405 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Ligonier is located at ....
, near the Ohio River. It became Idlewild Park in 1878. "Idlewild Mazurka" can be downloaded from American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
Good Sweet Ham, song and chorus, piano; J. L. Peters, New York, 1873
The front cover indicates that both the words and melody are by Henry Hart, arranged by James E. Steward, as sung by George Wilson. Hart's words were selected as an example of minstrel lyrics in The Learning Page (teacher resources), Library of Congress:
"You may talk about good eating, Of your oysters and your chowdered clam, But it's when I'm awful hungry, Then just give me good old sweet hamHamHam is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
; Now some folks may differ with me, But their talk 'tis nothing but a sham, For to touch this darkie's palate, Oh! Just give me good old sweet ham."
This piece is listed in 1873 in music1873 in music- Events :*April — The Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African American a cappella ensemble, perform before Queen Victoria during their first European tour....
and can be downloaded from American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
On the Beautiful Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, three waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es for piano
Piano
The 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...
; Balmer & Weber, St. Louis, 1873
These waltzes can be downloaded from American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
7:30-11: Galop, piano; Balmer & Weber, St. Louis, 1873
Dedicated to John E. Martin, Esp., Sec'y of E&C R.R. The railroad was the Evansville and CrawfordsvilleCrawfordsville, IndianaCrawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, of which Martin later became president. Possibly the only surviving archival copy of this galop (the name of a popular nineteenth-century dance) is in the Kansas City Public LibraryKansas City Public LibraryThe Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri.The system operates its Central Branch and neighborhood branches located in Kansas City, Independence, and Sugar Creek...
.
Gipsey Queen Waltzes, piano; Balmer & Weber, St. Louis, 1873(?)
These waltzes are mentioned on the cover of 7:30-11: Galop. Possibly no copy has survived.
The Evansville Favorite Waltz, piano; P. J. Dittoe, Evansville, 1874
It seems likely that this piece was performed at the opening of the St. George Hotel in Evansville, located on Locust Street near Henry Hart's barber shop. To quote Frank M. Gilbert,
The eventful night [Feb. 17, 1874] came and the new hotelHotelA hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
which in those days was far ahead of anything that had been anticipated by the community, was ablaze with light... The hotel was beautifully adorned with plants, etc., while in the large dining room the band of Henry Hart, a colored man who at that time was considered by our people to be the very king of music, was screened behind potted plants at the back end. The dance began at nine o'clock and lasted until daylight.
The inaugural ball at the St. George Hotel was possibly the most extravagant social event in the nineteenth-century history of the city of Evansville, as attested by coverage in the February 17 and 18 issues of The Evansville Journal. "The Evansville Favorite Waltz" can be downloaded from
American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
Daffney Do You Love Me, song and chorus, piano; White, Smith & Company
White, Smith & Company
White, Smith & Company was a music publishing firm in Boston, Massachusetts. It issued numerous sheet music titles and a monthly journal, Folio. In 1897 in became the "White-Smith Music Publishing Company."-History:...
, Boston, 1875
The words are by Sam Lucas, and the music was "sung with immense success by Sam Lucas of Callender's Original Georgia Minstrels." Lucas (1840-1916) was born in Washington, Ohio, where he became a barber and self-taught guitaristGuitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. He then spent many years in minstrel acts as a singer and actor. Southern writes that "Lucas was regarded by his contemporaries as the 'dean of the colored theatrical profession' and was called 'Dad'. "Daffney Do You Love Me" can be downloaded from American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
Carve dat Possum
Possum
A possum is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi .Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails...
, song and chorus, piano; John F. Perry & Co.
John F. Perry & Co.
John F. Perry & Co. was a music publisher in Boston, Massachusetts in the mid-19th century....
, Boston 1875
The cover states that the author of words and music was Sam Lucas. However, it appears that they were actually by Henry Hart. To understand what happened it is helpful to quote from the 1879 article in The Pacific Appeal:
In 1874 [Hart] organized a negro minstrel company, in which were some of the best artists in their line that were ever on the stage. Sam Lucas,..., Jake Hamilton the banjoist, Brown and Mills...were with him. They made one trip through OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe 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...
and IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and then disbanded. It was during this season that Henry wrote his best songs, and they were first sung under his own leadership by his own singers. They were greeted with considerable applause and attracted some attention, especially among other minstrel singers... Soon after the company disbanded, but long before the songs were published, Col. Wagner, Milt. Barlow, and other celebrated end men, had obtained copies from the composer, and sung them with great success throughout this country. "'Keahve dat' possum" was first sung by Sam Lucas. After he left the company he had it published in Boston by John F. Perry, and claimed it as his own, and it was only after a long epistolary discussion that Henry Hart obtained a public acknowledgement that he was the genuine author.
"Carve dat Possum" may have been Hart's best known melodyMelodyA melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. It is listed at Wikipedia in the 1875 article under Sam Lucas's name instead of Hart's.
The song has been arranged and performed many times since 1875. It can be downloaded from American Sheet Music, Library of Congress.
The 1870 United States Census
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
for Vanderburgh County, Indiana
Vanderburgh County, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 171,922 people, 70,623 households, and 44,421 families residing in the county. The population density was 733 people per square mile . There were 76,300 housing units at an average density of 325 per square mile...
, shows that four members of the Hart family resided together. Aside from Henry and Sarah, there is Estela (correct spelling: Estella), age 4, born in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Archeline Selten (correct spelling: Angeline Selden), age 43, born in Indiana. The next household listed includes Moses Selden, age 61, born in Kentucky. Other records imply that Angeline was Sarah's mother; the relationship to Moses Selden is uncertain.
The 1870-71 Evansville City Directory shows that Henry Hart was a barber, with shop located at 25 Locust Street and residence on Oak Street between 7th and 8th Streets. The latter property matches a deed dated June 25, 1870, for real estate sold to Henry Hart for $1300.00. The card catalogs for Vanderburgh County Grantee Index of Deeds and Grantor Index of Deeds show that during the years 1870 to 1908 there were several property transactions in which individual grantors were Henry, Sarah, and Angeline.
In 1870, a daughter name Lillian was born to the Harts, but she did not survive infancy. Lillian was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in a family lot which now includes Henry, Sarah, and several of their daughters, as well as Angeline Selden, who died in New Orleans in 1875. Moses Selden, who died in 1889, was buried elsewhere in the same cemetery.
Within nineteenth-century minstrelsy, there were white minstrels who used "burnt cork," but there were also African American minstrels such as Henry Hart. As already noted, in 1874, Hart organized his own minstrel troupe and performed in four states. Here is what a reviewer wrote for The Kokomo Democrat:
Henry Hart's original colored minstrels gave the best entertainment of the kind last Friday night ever put on the boards in this city. Their representation of the Southern plantationPlantationA plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
negro's is without precedent. To the lovers of "burnt cork" everywhere we would say, there is nothing of vulgarity or low slang in the performances of this troupe to give offence to the most fastidious of refined society.
Indianapolis years (1879-1915)
It appears that Henry Hart published no further compositions after moving his family to Indianapolis in 1878 or 1879. In the capital city, his musical and social skills led to his rise as a social musician. As his daughters were born, he, and probably also Sarah, taught them to play instruments.In 1901, The Indianapolis News paid tribute to Hart in an article captioned "A Social Necessity." About half of the article is quoted here:
Any one in Indiana who has not danced to the fascinating measures of Henry Hart's violin has missed a treat. It's an open secret that when a dance is contemplated the first person visited in regard to arranging a date for it is Henry Hart. If there is an anniversary approaching, "Henry," as every one calls him, must be secured, and if it happens to be in the social season, say from the middle of September to the middle of February, or just after Easter, or in June, when the weddings begin to bloom...
Mr. Hart alone is not all of "Henry Hart's music." He has a family of interesting daughters, and as they grow up to young womanhood, and even when quite small, they take their part in the orchestra. First, there were Myrtle and her father, with piano and violin. The harp is a fine instrument for dances, and it was decided that Myrtle must learn to play it. Several weeks in Chicago under a good master followed...
Then Miss William [listed as Willie in census records] learned to play the piano [and 'cello]. Hazel was the next daughter. She learned the piano...and became an expert on the smaller instruments, the trap drum, xylophone and bells. [Then] there is little Clothilde, who plays the drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
. The combination of instruments played in the Hart family furnishes the best possible music for a dance. Mr. Hart adds a cornet, and sometimes a viola.
[Hart] is on the most friendly terms with the prominent people of the HoosierHoosierHoosier is the official demonym for a resident of the U.S. state of Indiana. Although residents of most U.S. states typically adopt a derivative of the state name, e.g., "Indianan" or "Indianian", natives of Indiana rarely use these. Indiana adopted the nickname "Hoosier State" more than 150...
capital. He played for Governors Williams, Porter and Mount, and for the inaugurals of Governors Gray and Hovey. He provided the music for the inaugural ball given by Governor Durbin, at Tomlinson Hall, in January. Hart was engaged for the opening receptions of the Columbia Club, the Country Club, the Commercial Club, the Canoe Club, the Propylaeum, the Brenneke Academy, the Americus Club and the University Club.
He was the musician to furnish music on the occasion of the visits of Presidents Rutherford B. HayesRutherford B. HayesRutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
, Grover ClevelandGrover ClevelandStephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
, and Benjamin HarrisonBenjamin HarrisonBenjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
. "It's pretty good honor to have played for three kings," said Henry...
Myrtle Hart
Myrtle Hart became a professional harpist. An article in The Indianapolis World describes her as "the only colored harpist in this country," in connection with her concert in Washington, D.C. at the Metropolitan A. M. E. Church.
Perhaps the most insightful account of Myrtle's fine harp is given her father's obituary
Obituary
An obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
in The Indianapolis News:
Hart's Orchestra, as it was called, was of stringed instruments and composed of members of his own family. In 1893, the year of the world's fair at Chicago, Hart sadly wanted a harp for one of his daughters... There was such a harp on exhibit at the world's fair..., a magnificent instrument, priced at nearly $1,000... The late Colonel Eli LillyEli LillyEli Lilly was the founder of Eli Lilly and Company.Eli Lilly may also refer to:* Eli Lilly and Company, a global pharmaceutical company...
, informed of Hart's desire, bought the harp and gave him unlimited time in which to pay for it... This addition to the orchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
made the Hart family aggregation more than ever in favor and it was not long before the debt was liquidated.
An earlier account from the Chicago Daily News is also informative:
...She came here with her father, Prof. Henry Hart, took part in a musical program at Quinn Chapel last night, and returned this evening to Wawasee, Ind., where she and her father and sister nightly furnish music for the entertainment of the guests at Wawawee InnLake Wawasee historyLake Wawasee is a large, natural, freshwater lake southeast of Syracuse in Kosciusko County, Indiana. It is the largest natural lake within Indiana's borders, and has an extensive and rich history.-Pre-glacial:...
[built by Eli Lilly].
Miss Hart [was] born in Evansville and raised and educated in Indianapolis. [She had previously played in Chicago] in the British exhibit at the World's FairWorld's Columbian ExpositionThe World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
and the costly instrument upon which she performed last night at Quinn chapel was exhibited by its manufactures in the Columbian exposition.
All the members of the family are musicians, and the father, Prof. Henry Hart, is one of the best-known colored violinists in the United States. Besides, he performs upon several other instruments, and was his daughter's first teacher on the harp...Miss Hart came to Chicago and studied for three years under Edmund Schuecker [correct spelling Schuëcker], formerly professor of the harp at Leipzig, Germany, and is now harp soloist in Theodore Thomas' orchestra [which became the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
A Daily News reporter found Miss Hart very approachable just before her rehearsal at Quinn chapel yesterday. She said, "I have been playing since my babyhood - almost. I play only by inspiration. I can do nothing unless inspired... Miss Hart is a beautiful and accomplished young woman... She is tall and very graceful, and her eyes dance with girlish merriment..."
The Myrtle Hart Society is an Internet-based music research and educational resource committed to illuminating the historical and contemporary accomplishments of classical musicians of color.
Hazel Hart Hendricks
Henry Hart's daughter Hazel became a teacher in Indianapolis. In 1928 she became principal of school #37, and the 1930-31 Butler UniversityButler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
Bulletin shows that she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education. On Sept. 5, 1935, she led a group of twenty-four members of a "novelty band" from her school in a performance in the central auditorium in Frankfort, Indiana
Frankfort, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,662 people, 6,279 households, and 4,175 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,240.5 people per square mile . There were 6,682 housing units at an average density of 1,299.6 per square mile...
. The band was returning in a bus when an accident occurred. Hazel died the next morning. The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star
The Indianapolis Star is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903. It has won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting twice, in 1975 and 1991. It is currently owned by the Gannett Company.-History:...
described the accident and included a tribute by Daniel T. Weir, assistant superintendent of schools:
She was an accomplished musician... The band...is unique in that none of the instruments used are musical instruments. It was organized by her at the request of a few pupils of the school after they had demonstrated to her that they could produce good entertainment although the music might not be of the highest quality. It was the pleasure which it gave the children which led her to carry on this work. She always went with the band to its engagements and played the piano accompaniment for it while one of the youthful members wielded the baton and announced the numbers. Many will recall the pleasure they had in hearing and seeing this band in its numerous performances throughout this and neighboring cities...
The school of which Hazel was principal is now the Hazel Hart Hendricks School.
External links
- Supplement I. Henry Hart and His Family Orchestra (Including Eli Lilly's Recollections) by Clark Kimberling
- Supplement II. Hazel Hart Hendricks and Her School by Clark Kimberling
- Supplement III. Myrtle Hart, Harpist by Clark Kimberling