Asahel Abbott

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Asahel Abbott (* 1805 in Piermont, New Hampshire , † November 12, 1889 in Brooklyn , New York City , United States ) was an American composer.

Life

Asahel Abbott's father owned a sawmill. At the age of five he was taught singing and reading music from his father. At the age of seven he learned to play the Fife and at the age of twelve he was able to accompany the choirs of creation on the piano . He did not have a good relationship with his stepmother and he had to keep his musical studies a secret from her. He presented the first oratorio composed by him to Lowell Mason . This declared it too classic for Americans. He advised him to compose easier, or to go to Germany, where his work might be appreciated. After the rejection of the oratorio, Abbott worked in a sawmill. At the age of 22 he left the New England sawmill and went to New York. Here he presented his compositions again to various publishers, who in turn rejected them. So he left New York and initially went hiking. After several positions he went to Paterson , where he found employment as a bassoonist in a military orchestra. He taught in schools in various places, performed organist services and gave private music lessons. He met Samuel Miller (1769-1850), professor at Princeton Theological Seminary . He wanted to win him over for a regular job at the seminary, but Abbott refused so as not to give up his independence. In 1831 he made a translation of the Aeneid , which was never published. He had to leave his next station in Branchville (New Jersey) because he got into violent confrontations with universalists. After further stations, Prof. Miller renewed his invitation to a three-year course at Princeton, which Abbott again declined. This time because of the opposing views on abolitionism . The next stops in his wandering life were Philadelphia , Bethany , Charleston and Warren Counties . In 1840 he left the First Congregational Church in Harford, Pennsylvania. Several attempts to publish volumes of poetry and other books he wrote failed because he could not find a publisher. Amongst them was Pandora - a cyclopaedia of Religious History. In 1861 he was the choirmaster and organist of the Presbyterian Church on 86th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in New York City. In 1863 he went to Brooklyn for good, where he stayed until his death in 1889. Here, too, he was mainly active as a private music teacher. Now he devoted himself mainly to composing and also completed works that he had started earlier.

Works (selection)

Asahel Abbott wrote ten oratorios in the style of Handel between 1845 and 1860.

  • St. John of Patros, oratory
  • Jesus Lover of my Soul , Choral, 1845
  • Father almighty , hymn for four or six voices, text: Martha Day, 1846
  • Gene. Zachary Taylor's grand march polka for piano, composed by Samuel Ackermann, arranged for piano by Asahel Abbott, published by C. Holt Jr., New York, 1848
  • The Conqueror's Last Sleep for voice and piano, published by Jaques and Brothers in New York, 1850
  • Love's called a dream Text: Charles Carroll Leeds, published by Millets Music Saloon in New York, 1850
  • The Waldenses , oratorio, performed June 16, 1852
  • Child amid the flowers , published in The Ladies' Wreath by JM Fletcher & Co., New York, 1852
  • Eternity for four-part choir with organ accompaniment, 1876
  • Prayer. Incipit: Glory be to God on High . In: New melodies of praise, a collection of new tunes and hymns, for the Sabbath school and praise meeting Ruebush, Kieffer & Co., Singer's Glen, Virginia, 1877
  • Aria fugata in D minor for organ
  • Lo Triumphe, fugue in E for organ
  • Take my life and let it be, text: Frances Ridley Havergal in: The New Canadian Hymnal : a collection of hymns and music for Sunday schools, young people's societies, prayer & praise meetings, family circles, 1916, p. 196

literature

  • A strange life ended , The Eccentricities and Wanderings of Asahel Abbott , article in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle , Feb. 16, 1890, 11
  • The Story of a Musician , article in The Sun , New York City, March 16, 1890, 19

Web links

Digital copies

  1. ↑ Father almighty as a digital copy in the Library of Congress
  2. ↑ Gen. Zachary Taylor's grand march polka as a digitized version in the Library of Congress
  3. ^ The Conqueror's Last Sleep as a digitized version in the Library of Congress
  4. ↑ Love's called a dream as a digitized version in the Library of Congress
  5. ^ Prayer as a digitized version in the Internet Archive

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The Story of a Musician . In: The Sun . New York March 16, 1890, p. 19 (English, newspapers.com [accessed May 6, 2018]).
  2. ↑ 16 Feb 1890, Page 11 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com . In: Newspapers.com . ( newspapers.com [accessed April 10, 2018]).
  3. ^ Cornell University Library: First Congregational Church, Harford, Pa., Centennial celebration, June 15, 1900. Embracing portraits of pastors, church history, proceedings of the day, addresses, sermons, and a complete roll of church members since organization, June 15, 1800 . Binghamton: Farm and Factory Print, 1900 ( archive.org [accessed April 10, 2018]).
  4. ↑ Famous Composers And Their Works, Vol. 4. Retrieved April 10, 2018 .
  5. ↑ 28 Feb 1846, Page 2 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com . In: Newspapers.com . ( newspapers.com [accessed May 5, 2018]).
  6. ↑ Vera Brodsky Lawrence: Strong on Music: Reverberations, 1850-1856 . University of Chicago Press, Chicagp 1995, ISBN 978-0-226-47011-5 , pp. 298 (English, google.de [accessed on May 5, 2018]).
personal data
SURNAME Abbott, Asahel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer
DATE OF BIRTH 1805
PLACE OF BIRTH Piermont, New Hampshire
DATE OF DEATH November 12, 1889
Place of death Brooklyn , New York City , United States