Music in Early Virginia

Abstract

Virginia's ideals, virtually synonymous with those of young American republic, dominated Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. Four of first five presidents were Virginians. No other state has had as long a political and cultural history. And yet, even today, Old Dominion's precedence seems to be ignored, especially in history of American music. Leaving aside political historiography, and those earliest histories of music intentionally devoted to New England, most general texts dealing with American music have neglected musical activity in early Virginia.1 Curiously enough, tradition and myth rather than fact seem to be behind this position. Frideric Louis Ritter, our first scientific historian, who dedicated himself to accentuation of which is in accordance with a true art spirit, is seemingly confused by fact that while English cavaliers appeared in Virginia [1607] fourteen years before arrival of 'May Flower' [1620] .. . yet they exercised very little influence on American musical development. Of course, Ritter was puzzled. If Virginians were indeed fun-loving, sybaritic Englishmen, as implied by term cavalier, one should have expected them to foster music. According to him, they did not. The Puritans, on other hand, who lived to destroy pleasures of this world better to enjoy those of next, or so story goes, developed the crude form of barbarously sung simple psalmody from