Musical Maryland - from Colonial Times through the mid-20th Century

Brought to you by Hopkins at Home 

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September 23, 2020 - October 21, 2020 (5 weeks)

Wednesdays, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM EDT

Maryland's diverse geography, economy, and English settlement in 1634 begat a rich music history. David K. Hildebrand will lead you through tracing musical evolution from the great tobacco plantations of the Chesapeake Bay, with their co-mingled African and British music, through the emergence and flourishing of Baltimore into a center of publishing, concerts, opera, church music, instrument-building and music teaching.  Following the establishment of Peabody in 1859, you'll continue into the Jazz age while examining the critical roles played by technological developments such as radio and commercial recording.  Throughout these sessions you'll be challenged to look beyond "classical" trends, also examining rich folk traditions and popular/commercial developments. Each of the five sessions will allow for interaction and question-driven discussion.

Related Resources

The Colonial Music Institute at Mount Vernon, original website. Note: The PACAN (newspaper) database in the resources section is especially useful. 

Musical Passage: A Voyage to 1688 Jamaica: Pages from the early 18th century book including African music transcribed in 1688 in Jamaica, links to audio recordings on proper instruments, and more

Isaiah Thomas Broadside Ballads Project: High resolution pictures of ballads printed in 1813 in Boston. Includes detailed descriptions, essays, and audio recordings

Anthem: The Story Behind the Star-Spangled Banner, a documentary by Dr. Hildebrand's brother Mark

Harpischord demonstration and "Bullfinch" article: https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/francis-hopkinson/

The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection