• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

The Bulletin o f t h e S o c i e t y f o r A m e r i c A n m u S i c f o u n d e d i n h o n o r o f o S c A r G . t. S o n n e c k Vol. XXXVI, No. 1 Winter 2010 A Songbook and a Sea Voyage: The Legacy of Louisa Wells Aikman By Bonny H. Miller “This Collection was made in Charleston—South Carolina—between the years 1770 and 74 by Louisa Susannah Wells (Containing one hun- dred and Thirteen Pages.)” Looking back in 1812, Louisa Wells Aikman (1755, Charleston SC—1831, West Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK) inscribed these words into the bound volume of British song sheets that she carried to England when she was forced to flee Charleston as a Loyalist during the American Revolution. Now held at the Library of Congress, Aikman’s songbook is a unique document of music making in Charleston in the 1760s and 70s. Louisa’s father, Robert Wells (1728— 1794), came from Scotland to Charleston as a bookseller in 1753, and his business (Artaxerxes, Love in a Village, and Thomas tions with the Society as a printer and grew into the largest book inventory in and Sally), as well as popular pastiches music vendor (Butler, 205)—even print- the Carolinas. His successful business such as The Summers Tale, Daphne and ing the Society rules in 1773 (Butler, enterprises required the assistance of Amintor, and the ever-popular Beggar’s 265—67)—and was likely a member as apprenticed young workers in addition Opera (Butler, 231). Louisa’s bound col- continued on page 02 to slaves. At his book and stationery lection reflects the popularity of these shop, Wells also sold music from many theater works, especially the perennial British publishers, as well as publishing favorite, Love in a Village. The final six- a newspaper, the South Carolina and teen songs in her collection were taken in this issue: American General Gazette, and fulfilling from this pastiche. other printing and bookbinding jobs. The three Wells daughters—Griselda, A Songbook and a Sea Wells claimed to carry hundreds of 01 Louisa, and Helena—no doubt used his Voyage: The Legacy of the latest song sheets and collections of stock of imported music to their advan- popular tunes of the era from the theaters tage, as most girls from prosperous com- Louisa Wells Aikman and pleasure gardens of London, Dublin, mercial families learned to sing and play and Edinburgh. His stock of instrumen- the keyboard, harp, or guittar. The Wells The Holy Librarians 03 tal music would have included keyboard women also had to their advantage their Reach Out on the Radio works (overtures, sonatas, exercises, song father’s relationship with the St. Cecilia medleys, dances) and repertoire for flute, Society in Charleston. In addition to Ottawa Updates 06 violin, guittar (a cittern, or modest fret- serving as a major supplier of books and ted instrument like a mandolin), fife, music to the Southern colonies, Wells Index to the Bulletin, or other popular melodic instruments. was involved with the St. Cecilia club of 15 Wells advertised in 1766 and 1767 that music lovers in Charleston from its early 2008-2009 he had music from theater works by Arne days. He conducted business transac- continued from page 01 Just as Louisa Wells Aikman’s Journey the Library of Congress online catalog at of a Voyage earned recognition as an www.loc.gov with a basic keyword search well (Butler, 273—78). exceptional nonfiction work by an eigh- using Wells Louisa Songs, or by browsing On a par with any commercial center teenth-century North American woman call number M1.A633, and proceed- in England, Charleston enjoyed a fash- writer and a remarkable primary source ing from Alcock’s “Come Haste to the ionable life of concerts, assemblies, liter- for American history, her personal song Wedding.” ary societies, theater, and balls, but the collection holds similar value for the evi- Some of the song sheets in Louisa’s St. Cecilia Society provided the focus of dence it provides about domestic musical collection are not found in RISM, in the musical life. The Society concerts began culture in the colonial South. Because British Union-Catalogue of Early Music, in 1766 as a subscription concert series the works in Louisa’s songbook often or in the holdings of the British Library. and a glee club for both dilettantes and include the name of the publisher, loca- However, eight of these eleven unre- music professionals, like the Anacreontic tion, and date of printing, they constitute corded works are included as entries in or Catch Clubs of London. Women were a rich source documenting the music the EASMES database (Early American not allowed as club members, but were she played and cherished as a young Secular Music and Its European Sources, welcomed as members of the audience woman. The London publishing firm 1589-1839: An Index), available as an at concerts. Although few St. Cecilia most often represented in the songbook online resource at the www.colonialmu- Society programs or handbills still exist, is Longman & Lukey, and composers sic.org website. Out of 109 songs, 39 contemporary newspaper advertisements represented in the songbook include Arne are listed in my own indexing project of suggest that their concerts featured the (Thomas and Michael), Baildon, Bates, music sheets included in popular British same musical fare of overtures, sympho- Battishill, Boyce, Carey, Davis, Galuppi, magazines (e.g., Gentleman’s Magazine, nies, chamber works, and fashionable Giardini, Gilding, Green [sic], Handel, London Magazine, Lady’s Magazine, etc.). song repertoire that audiences enjoyed in Howard, Jackson, Lampe, Purcel [sic], I first encountered Louisa’s songbook Great Britain at theater, pleasure garden, Selby, Smith, Taylor, Tenducci, Valentine, while searching for magazine music and concert venues (Butler, 203—36). Weldon, Worgan, and Yates. Additional sheets bound into personal volumes of With the start of the Revolutionary songs can be attributed with certainty to sheet music. Three song sheets fail to War in 1775, Robert Wells, a British Akeroyde, Bach (J. C.), Collett, Dibdin, appear in any of these sources: “The Loyalist, fled Charleston for England. Hook, and Wise. With the exception of New Bath Minuet As Perform’d at the Louisa and her brother initially remained a keyboard rondo based on a song from Rooms at Bath, Bristol & the Wells” in the city to carry on the family business, the pantomime The Elopement, Louisa’s (anonymous); “The Snow Ball,” by F. but she was banished as a Loyalist three music consists of texted songs with a fig- B.; and “Poets Corner, or Rural Felicity,” years later. Taking her songbook with her, ured bass or keyboard accompaniment. by Bartholomew Davis. The presence of Louisa recorded her perilous departure In many cases the tune is repeated unac- previously undocumented British song from the American colonies and travel companied, transposed into keys more sheets demonstrates the value and signifi- to England in The Journey of a Voyage appropriate for melodic instruments like cance of Louisa’s sheet music collection. from Charleston, S. C., to London under- the German flute or guittar. Louisa prob- Her songbook exemplifies the need for taken during the American Revolution by a ably chose the selections for her songbook continuing efforts to catalog the 18th- and Daughter of an eminent American Loyalist from those she liked to sing or play from 19th-century sheet music from personal [Louisa Susannah Wells] in the Year 1778 her father’s large inventory. The six-page music volumes held in many American and written from memory only in 1779. rondo for harpsichord by John Alcock libraries. Louisa’s account reflects a harrowing may have been her favorite keyboard Louisa’s treasured volume of song sheets experience for any person—especially for showpiece for the drawing room. A book- must have brought back many pleasant a vulnerable young woman— including binder, Wells probably bound Louisa’s memories of her young years spent amid episodes of dangerous weather, leaking volume of song sheets himself, and while the cultural milieu of Charleston and the ships, capture, imprisonment, and depri- the majority of the pages survive, five privileged planters’ life in the Carolina vation lasting six months. Surviving all pages numbered by Aikman are now low country. As she was completing her adversities, she quipped that she was “…a missing. memoir of her dangerous journey, Louisa tolerable Sailor in Petticoats” (Aikman, Louisa’s songbook was purchased was already dreaming of “…a voyage to 63), and “… a watery Grave is not in 1992 by the Music Division of the the West Indies” (Aikman, 70). After the yet ready for me” (Aikman, 3). Louisa Library of Congress, where it is housed Revolutionary War was over, Louisa made turned to singing or playing the guittar today with the call number M1.A633 another perilous trip across the ocean, when the hazards of the trip permitted. 1769 (Case). On the spine of the vol- from London to Jamaica in 1781/82 She recalled that “…conversation, with a ume is the binder’s title: Songs. Louisa in order to marry Alexander Aikman, a few songs from the Ladies, beguiled the Susannah Wells. 1770-4. An anonymous Scottish-born printer formerly appren- time very pleasantly” (Aikman, 41). Her sheaf of nine sides on five loose type- ticed in her father’s shop in Charleston. books and sheet music were precious pos- script pages—probably prepared by the Louisa bore two sons and eight daugh- sessions, and modern scholars are lucky seller, antiquarian dealer and musicolo- ters in Jamaica before her final move that her songbook survives; one of her gist Richard MacNutt—accompanies the to England, where she died at age 76.

Load more

  16

Copy Link