New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Music

Rise and Fall of Benjamin Franklin’s Glass Armonica

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Fraunces Tavern in New York CityIn 1719, Étienne [Stephen] De Lancey built his house on a site at 54 Pearl Street on the corner of Broad Street which had been given to him by his father-in-law Stephanus van Cortlandt, New York’s Mayor. The small yellow bricks used in its construction were imported from the Dutch Republic.

In 1762, his heirs sold the property to Samuel Fraunces who converted the home into a tavern, first named the Queen’s Head and later known as Fraunces Tavern. [Read more…] about Rise and Fall of Benjamin Franklin’s Glass Armonica

Niblo’s Garden, Yiddish Broadway and the American Musical

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Vauxhall Gardens at Broome StreetIn cities with growing populations and increased prosperity during the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, the demand for amusement venues rose dramatically. Leisure became an economic factor and show biz took off with a bang.

Urban pleasure gardens were recreational spaces that featured landscaped grounds, lights, fountains, grottos, music, and theater. Offering a variety of entertainments, they were open day and night. [Read more…] about Niblo’s Garden, Yiddish Broadway and the American Musical

Carnage at Carnegie Hall

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Una serata futurista a MilanoOn October 4th 1923 a concert took place in Paris at which there were performances of Airplane sonata (1921), Sonata sauvage (1922/3), and Mechanisms (1923).

The composer was a young man from Trenton, New Jersey. Among his supporters were Erik Satie, Darius Milhaud, and James Joyce. The recital broke up in a riot. To modernists in the audience such disturbances justified their artistic experimentation. [Read more…] about Carnage at Carnegie Hall

Anxiety Over Jazz In Ireland Followed A Tragic Shipwreck

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The only surviving photograph of the entire ensemble taken outside Brighton Dome in August 1921 On November 11th, 1919, the first anniversary was celebrated of the Armistice that ended the First World War. For the occasion, a grand ball was held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Top of the bill was the hugely popular Southern Syncopated Orchestra, one of the first jazz bands to visit Britain, Scotland, and Ireland. [Read more…] about Anxiety Over Jazz In Ireland Followed A Tragic Shipwreck

‘Black Devils’ At War In Europe & At Home

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370th Infantry RegimentOn April 6th 1917 America declared war against Germany. It was the first time in the nation’s history that the United States sent soldiers abroad to defend foreign soil. In May 1917, General John Joseph “Black Jack” Pershing was designated Supreme Commander of the troops in France. He assembled the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in July 1917 and its involvement on the battlefield tipped the balance in favor of Allied Forces towards the middle of 1918. [Read more…] about ‘Black Devils’ At War In Europe & At Home

A Rascal in Venice, Hero in Vienna, Opera Buff in Manhattan

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Piazza San MarcoDefrocked priest and poet Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the words for Mozart’s three celebrated operas Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro, and Così fan tutte. As the librettist’s ultimate challenge is creating character whilst thinking music, few could match Lorenzo’s achievement. [Read more…] about A Rascal in Venice, Hero in Vienna, Opera Buff in Manhattan

Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad

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Drawing of Darius MilhaudWhen Paris first heard American jazz, it is – from our perspective – impossible to make sense of the cultural thunderbolt that must have hit audiences. This music was so wholly different to European ears that it was either scornfully rejected or eagerly accepted. [Read more…] about Harlem & The Hellfighter Band That Set France Jazz Mad

Showmanship: The Master of Brass Meets The King of Waltz

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The 4000 seat Academy of Music on the corner of East 14th Street ManhattanThe era of “Monster Concerts” started in Vienna in 1839 when Beethoven’s pupil Carl Czerny organized a performance to raise money for victims of a flooding of the River Danube.

Twenty pianists at ten pianos performed a program of four-hand duet pieces. In the history of musical entertainment, the tradition was raised to a new level after the end of Civil War in America. [Read more…] about Showmanship: The Master of Brass Meets The King of Waltz

Banjo Pickers and Harlem-On-The-Seine

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The Creole BaniaThe modern banjo derives from mid-1600 instruments that had been used in the Caribbean by enslaved people taken from West Africa. The original version was made from a hollowed-out (hard-skinned) gourd and a varying number of horsehair strings. [Read more…] about Banjo Pickers and Harlem-On-The-Seine