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INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in ^ew riter face, while others may be fi’om any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improperalig n m ent can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI University Microfilms international A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 Nortfi Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Order Number 9420996 Music in the black and white conununities in Petersburg, Virginia, 1865—1900 Norris, Ethel Maureen, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1994 Copyright ©1994 by Norris, Ethel Maureen. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Aibor, MI 48106 MUSIC IN THE BLACK AND WHITE COMMUNITIES IN PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, 1865-1900 Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ethel Maureen Norris, B.M., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1994 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Martha Maas Burdette Green Adviser Herbert Livingston School of Music William T. McDaniel Copyright by Ethel Maureen Norris 1994 IN MEMORY OF MY PARENTS MRS. MARIE PERRY NORRIS (1913-1988) AND DR. GRANVILLE M. NORRIS (1911-1988) FOR THEIR LOVE, SUPPORT, SACRIFICE, AND FAITH THAT WILL ALWAYS SUSTAIN ME 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Special recognition is due Dr. Susan L. Porter (1941-1993), who advised this project from its initial stages through September 1993. I am especially privileged to have benefitted from her astute scholarship and broad experiences in American music, her ceaseless desire to learn, and her vitality, good humor, and courage. Ill I would like to express sincere appreciation to Dr. Martha Maas for the time, effort, and expertise that she gave to help me complete this project. I am also appreciative of the suggestions made by Dr. Burdette Green, Dr. Herbert Livingston, and Dr. William T. McDaniel. Many friends provided me with moral support and encouragement during the course of this project. For that I am and will always be deeply grateful. I would like to acknowledge those persons who provided me with or helped me to locate tangible items that enhanced my research: Mr. Marshall Bullock, Former Reference Librarian, Petersburg Public Library Mr. Lucious Edwards, Archivist, Johnston Memorial Library, Virginia State University Dr. James H. Ryan, Historian, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Petersburg, Virginia Ms. Suzanne Savery, Curator of Collections, Petersburg Museums, City of Petersburg Staff, Petersburg Public Library This dissertation was completed with the assistance of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Faculty Graduate Study Program for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. IV VITA March 3, 1956 Born - Petersburg, Virginia 1977 ■ • • B. M., East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 1978 • • • M. A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1983-1993 Instructor of Music/Assistant Professor of Music, Saint Paul's College, Lawrenceville, Virginia FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Music Studies in Music History TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................. ü ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................ ü i VITA ......................................................... V LIST OF T A B L E S ................................................. ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1 II. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF PETERSBURG ..................... 5 Petersburg Before the Civil War ................. 5 Education and Cultural Life in the City .... 8 Musical Life in the C i t y ..................... 11 Petersburg During and After the Civil War .... 18 Civil Rights Legislation ..................... 22 Educational and Cultural Opportunities in the City ................................. 25 Conclusion........................................ 29 N o t e s ............................................ 29 III. MUSICAL INSTRUCTION: LAYING THE FOUNDATION ........ 40 Musical Instruction in the White Community: An Overview, 1865-1875 41 Foundations of Musical Instruction in the White Community: 1865-1880 47 Musical Instruction in the White Community: 1880-1900 ...................................... 50 Musical Instruction in the Black Community: 1865-1900 ...................................... 57 Conclusion........................................ 63 N o t e s ............................................ 64 VI IV. BANDS AND ORCHESTRAS: SERENADES, SOCIAL EVENTS, AND CONCERTS ...................................... 74 Black Brass and String B a n d s ..................... 76 White Bands and O r c h e s t r a s ....................... 86 C o n c l u s i o n ........................................ 98 N o t e s .............................................. 99 V. PETERSBURG’S CHURCHES: MUSICAL CONTRIBUTIONS .......... 110 Petersburg's White Churches ....................... 110 Organs, Organists, and Concerts ............... 113 Choirs and Congregational Singing ............. 124 Petersburg's Black Churches ....................... 127 Organs and Organists........................... 129 H y m n a l s ........................................ 132 Concerts and Other Entertainments ............. 134 C o n c l u s i o n ........................................ 139 N o t e s .............................................. 140 VI. CONCERTS AND MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS: 1865-1880 .... 154 The Advent of the Academy of Music ........... 155 The Petersburg Musical Club: A Cultural Catalyst . 162 The Academy of Music: Construction and First Season 165 The Petersburg Musical Club: The Final Season . 174 The Academy of Music: 1872-1880 175 The Mendelssohn Musical Association ............... 180 Performances in the Black Community ............... 184 C o n c l u s i o n ........................................... 187 N o t e s ..................................................188 VII. CONCERTS AND MUSICAL ORGANIZATIONS: 1880-1900 ........ 200 Establishment of the Petersburg Musical Association 202 The Petersburg Musical Association: 1881-1886 .... 207 The Academy c Music: 1880-1886 ............... The PetersLu./ Musical Association: 1886-1891 . The AcaJ ' of Music: 1886-1891 ............... The AcadL^f of Music: 1891-1900 ............... Miscellaneous Musical Entertainments: 1880-1900 Musical Activities in the Black Community . Conclusion ................................... Vll VIII. THE ANNUAL MUSICAL CONVENTIONS AND MUSIC FESTIVALS OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA .......... 271 The Musical Conventions of Virginia and North C a r o l i n a .......................................... 272 Conventions Delegates ........................... 272 The Business of the Conventions................... 276 The Public School Music Issue ................... 279 Other Convention Business ....................... 281 The Convention Entertainments ................... 282 The Advent of the Festivals........................284 The Music Festivals of Virginia and North Carolina . 285 The Inaugural Festival: 1884..................... 288 The Second Festival: Signs of Growth ........... 292 Festival Successes: 1886-1890 ................... 296 A Festival Innovation: The Children's Concert . 301 Responses to the F e s t i v a l s ........................302 The 1891 Fes t i v a l .................................. 304 The "Noltenius Factor".............................. 306 Extended Influence of the Festivals ............. 308 Conclusion.............................................309 N o t e s ..................................... 311 IX. CONCLUSION ...............................................319 APPENDICES A. SKETCHES OF SELECTED PETERSBURG MUSICIANS ............. 329 B. PERFORMERS ENGAGED BY THE PETERSBURG MUSICAL ASSOCIATION AND THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC: 1881-1891 335 C. POEM ON THE WALL OF OLD BLANDFORD C H U R C H ............... 345 BIBLIOGRAPHY......................... 346 Vlll LIST OF TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Petersburg's Churches ........................... 112 IX CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Music had an essential part in late nineteenth-century Petersburg; it had an important place in the city's homes, churches, concert halls, schools, and public occasions; it was the focus of attention in certain special events that are a significant part of the city's history. This study is intended not as a catalogue of the musical events that took place there, but as an investigation of these events in the context of contemporary