New-York tribune., 1903-07-26

--o~ sang the metrical versions of the Psalms
-. o-.ar accompaniment and. presuma blv
-.t-..+ rs-n1ony certainly without instruction OF
- tf-5 The first organ came in I741 and it in
-. a correction of some faulty history and a
e contribution TO the books. F. L. Ritter
-. took on Music in America ought never to
.-,feued without warning says that the
n Trinity Church was probably the first one
.,eri.a The record is clear Of at least two
- ,-qzrs and a careful examination would prob
sIy extend the list Kings Chapel, in Boston, had
- o-gan. tie gift Of Thomas Brattle early as
~. Trinity Church, Newport. was presented with
~ organ by Bishop Berkeley in 1913. This instru-
,srr was used the church until 1874 when it
s-.e 20 Brooklyn II nov stands in St. Mary's
Caurch. Portsmouth. K. T. Henry NJ Brooks in
his delightful compilation Of notices entitled
0Iden Tine Music, says that the first organ built
q, New England was made by Thomas Johnston for
chris. Church Boston about I752. But Hood. In
bis History of Music in New England" tells of
o-rar made by an amateur builder named Edward
Pro1ufeld. IT.. in l745- Bromhed was a young man,
a graduate of Harvard College, who took his de-
gree Of ~ A. in l7i5, and died the next year, aged
fvrerty-three while working the organ. 1t
had TWO banks Of keys. and was TO have had 12o0
pipes il is possible that the organ which the
,estry Of Trinity Church ordered in l5S, and which
vas set up in l14l, was the first organ ouiIt IN
America though / should hesitate TO say so.
There NAV have been organs in some OF the South
ern churches and the art Of organ building may
have come over with some Of the first Moravians.
The builder Of Trinity's first organ died among the
,roravians at Bethlehem. Penn, in 1872 He called
himself John GLENN, but his name was Johann
GortIob KIemm. He was born IN Dresden in 1890,
learned his trade with Andreas Silbermann "a
brother Of the greater Gottfried who made the
rianofortes which ''Old Bach played for Frederick
me GresU. and came TO America in 1886 and lived
n Philadelphia, New-York and Bethlehem. He
was q resident Of Philadelphia when he built Trim
i-y's organ and IL Is more than likely that he had
association OF some sort with Gustavus HesseI, a
descendant OF one Of the Swedes who had settled
under Minuit or Printz Tinicum Della
ware This Hessel was also an organ builder. and
made the organ for the Moravian church at Bethle
hem in 1746.
However. Trinity. having planned for an organ,
turned her attention to the betterment of the sing
ing within her walls. and did it in the approved
English manner. From the middle TO the end of
she eighteenth century charity children were re-
lied upon 10 provide the best that there the
way OF parochial music. and they and others We're
Instructed by travelling teachers. One of the evil
deuces Of the goodness and wisdom of Addison's
squire Sir Roger de COverley, that he
gagged iunerant music to teach his village
folk the psalm tunes. For a hundred years after
139 the children Of the charity school had more or
less 70 dc with the music Of Trinity Church which
began 10 shake of the dreary shackles Of droning
TsalnOdy with the coming Of William Tuckey from
England TO oficiate as clerk alternately at Trinity
and 81. Georges Chapel, recently built. Tuckey
had been vicar choral in his native town. and
evidently more of q musician in q general
than the majority Of his professional breth-
ren He came TO New-York probably toward the
end of 1872 At any rate. his appointment was
dated January J. 1753 and it probable that he
was engaged for the vestry in England He was
the second Englshnan imported by the church.
the orgauist whom he found installed Thomas Har-
rlscn, having been brought over in 1744 English
organists were the rule. which had few exceptions
until the present incumbent took Office. A new
organ set up in l7S4. also came from England
Tuckey OF great energy. He composed
and published music, taught singing and gave con-
certs. he wss clerk Of the parish only four years
but his connection with the music of the church
and its chapels lasted much longer. He composed
anthems for the charity sermons and taught them
70 the charity children, brought out some of his
own music at the funeral services held for George
d ID Trinity, and when the new organ was in
augurated in 1764 he seems to have been ready to
bring forward an original setting Of the "Te
-,euH2 At least subscription had been raised to
enable him 10 teach ladies and gentlemen ''Te
heum which he guaranteed" TO be ''as good a
piece Of music as any of the common 'Te Deums'
sung in any cathedral church in England" On
January g. 170 this same Tuckey gave a concert
i'F us own benefit a. which he performed sixteen
numbers from Handel's Messiah" which he re-
peated. on October OF the same year in Trinity
Church at special service and sermon on behalf
ot the corporation for the relief Of the widows and
cergyIen Of the Church Of England in America.
The performance was a noteworthy achievement:
L took place little less than twenty-eight years
dei direction ii the New Music Il e Hail SHFk IN qh9s[ Fa
s, D49llh 44 lAprll Is lI42); il was only eleven
- s1LS 9-tsi Haiioeis death (April l3, 1885, il
1oIs nm fourteen years before the great Handel
n' ,aslon King George III, by q wave of his hand
t2llInanoed repetition Of "HaIIeIuiah' and
tvs y years before Mozart wrote The additional
sgefe1 fo- 80 =, - Lne request OF Baron Won
nan OF the HofbibIiothek in Vienna CNarcb 17S9l.
81 was nearly sixty-nne years earlier than the frsf
nE- apda aud
Ilaycn Society OF Boston Christmas l8lS and
eormanoe OF The 2eszia in the c6rist
Krehbiel. -9'- Il" -Ne"-1 0rA' oy II. l.
4fl2kery seems also 10 have eliminated the girls
o- me Charity School from the choir and thus
80 'ooA q step toward the present regime The
teIlod oI the American Revolution was a +roubJe-
e some one Tor Trinity Parish Rather tta, omit
me prescribed prayers for the King of England the
---l was closed Then Trinity was burned and
S's- years services we're held in the chapels
ol 81 George and 81. Paul When new edj6ce
Va Ieaoy for occupation in 1920 the Church Of
-l-Eal'o II America had made way for the Protest
en- EplscopaI Church IN the United States of
'--@- me chapter is interesting one and
may % read elsewhere. Il contributes no4bfng IN
ne development OF the musical service as nav
easily be imagined OF the vicissitu5ee +bro,7gb
'-l- music passed there IS no record DR. A H
e4essiler- who spent a long time IN urenarinr a
0-S 5- music il Trinity from the beginning 10
-o1- ana 10 whom am indebted Tor q great deal
- Ae-p IL lnls study, could dnd no records of i'm
pol1aAce touching music prior TO 1870 In 1s2g the
-'-s o. Dr Edward Hodges. destined TO be Of
81 wee IN the upDuding Of Trinity's music
seems to have had its first effect IN an e. =,
E aDolt uniformity between the parish church
t eae ehapels. Il was ordered by the ,esrr,, +t,-
----s-sl De appointed to have charge of the vocal
80 -1e 1hree churches and TO practise m.
ilIee cAoirs frequently at one time s5 Ie
. = eHolal schooi be established for the vot7nger
members Of the parish. month later ~. .'-