SAMUEL FELSTED's JONAH the EARLIEST AMERICAN ORATORIO by Thurston Dox
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· ........................................................................ SAMUEL FELSTED'S JONAH THE EARLIEST AMERICAN ORATORIO by Thurston Dox HE PASSAGEWAY FROM listed as "Jonah, an Oratorio, Samuel, the first of four children, almost total obscurity to a disposed for Voice and was born there in 1743. place in music history's hall Harpsichord," was published in 1775 After William's death in 1767, of fame opens to few by Longman, Lukey and Broderip Samuel became organist at St. composers. Samuel Felsted for Felsted. Andrew, where he later composed of Jamaica (1743-1802) is Samuel Felsted was not British, Jonah. In 1783 he was appointed certainly one who has however. He was Jamaican. His organist of the Kingston Parish traveled through that father, William Felsted, was an iron Church, the largest and most doorway in record time. Considering monger - a hardware merchant prestigious church on the island. The that absolutely nothing was previous organist, Daniel mown about the life of this DeLuskie, had served the composer until the late church for 41 years and was 1970s, his sudden rise to most likely responsible for visibility is astounding. some of Samuel's education In October 1789, during in music. Samuel continued his inaugural tour to Boston, as organist at the Kingston George Washington was Parish Church until his honored by a concert at the death in 1802. Stone Chapel (then called The Felsted family was King's Chapel) in the heart not wealthy, though they of the old city. The featured eventually owned a work on the program was respectable amount of the oratorio Jonah by income property. This fact, Samuel Felsted.1 In along with other convincing reporting the performance of evidence,5 supports the Jonah, Oscar Sonneck, the contention that Samuel godfather of American music Felsted did not leave history, could do little more Jamaica either for an than account for it as education abroad or for any Boston's first hearing of a other reason. He was a complete oratorio. His par native-born American enthetical anecdote, "even if composer who spent his it was only Jonah, ... by entire life on the island of the obscure Samuel Felsted, Jamaica and is now to be who seems to have been respected along with better mown in America contemporary musicians of than in England," reveals the who had come to Jamaica in the the northern colonies. assumption that the composer of 1730s. William was also an amateur For almost a century the Felsted Jonah must have been English. 2 The musician and was organist at the family maintained a prominent place publication of the original score of Parish Church of St. Andrew near in Jamaican musical life. Samuel's Jonah in London gives support to the town of Kingston.3 Around 1737 sister, Christiana, and his only son, this assumption. The score, now he moved his hardware business to John Lawrence, were organists at owned by the British library and Boston where he met J oyce Weaver. 4 the Parish Church of St. Andrew. A They were married in Philadelphia second William Felsted is listed in Dox is Professor of Music at Hartwick (May 1, 1741) while en route to a the Feurtado manuscripts at the College in Oneonta, New York. permanent residency in Jamaica; Institute of Jamaica Library as February 1992 Page 27 "Organist, St. Catherine, 1819" interests, Felsted forwarded speci continuous access to the currents of (meaning, organist of the Spanish mens of native Jamaican butterflies cultural life abroad. Musicians, small Town Cathedral, Parish of St. and designs for a horizontal as their numbers were, could easily Catherine). Grandchildren of windmill to the Society as evidence obtain published scores and William and Joyce lived in Jamaica of his activities as a botanist and an instruments from Europe to remain into the nineteenth century, but the inventor.7 Regarding his trilogy of au courant. All this is apparent in family name disappears from public talent in the arts, it is reasonable to Felsted's writing. records after the 1830s. assume that he was the poet-librettist Jonah is clearly an oratorio in the Even though Samuel Felsted spent for Jonah and was indeed a painter. commonly accepted sense of the his entire life in Jamaica, his The Institute of Jamaica documents time; that is, it is an unstaged notoriety was by no means limited to that a painting of a Kingston dramatic work on a biblical subject the island. In 1771 his application residence by S. Felsted, dated 1778, for chorus, soloists, and for membership in the newly-formed was offered for sale to the Institute instrumentalists. Considering the American Philosophical Society was in 1947 by a London art dealer. 8 composer's British connections, approved and he became one of a however, it is surprisingly unlike small number of applicants from the Handefs later oratorios. The single West Indies to be admitted into that unit structure of Jonah bears little select company, which included relationship to the massive two- and Benjamin Franklin and other Two of the subscribers of three-part molds in which those colonial intellectuals. The application the first engraving of monumental works (Messiah, Judas itself opens a much broader view of Maccabeaus, Samson, Israel in Felsted. The supporting recom Jonah were the famous Egypt) were cast. Its structure mendation by his sponsor, a British-American painter, with successive recitatives and arias, Dr. James Smith, refers to Felsted as and few choruses - is more like possessing "merit in the three sister Beniamin West and the Handefs very early oratorios. sciences, Poetry, Painting and Music, for which he has a natural genius."6 engraver Francesco 1) Overture In further testimony to his scholarly Bartolozzi. 2) Recitative - Narrator, "Jonah, Arise! to Nineveh Repair" 3) Air - Jonah, "Out of the Deep, Oh God I Cry" 4) Air - Jonah, "Billows Foam Felsted was no stranger in Around My Head" England. Two of the subscribers of 5) Recitative - Narrator, "The the first engraving of Jonah were the Lord Commands, With Haste famous British-American painter, the Fish Obeys" Benjamin West and the engraver 6) Air - Jonah, "My God and Francesco Bartolozzi, both of whom King, to Thee I Sing" served the British crown during their 7) Recitative - Narrator, "Jonah, careers. West painted the picture of Arise, Again Thy Steps Prepare" Jonah used for the cover of the score 8) Air - Jonah, "Lord I Obey, and Bartolozzi made theengravingi Taught by Thy Pow'rful Hand"· Connections such as these in the 9) Recitative - Jonah, "Repent, cultural milieu of Felsted's world Ye Men of Nineveh, Repent" must be acknowledged as highly 10) Chorus of Ninevites, "Have significant. Mercy Lord and Hear Our Plaintive Cries" Felsted's oratorio, Jonah, 11) Recitative - Narrator, "God THE TALE OF THE represents a mixture of stylistic Saw Their Works, He Listen'd RINGS OF POWER attitudes, although it is not nearly as to Their Prayer" Text by J. R. R. Tolkien Music by Thomas Peterson benighted as one might anticipate 12) Chorus, "Tune Your Harps Thomas Peterson's 80 minute musical from an eighteenth-century resident Your Voices Raise" saga based on Tolkien's Lord of the Rings of Jamaica. The island was far more and The Silmarillion. For narrator, boy strategic as a cornerstone of colonial Three other aspects of oratorio sopranos, soloists, chorus and orchestra. commerce and politics than could style also need to be considered. Info., scores, and rentals: ever be imagined today when one First, as Baroque and Classical considers its present international oratorios go, Jonah is a relatively Cynthianlll!!l position and its more familiar role as short work (1:lbout 40 minutes). Publications lfJ a mecca of tourism. Eighteenth Secondly, in addition to the 1301 No. 4th St. Fargo, ND 58102 century Jamaica played a vital part narrator, there are only two roles for (701) 280-2009 in the trade linkage with England soloists, 9 and there is no dramatic and provided the inhabitants dialogue between them. Finally, the Page 28 CHORAL JOURNAL accompaniment is for keyboard, style and certain phrases strongly The work was dedicated to Louise with the opportunity of obbligato suggest the composer may have Dalling, wife of John Dalling, then instruments or, if one wished, known Rander s organ concerti Lt. Governor of Jamaica. In the instrumental doubling of selected rather well. Also, underneath the dedication Felsted refers to "this little keyboard lines. 10 entire score, Felsted's knowledge of piece, which is submitted to the All this suggests that Felsted did figured bass appears very well candor of its judges as my first not conceive Jonah as entertainment attempt at composition."12 Felsted in the concert hall, but rather as an set out to have it subscribed, edifying element within the context soliciting patrons to underwrite its of worship. Such an attitude was publication by purchasing scores in consistent with that aspect of the There is no doubt that advance. Two hundred and thirteen Enlightenment in Germany which F elsted's Jonah was the individuals responded, an impressive held that the chief function of all register for any composer under church music was to edify-to first dramatic oratorio to patronage. The list included, in induce feelings of reverence. In addition to Benjamin West and addition, the proportionately be composed in the New Francesco Bartolozzi, the Governor reduced use of the chorus is more World. of Jamaica, British military officers, characteristic of 18th-century Italian members of the Jamaican Assembly, oratorios than either German or court judges, attorneys, merchants, English works, as is the placement of organists, and plantation owners these choruses at the endY The pre from all over the island. It seems classical spirit moved freely in schooled.