Thomas A'Becket Jr.

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Thomas A'Becket Jr. (born July 19, 1843 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States , † August 17, 1918 in Atlantic City , New Jersey , United States) was an American pianist , singer, organist and music teacher .

Life

Thomas A'Becket's father, Thomas A 'Becket Sr. (1808–1890), was an actor, music teacher and composer. In the United States he was best known for the song Columbia the Gem of the Ocean . Thomas A'Becket Jr. received his first music lessons from him. In addition, he attended public schools in Philadelphia. In 1855 he performed a work by his father at the Walnut Street Theater. He became one of Philadelphia's most respected and popular piano accompanists, playing with leading artists and vocal groups. He accompanied Ole Bull on a tour of the United States. On May 20, 1869 he took part in a Grand Catholic Concert , a benefit event for St. Joseph's Church in Philadelphia in the concert hall there . On June 22nd he took part in a concert given by the soprano Josephine Schimpf at the Library Hall in Philadelphia. In its October 27, 1869 edition, the Philadelphia Inquirer announced that the English Parlor Opera Company would perform a number of English-language operettas over the Chestnut Theater in the Amateur Drawing Room for the following winter season . The ensemble consisted of Philadelphia-based artists such as Josephine Schimpf. Thomas A'Becket Junior was listed as a conductor. The first performance was to take place on November 11, 1869. The son and stranger (German: Die Heimkehr aus der Fremde ) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy , The Doctor of Alcantara and The two Cadis by Julius Eichberg and Contrabandista by Arthur Sullivan were planned. Between 1868 and 1872 he sang in a series of 35 operettas in the Amateur Drawing Room . From 1873 he was organist and teacher at Girard College , a boarding school for orphan boys in Philadelphia , for 45 years until his death . He became a member of a group of professional musicians evaluating music teaching in Philadelphia's public schools, the Philadelphia Music Teachers' Association . When the Utopian Club was founded, Philadelphia's most famous music organization at the time , on July 8, 1882, he became secretary. He worked for the Theodor Presser Company and was a member and president of the Mendelssohn Club. In 1917 he fell seriously ill and stopped his musical work. He then went to Atlantic City, hoping to find better conditions there for his recovery. He died there on August 17, 1918. He had two sons and a daughter. In an obituary in The Philadelphia Inquirer , he is described as one of the most famous piano accompanists in the eastern United States.

Works (selection)

  • Modern Gems, Short Voluntaries for the Cabinet Organ
  • The Joyful Secret, Musical composition by HM , arranged by Thomas A'Becket Jr., published in Philadelphia's Fashion Magazine Strawbridge & Clothiers Monthly, April 1889

literature

  • Martha Furman Schleifer:  à Becket, Thomas, Jr .. In: Grove Music Online (English; subscription required).
  • A'Becket Jr., Thomas. In: Albert E. Wier (Ed.): The MacMillan Encyclopedia Of Music And Musicians In One Volume-I. The MacMillan Company, New York 1938, p. 142 (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean . In: The Times Dispatch . Richmond, Virginia August 26, 1918, pp. 6 (English, newspapers.com ).
  2. ↑ a b c d e Martha Furman Schleifer: à Becket, Thomas Jr. In: Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press, May 26, 2010, accessed June 13, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b Becket, Thomas à, Jr. In: Albert E. Wier (Ed.): The MacMillan Encyclopedia Of Music And Musicians In One Volume-I . The MacMillan Company, New York 1938, pp. 142 (English, archive.org [accessed June 14, 2020]).
  4. ^ Grand Catholic Concert . In: The Evening Telegraph . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania May 20, 1869, pp. 3 (English, newspapers.com ).
  5. ↑ English Parlor Operas . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 27, 1869, pp. 2 (English, newspapers.com ).
  6. ↑ English Parlor Operas . In: The Evening Telegraph . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania November 9, 1869, pp. 5 (English, newspapers.com ).
  7. ^ A b New Organist at Girard . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia October 10, 1918, p. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
  8. ^ Philadelphia Music Teachers Association ' . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania October 7, 1896, pp. 6 (English, newspapers.com ).
  9. ↑ Utopian Club will now be dispanded . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia January 4, 1897, p. 13 (English, newspapers.com ).
  10. ↑ Commercial Value of Music is shown . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia December 2, 1917, p. 13 (English, newspapers.com ).
  11. ↑ Thomas A'Becket dies . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia August 19, 1918, p. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
  12. ^ 1 Feb 1886, 25 - Welcome Musical & Home Journal at Newspapers.com. Accessed February 28, 2019 .
  13. ^ New Publications . In: The Philadelphia Inquirer . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 6, 1889, pp. 7 (English, newspapers.com ).
personal data
SURNAME A'Becket, Thomas Jr.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Becket, Thomas à
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American pianist, organist, music teacher
DATE OF BIRTH July 19, 1843
PLACE OF BIRTH Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States
DATE OF DEATH August 17, 1918
Place of death Atlantic City , New Jersey , United States