JOHANN CHRISTIAN GOTTLIEB GRAUPNER
Johann Christian Gottlieb Graupner (b. Verden, near Hannover, Germany, 6 Oct. 1767; d. Boston, Mass., 16 April 1836) was a composer, music teacher, publisher, dealer, and oboist. Around 1795 he emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, from London, where he had played oboe in an orchestra organized for Haydn's concerts in 1791-92. In Charleston he married an English opera singer, Catherine Comerford Hillier (1796), and the couple toured with an opera company until 1798, when they settled in Boston. Graupner helped to organize a musical 'academy' in 1802, and shortly thereafter he began to publish music, establishing himself as Boston's principal music publisher of the century's first two decades. Active as a conductor of theater orchestras and a performer on oboe, violin, piano, and double bass, he was a founder of the Philharmonic Society in 1810 and served as its first president. He was also part of the group that founded the Handel and Haydn Society (1815) and during its early years was its chief professional member.
Amerigrove, Baker's, Bio-bib, Grove, Metcalf, Sonneck-Upton, Wolfe. Also Johnson 1943, ch. 6; Wolfe 1980, p. 59-61 and elsewhere.
THE MONITOR, 1806
ASMI 228
The Monitor, or Celestial Melody, being a collection of psalm and hymn tunes, adapted for four voices and organ or pianoforte[.] Entered according to law. Boston printed and sold by G. Graupner, at his Musical Repository No. 6 Franklin Street. [Top of p. has decoration w. banner reading: 'I will sing of the Mercy of the Lord for Ever.']
3 p.l., 96 p. 131 x 24 cm. 1st p.l., p. 1-96 engraved. p. 6 not numbered.
[1806.] The Boston Repertory, 17 Jan. 1806, contains a subscription proposal by Graupner for an unnamed collection of sacred music. The description in the proposal fits the Monitor. As the proposal explains, the work was to be published serially; the volume described here was apparently made up of all parts of the Monitor gathered under one cover. The proposal promises the first part in March; the 'second number' was advertised as just published in the Boston Columbian Centinel, 2 April 1806. 1st p.l. recto, t-p.; verso blank; 2d 1. Recto, "List Of Subscribers'; verso blank; 3d 1. recto & verso, 'Index'; p. 1-96, music. 'N.B. All these Psalms and Hymns, may be had single, with a variety of other Music.' (Note on Index page.)
63 compositions, incl. 1 anthem & 5 set-pieces, set in keyboard score for 4 voices; full text. No attribs.24 1st Am. pr. identified (BRAMSHOT, BRIGHTHELMSTON, FINEDON, GERMAN, HEIGHINGTON, HYMN (P. 37), HYMN MEDITATION, KIPPAX, LOCK TUNE, MAJESTY, MARGATE, MOLESWORTH, MORDEN, NEW HYMN, NEW JERUSALEM, PASTORAL HYMN, PATIENT'S TUNE, THE PENITENT, RUSHTON, SCARBOROUGH, TAMWORTH, TE DEUM, TRIUMPH, TWINSTEAD). 14 compositions traced to American sources (CONFIDENCE NEW, JORDAN, LISBON, LORD'S DAY), 54 to non-American, 5 unidentified (HYMN P. 37, HYMN MEDITATION, MAJESTY, NEW HYMN, TE DEUM).
8 Core Repertory.
S29186 (MWA, wrongly dated [1813?]). MB, MBAt*, MWA, MiU-C, NNUT, RPB (p. 6 numbered).
ASMI pp. 294-295