Daniel Batchellor and the American Tonic Sol-fa Movement

Abstract

Daniel Batchellor, British music educator, immigrated to America in 1877. A nonconformist minister, he was a capable, enthusiastic proponent of the Tonic Sol-fa system. He knew that opportunities were available in Boston to a determined, energetic teacher of the method. In America, Batchellor worked hard to establish the method in conjunction with dedicated Tonic Sol-faists already active in the Eastern states. Despite considerable activity on the part of its proponents toward the end of the nineteenth century, the system did not become established. Batchellor's career in many ways paralleled the progress of the Tonic Sol-fa method in America. His income was derived from teaching private classes, sessional work for various institutions, and summer schools. The financial rewards of such work would have fluctuated with the status of his somewhat specialized method. By the end of his life, Batchellor, like the Tonic Sol-fa system, had sunk into obscurity. As a representative of an important method and its progress in America, Batchellor deserves our attention.