James Hewitt (composer)

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James Hewitt (born June 4, 1770 in Dartmore , England , † August 2, 1827 in Boston , Massachusetts , USA ) was an American composer of English origin.

Hewitt, who was believed to have been a student of Giovanni Battista Viotti , was a violinist with the Court Orchestra in London . In 1792 he moved to New York , where he emerged as a violin virtuoso and opera composer.

His work Tammany, or The Indian Chief is one of the first originally American operas. He also led various military bands and was a music publisher and organist. From 1812 to 1818 he worked at the Federal Street Theater in Boston. In addition to the opera Tammany , he also composed a comic opera, several programmatic overtures , stage music, piano pieces, violin duets and songs .

His son John Hill Hewitt was also known as a composer.

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