The Musical Fund Society
Encyclopedia
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.
Originally the building housed the First Presbyterian Church; it was converted into the largest musical auditorium in Philadelphia by William Strickland
and opened in December 1824.
Noted for its fine acoustics, the Hall was described in a newspaper review of the first concert: "The room is exceedingly neat, and its decoration does honor to the taste of Mr. Strickland, an architect of whom Philadelphia may be justly proud. It is one hundred and six feet long, sixty feet wide, and twenty-six feet high, and is admirably calculated for the conveyance of sound..." As it continued to serve as the leading concert hall in the city, the building was renovated in 1847 by Napoleon Le Brun and expanded by architect Addison Hutton
in 1891.
Internationally known musical artists, authors and lecturers graced the stage of the Musical Fund Hall, including:
Renowned pianists such as Louis Gottschalk
, Kossowski, Sigismund Thalberg, and Wolfsohn also appeared at the Hall.
In 1856, the first National Republican Convention was held at the Musical Fund Hall. John C. Fremont
was nominated on the second ballot. William L. Dayton
of New Jersey
was the vice-presidential nominee.
With its busy and notable schedule of events, 1856 was the banner year for the Musical Fund Hall. By the end of the year, the 3,000-seat Philadelphia Academy of Music
opened and immediately supplanted the Musical Fund Hall as the premier venue for concerts and lectures in the city. The Musical Fund Society moved its concerts to the Academy of Music in 1868.
After seeing use as (among other things) a boxing arena and a tobacco warehouse, the Hall was abandoned, then was converted into condominiums in order to save it from the wrecker’s ball. As a result of the conversion, the auditorium no longer exists. The building was removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks but it retains a position on the National Register of Historic Places.
Around 1900, the society was a main proponent in creating the Philadelphia Orchestra
. In 1982, The Musical Fund Society’s document collection including manuscripts of European music as well as music by Pennsylvania composers, went to the library of the University of Pennsylvania
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founded in February 1820 by Benjamin Carr
Benjamin Carr
Benjamin Carr was an American composer, singer, teacher, and music publisher. Born in London, 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...
, Raynor Taylor
Raynor Taylor
Rayner Taylor was an English organist, music teacher, composer, and singer who lived and worked in the United States after emigrating in 1792...
, George Schetky
George Schetky
George Schetky was an American composer. Schetky was a violoncellist, music teacher, conductor, and one of the first American composers. He was also a music publisher with Benjamin Carr as his partner....
and Benjamin Cross
Benjamin Cross
Benjamin Cross , was a conductor, singer, organist, and one of the first American composers.Cross was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His teachers included Benjamin Carr and Raynor Taylor. Benjamin Cross was one of the founding members of The Musical Fund Society as well as being one of its...
, and the painter Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully was an American painter, mostly of portraits.-Early life:Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, to the actors Matthew and Sarah Sully. In March 1792 the Sullys and their nine children immigrated to Richmond, Virginia, where Thomas’s uncle managed a theater...
. Its first public concert on April 22, 1821 and featured Beethoven’s 2nd Symphony.
Musical Fund Hall
The Musical Fund Hall, 808 Locust Street in Philadelphia, is a landmark building both of architectural and historic significance, noted especially for the illustrious persons who have spoken or performed there. It is perhaps best remembered as the setting for the first national Republican Convention, June 17-19, 1856.Originally the building housed the First Presbyterian Church; it was converted into the largest musical auditorium in Philadelphia by William Strickland
William Strickland (architect)
William Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee.-Life and career:...
and opened in December 1824.
Noted for its fine acoustics, the Hall was described in a newspaper review of the first concert: "The room is exceedingly neat, and its decoration does honor to the taste of Mr. Strickland, an architect of whom Philadelphia may be justly proud. It is one hundred and six feet long, sixty feet wide, and twenty-six feet high, and is admirably calculated for the conveyance of sound..." As it continued to serve as the leading concert hall in the city, the building was renovated in 1847 by Napoleon Le Brun and expanded by architect Addison Hutton
Addison Hutton
Addison Hutton was a Philadelphia architect who designed prominent residences in Philadelphia and its suburbs, plus courthouses, hospitals, and libraries, including the Ridgway Library and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania...
in 1891.
Internationally known musical artists, authors and lecturers graced the stage of the Musical Fund Hall, including:
- 1825 Marquis de Lafayette, honored at a reception
- 1827 Madame Malibran
- 1848 Ole BullOle BullOle Bornemann Bull was a Norwegian violinist and composer.-Background:Bull was born in Bergen. He was the eldest of ten children of Johan Storm Bull and Anna Dorothea Borse Geelmuyden . His brother, Georg Andreas Bull became a noted Norwegian architect...
, violinist - 1842 Charles DickensCharles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
- 1850 and 1851 Jenny LindJenny LindJohanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
, "the Swedish Nightingale"; Ede ReményiEde ReményiEduard Remenyi, Reményi Ede, born Eduard Hoffmann was a Hungarian violinist.He studied under Joseph Böhm at the Vienna Conservatory from 1842 to 1845... - 1852 Henrietta Sontag and Adelina PattiAdelina PattiAdelina Patti was a highly acclaimed 19th-century opera singer, earning huge fees at the height of her career in the music capitals of Europe and America. She first sang in public as a child in 1851 and gave her last performance before an audience in 1914...
- 1853 and 1856 William Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
, lectures on the "English Humorists" (1853) and "Charity and Humor" (1856)
Renowned pianists such as Louis Gottschalk
Louis Gottschalk
Louis Gottschalk may refer to:*Louis Moreau Gottschalk , American composer*Louis F. Gottschalk , American composer *Louis A. Gottschalk, American psychiatrist*Louis R. Gottschalk, American historian...
, Kossowski, Sigismund Thalberg, and Wolfsohn also appeared at the Hall.
In 1856, the first National Republican Convention was held at the Musical Fund Hall. John C. Fremont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
was nominated on the second ballot. William L. Dayton
William L. Dayton
William Lewis Dayton was an American politician.A distant relation of U.S. House Speaker and U.S. Constitution signatory Jonathan Dayton, he was born in Basking Ridge, New Jersey to farmer Joel Dayton and his wife...
of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
was the vice-presidential nominee.
With its busy and notable schedule of events, 1856 was the banner year for the Musical Fund Hall. By the end of the year, the 3,000-seat Philadelphia Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
opened and immediately supplanted the Musical Fund Hall as the premier venue for concerts and lectures in the city. The Musical Fund Society moved its concerts to the Academy of Music in 1868.
After seeing use as (among other things) a boxing arena and a tobacco warehouse, the Hall was abandoned, then was converted into condominiums in order to save it from the wrecker’s ball. As a result of the conversion, the auditorium no longer exists. The building was removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks but it retains a position on the National Register of Historic Places.
Around 1900, the society was a main proponent in creating the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
. In 1982, The Musical Fund Society’s document collection including manuscripts of European music as well as music by Pennsylvania composers, went to the library of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
.