A Musical Life Franklin.pdf · Ben Franklin was born into a musical family in 1706, the 10th son and 15th child of soap and candle maker Josiah Franklin. Some of his favorite child-hood

THE ONLY CHILDHOOD ITEM BenjaminFranklin ever splurged on was a

whistle. “Charmed by the sound,” theseven-year old Ben emptied his pocket-ful of Christmas coins into the owner’shands, paying four times the whistle’strue cost. His older brothers teased him

into tears over the extravagantpurchase, but seven decades

later, Franklin woulddraw on that childhood

episode as a life les-son about over-spending: “Don’tgive too much forthe whistle.”

Music was animportant, in fact,an essential part ofFranklin’s life. Frombroadside ballads tothe compositions ofHandel and Gluck, he

enjoyed and per-formed a wide varietyof musical styles. Hewas proficient enough

on the guitar to teach it,sophisticated enough to own a split-octave

harpsichord and debate the merits ofdifferent temperaments, and also famil-iar enough with the masters to sell the concertos of Geminiani and the sonatas of Corelli in his Philadel-phia print shop. He was so devoted tohis viola da gamba – stolen during theBritish occupation – that he ordered areplacement when in his eighties.

Ben Franklin was born into a musicalfamily in 1706, the 10th son and 15thchild of soap and candle maker JosiahFranklin. Some of his favorite child-hood memories were evenings when hisfather played the violin and sang in his“clear pleasing voice.” Franklin alsosang throughout his life – ballads, tavernsongs, political satires, his favorite Scot-tish folk ballads, and love songs such asGluck’s famous “Che Faro Euridice” –and he sent to London for catches andglees so that his singing clubs could har-monize together.

Franklin’s childhood was spent inBoston, a Puritan city torn between therepressed and the irrepressible. Propo-nents of instrumental music were criti-cized as “a company of young upstarts;they spend too much time about learn-ing, and tarry out a-nights disorderly.”Visiting sailors were threatened withfive-shilling fines for dancing andsinging in the waterfront taverns.

When Ben was 14, he wrote the vers-es for two ballads about nautical inci-dents. As a boy who dreamed aboutrunning off to sea, he must have beenproud of his verses, although he latercalled them “wretched stuff.” In fact,

A Musical Life

By Edward A. Mauger and Julianne Baird

Our founding father wasalso a musical maven

ILLUSTRATION: RUSH KRESS

Early Music America Spring 2006 27

his “hankering for the Sea” so alarmedhis father, who had already lost one son,that he decided to indenture Ben toanother son, James, who was establish-ing a printing business in Boston. Twoevents reported in the Boston News Letter,a tragic drowning in the Boston Harborand the capture of Blackbeard thePirate inspired these ballads. “TheDownfal of Pyracy,” set to the tune of“What is greater joy and pleasure,” hasbeen attributed by scholar Ellen Cohnto young Benjamin. Cohn notes that theverses are “just crude enough to suggesta young author”:

When the bloody Fight was over,We’re indorm’d by a Letter writ,Teach’s head was made a Cover,To the Jack Staff of the Ship;Thus they sailed to Virginia,And when they the Story told,How they kill’d the Pirates many,They’d Applause from young and

old.

The enterprising youth may haveeven tried busking, but his pragmaticfather “discouraged [me]…by ridiculingmy performance, and telling me verse-makers were generally beggars.” Still,Franklin retained a lifelong love of bal-lads and tavern songs.

In 1723, this bright, confident, andadventurous young man, with a healthydisdain for overbearing authority, defiedhis father and his bossy brother Jamesand ran away, not to sea, but to Phila-delphia. Although the city’s cultural lifewas probably even more dismal thanBoston’s – the Quakers consideredmusic, dance, and theatre “a waste ofGod’s time” – the political climate in a city that fostered “Liberty of Con-science” was considerably more appeal-ing to the ambitious writer and appren-tice publisher.

A year later, he found himselfstranded in England on Christmas Eve– no job, few funds, and none of the

letters of introduction that had beenpromised by the glad-handing Pennsyl-vania Governor Keith. The resilientyoung man quickly landed a job in aLondon printing house. While his fel-low workers ducked out for well-lubri-cated afternoon repasts, Franklin stayedbehind, saving his funds to haunt Lon-don’s book stalls and attend “plays andother places of amusement.”

In the London of that time, no ticketwas hotter than an opera by GeorgeFrideric Handel. In 1725 alone, Handelpremiered two operas, Tammerlano andRodelinda, and he revived his huge hitfrom the previous year, Giulio Cesare.While there are no references fromFranklin about attending these operas(he was unlikely to have described thisto his already disapproving father),Franklin’s later writings show a deepfamiliarity with the composer’s music.

After nearly two years in London,Benjamin Franklin sailed back to

Amherst Early MusicEvents at AEM’s “Winter Weekend” at Rutgers University in Camden

Franklin in PhiladelphiaHistoric walking tour with Ed Mauger of “Philadelphia on Foot” January 14

Franklin: International Man of HarmonyA gala faculty concert with special guest Cecilia Brauer, glass armonica, and soprano Julianne Baird January 15

Colonial WilliamsburgBenjamin Franklin’s Birthday Bashwith Dean Shostak, glass armonicaJanuary 14

Music in the Life of Benjamin Franklinwith David and Ginger HildebrandJanuary 15

Philomel Baroque OrchestraA nine-concert tercentenary festival in the Philadelphia area

Franklin’s Londonwith guest artists soprano Laura Heimes and organist Peter SykesNovember 18-20, 2005

Franklin’s Philadelphiawith Pittsburgh’s Chatham Baroque Trio January 20-22

Franklin’s Paris with soprano Julianne BairdMay 5-7

Concerts at Onewith Philomel and Julianne BairdApril 27 at Trinity Church, New York City

Tempesta di MareThe Grand Orchestra, Part 2: “Ambassador Franklin in London”January 27-28 in Swarthmore, PA, and the University of Pennsylvania

Music for Viols and FriendsPoor Richard’s Musickwith Pamela Dellal and Ensemble ChaconneFebruary 25 at First Church in Cambridge, MABenjamin Franklin TercentenaryA touring exhibition organized by the Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

PHILADELPHIADecember 15, 2005 - April 30, 2006National Constitution Center ST. LOUISJune 8, 2006 - September 4, 2006Missouri Historical Society HOUSTONOctober 11, 2006 - January 21, 2007The Houston Museum of Natural Science DENVERMarch 2 , 2007 - May 28, 2007Denver Museum of Nature & ScienceATLANTAJuly 4, 2007 - October 14, 2007Atlanta History Center PARISDecember 4, 2007 - March 30, 2008Musée des Arts et Métiers and Musée Carnavalet

Bruce Museum of Arts and ScienceExhibition: “Ben Franklin’s Curious Mind”January 28 - April 23 in Greenwich, CTCalifornia State Capitol MuseumGlass armonica concert with William ZeitlerJanuary 17 in Sacramento (also January 19 at the Modesto Art Museum) Free Quaker Meeting HouseBen’s Birthday SalonsColonial entertainment, dancing, and gamesFridays, January 6 to April 7, in Philadelphia, PA

Ben’s Birthday – January 17A sampling of what early music groups and others have done and will do to celebrate the grand occasion

Philadelphia and soon established him-self as an up-and-coming publisher andbusinessman. The hours after the work-day, however, were reserved for “music,or Diversion, or Conversation, (and)Examination of the Day.” Such diver-sions often took place in local taverns,like the Pewter Platter, where Franklin’sown men’s club, the “junto” gatheredfor mutual and civic improvement.These meetings were punctuated withraised glasses, racy humor, and satiricalsongs, many of them surely penned byFranklin, perhaps accompanying him-self on the guitar. He was proficientenough to have offered to teach theinstrument to the young MarySewell, but found her “too much theQuaker” to be successful at it.

In 1754, Franklin’s enjoyment ofwitty and musical evenings promptedan invitation to the January meetingof The Tuesday Club, which he attend-ed in Annapolis, Maryland, on his touras colonial postmaster. This club wasrenowned for its fine music. Somemembers were serious musicians, withsophisticated collections of the Euro-pean masters such as Corelli, Vivaldi,and Handel. After a mock trial for aretiring member of the Club, withFranklin joining in the frivolity, they fin-ished the evening with a songfest ofballads, catches, and glees.

Man on a mission In 1757, three decades after his first

trip to England, Franklin sailed backacross the Atlantic, a man on a mission.The heirs to William Penn’s colony hadbeen treating Pennsylvania like theirpersonal fiefdom, exempting their ownvast holdings from taxes and leaving thelocal residents to cover all the costs fordefense. Infuriated by this unequal treat-ment, Franklin had won authorizationfrom the Assembly to press the Britishgovernment on the matter.

On this trip, Franklin’s accomplish-ments preceded him. His counterpartsamong London’s scientists and thinkerseagerly welcomed the man renownedfor discovering the secret behind elec-tricity and for publishing the runaway

best seller The Way to Wealth. But despitehis fame, Franklin’s political effortsbogged down, and the months mountedinto years as he cooled his heels in theanterooms of the British bureaucracy.There was little for him to do but enjoythe pubs and coffee houses, spend moretime with his fellow scientists, and sur-vey London’s exciting nightlife.

By then, Handel’s Italian opera hadbeen replaced by the English oratorio,prompting Horace Walpole to complainabout his switch from exotic divas tolocal English singers: “he has hired allthe Goddesses from the Farces, and theSingers of Roast Beef from betweenthe Acts…with a Man with one Note in his Voice and a Girl with never aOne; and so they sing and make braveHallelujahs.”

Franklin, who preferred “singers ofthe Roast Beef,” himself attended aFoundling Hospital performance ofMessiah only three weeks after the blindand enfeebled 74-year-old Handel lastdirected the work on April 7, 1759. Thecomposer had exhausted his reservesand died within a week.

A trip to Scotland later that summerto receive an honorary Doctor of Lawsdegree from the University of St.Andrews brought him a new and endur-ing friendship with the brilliant jurist,writer, and wit Lord Kames (HenryHome). They shared a mutual enthusi-asm for the arts and their lively conver-

sations afforded “weeks of the densesthappiness I have met with in any part ofmy life.” Soon after Kames finished hismonumental three volume treatment ofaesthetics, he gave Franklin a set, whichFranklin digested on the long sea voy-age back to Philadelphia in 1762. Theirdiscussions presented Franklin with theoccasion to give more systematic atten-tion to his own theories on aesthetics,especially music.

For Lord Kames, the fine arts servedas a “beneficial influence in uniting dif-ferent ranks in the same elegant pleas-ures,” but they also supported order andsubmission to government. Kamesassociated “taste” with social class – the

lower sorts gravitating to the cruderpleasures of the eye and ear, whilethe more “opulent, who have leisureto improve their minds and theirfeelings” enjoyed poetry, gardens,architecture, and music. Franklinargued that the simple songs, espe-

cially the Scots ballads they bothenjoyed, were naturally superior. The

very union of melody and harmonywithin the same vocal line – often con-structed of a pentatonic scale or triad,without chromaticism – was the factorthat made them the best, most naturalsongs: “... almost every succeedingemphatical Note, is a Third, a Fifth, anOctave, or in short some Note that is inConcord with the preceding Note.”

In contrast, “much of that compos’din the modern Taste” – its trills, arpeg-gios, and passages of virtuosic fastnotes – might please the well-trainedear, but “many pieces of it are mereCompositions or Tricks.” They offer theaudience the same entertainment they“feel on seeing the surprizing Feats ofTumblers and Rope Dancers, who exe-cute difficult Things.”

Franklin used his own objectiveobservations to examine what mademusic appealing. “I have sometimes at aConcert attended by a common Audi-ence plac’d myself so as to see all theirFaces, and observ’d no Signs of Plea-sure in them during the Performance ofmuch what was admir’d by the Perform-ers themselves; while a plain old Scot-tish Tune, which they disdain’d andcould scarcely be prevail’d on to play,gave manifest and general Delight.

28 Spring 2006 Early Music America

BenjaminFranklinA Musical Life

“I have sometimes at a Concert attended

by a common Audience plac’d myself so as to see all

their Faces, and observ’d no Signs of Pleasure in them during the Performance of much what was admir’d by thePerformers themselves...”

– Benjamin Franklin


“The Connoisseurs in modern Musicwill say I have no Taste.... I believe ourAncestors in hearing a good Song, dis-tinctly articulated, sung to one of those(Scotch) tunes and accompanied by theHarp, felt more real Pleasure than iscommunicated by the generality ofmodern Operas.... Whoever has heardJames Oswald play them on his Violon-cello, will be less inclin’d to dispute thiswith me. I have more than once seenTears of Pleasure in the Eyes of hisAuditors; and yet I think even his Play-ing those tunes would please more, ifhe gave them less modern ornament.”

Benjamin Franklin’s musical theoriesdovetail with his political stance: thetrue standard in music was not the elab-orate music of the upper class, but thebasic music of the common man.

Franklin saved his most comprehen-sive musical analysis for a curious letterto his elder brother Peter, who wasmanaging the Philadelphia postal serv-ice. Peter had sent his brother the versesto a ballad he had composed on thetheme of frugality. Instead of confininghis advice to the ballad in question,Franklin uncharacteristically took anelaborate detour into an exhaustive andsophisticated analysis of high Baroquemusic.

Franklin encouraged Peter to revisethe ballad he had composed, so that itsmeter would fit to “old simple ditties”like “Chevy Chase” or “Children in theWood.” He praised the classic tuneswhose “music was simple, conformeditself to the usual pronunciation ofwords,” and “never disguised and con-founded the language by making a longsyllable short, or a short one long whensung; their singing was only a morepleasing, because a melodious mannerof speaking.”

To demonstrate the defects of theartificial “modern songs,” Franklin citeda composition by “one of our greatestmasters, the ever famous Handel.”Although he acknowledged that “Wise-man flatt’ring” from Judas Maccabeus was“really excellent in its kind,” he provid-ed a comprehensive satirical analysis ofthe music:

- Emphasizing a word of no importance- Drawling (extending the sound of a

word beyond its natural length)

- Stuttering (making many syllablesof one, i.e.: coloratura)

- Unintelligibleness (a combination ofthe first three)

- Tautology (repeats), and- Screaming without cause

“Read the words.... Observe how fewthey are, and what a shower of notesattend them.... [T]hough the wordsmight be the principal part of anancient song, they are of smallimportance in a modern one; they arein short only a pretence for singing.”

The glass armonicaInspired by a performance of the

musical wine glasses in London,Franklin designed the musical instru-ment that brought him “the greatestpersonal satisfaction” – the glassarmonica. By turning specially-blownmusical glasses on their side and fittingthem on a spindle, he could play theglasses like a keyboard. This allowedpeople to play chords instead of justindividual notes on the glasses. Theirring, which was not dampened, alsoprovided Franklin with the perfectinstrument to demonstrate his theorythat the best songs allowed for continu-ous harmony from one note to the next.

Once Ben Franklin had given theprofessional musician Marianne Davieslessons on his instrument, she per-formed the glass armonica throughoutEngland in 1762. She also introduced itto the imperial court of Vienna, whereGluck was chapel master. Even MarieAntoinette became one of her pupils.Franklin’s Armonica would remain pop-ular throughout Europe for decades, itsethereal sound favored for funerals andweddings. Mozart and Beethoven com-posed for it, and Donizetti used thearmonica in the mad scene of Lucia diLammermoor, since the leaded glasseswere eventually suspected of causing

madness and because the instrumentbecame associated with hypnotism,Mesmer, and hysteria.

In the summer of 1762, after hispolitical battles with the Penn familywere resolved, Franklin finally sailed outof Portsmouth for America. He couldhardly contain himself until he returnedhome with his musical invention. With-in a week, he was hosting musicalevenings for his Philadelphia friendsand playing duets with his daughter Sal-ly on harpsichord. “She sings the songsto her harpsichord, and I play some ofthe softest tunes on my armonica, withwhich entertainment our people hereare quite charmed, and conceive theScottish tunes to be the finest in theworld.” Another keyboard piece that heplayed on the armonica was Handel’s“Water Piece.”

Glad as Franklin was to be backhome, he sorely missed the rich culturaland intellectual life of London. “Whyshould that petty island,” he com-plained, “scarce enough of it abovewater to keep one’s shoes dry ... enjoy inalmost every neighborhood more ... ele-gant minds than we can collect in our

Continued on page 36

Franklin and the Abbé Morellet shared an enjoyment of good wine, witty

conversation, and satirical ballads andScots songs. He told Morellet that

“God clearly intended us to be tipplers because he had made the

joints of the arm just the right length to carry a glass to the mouth.”


David Boe organ, organ literature, history and design, ensembles

David Breitman program department chair, fortepiano,courses in historical performance

James Caldwell historical oboes

James David Christieorgan, organ literature, history and design

Lisa Goode Crawford harpsichord, continuo, harpsichord literature, ensembles

Michael Lynnrecorder, baroque flute, ensembles

Kathie Lynn baroque flute

Marilyn McDonaldbaroque violin, ensembles

Catharina Meints viola da gamba, baroque cello, ensembles

Alison Melville recorder, ensembles

Steven Plankmusicology, Collegium Musicum

Early Music

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College

Office of Admissions 39 West College Street Oberlin, Ohio 44074 440-775-8413

www.oberlin.edu

Michael Manderen Director of Admissions

Robert K. Dodson Dean of the Conservatory

at Oberlin

● Bachelor of Music

● Master of Music in performance on historical instruments

● Artist Diploma

● Double-degree program leading to both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music

OBERLINThe Oberlin Conservatory of MusicA tradition of excellence

vast forests?” America’s enormousresources represented the future of theBritish Empire, as Franklin was the firstto proclaim, but progress in the arts wastenuous and slow. Few people sufferedthis cultural disparity between the conti-nents as acutely as Benjamin Franklin:“some of our young geniuses begin to lispattempts at painting, poetry, and music.”

The most promising of those younggeniuses was Franklin’s multi-talentedprotégé – scientist, inventor, poet, states-man, and designer of the American flag– Francis Hopkinson. The author of the1759 song “My Dayshave been soWondrousFree,” he isregarded asthe firstAmericancomposerof secularmusic. In1788,Franklin couldproudly mail afull volume of Ameri-can music, Seven Songs for the Harpsichordor forte piano. The music and words composedby Francis Hopkinson, to his French com-patriot the Abbé Morellet, “the firstProduction of the kind which hasappeared here.”

Shortly after returning to Philadel-phia, Franklin laid out plans for buildinga large, free-standing country house inthe middle of the city, set back from thenoise and smells of Market Street. Thefanciest room in his house would be themusic room, called by Deborah Franklin,the “blewe” room. Graced with gilt carv-ings, an ornamental fireplace, and veryexpensive wallpaper, it would feature Sal-ly’s harpsichord and his beloved glassarmonica, as well as a welsh harp, a bellharp, tuned bells, and a viola da gamba.

When the American Revolutionbegan, Benjamin Franklin was sent toFrance to win financial and military sup-port for the war effort. The salons of

Continued from page 29


Continued on page 54

Todemonstrate

the defects of theartificial “modern

songs,” Franklin cited acomposition by “one ofour greatest masters,

the ever famousHandel.”


Choral Music at Harvard University CreatingChoral

Excellence

Harvard Glee Club

Radcliffe Choral Society

Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum

Harvard-RadcliffeChorus

Choir-in-Progress

Holden ChamberEnsembles

Combined choral performance of Mozart’s Requiem in February, 2004

For more information, contact:Sarah WhittenChoral Administrator

617.495.0692 • [email protected]

2005–2006 Season• Mozart, C Minor Mass• Handel, Messiah• 15th Century English Polyphony

Recent Performances• Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610• Schütz, Kleine Geistliche Konzerte• Motets by Josquin, Palestrina,

Byrd, and Tallis

Jameson MarvinDirector of Choral Activities

Kevin LeongAssociate Conductor

Michael BarrettMichael McGaghieKatie WoolfAssistant Conductors



Paris vied with each other for the mostfamous man in the Western world, butthe musical salon of the voluptuousMadame Brillon was the first to lure thediplomat. Reputedly Europe’s finestfemale keyboard artist and a seriouscomposer, she sent for copies of BenFranklin’s favorite Scottish songs andcomposed additional pieces in the samestyle “to provide the great man withsome moments of relaxation ... also tohave the pleasure of seeing him.” Soonthey were spending musical eveningstogether. She wrote of her “sweet habitof sitting on [his] lap” and showeringhim with kisses, which her husband not-ed with no apparent alarm. Franklineven copied the lyrics to “The Stol’nKiss,” a poem set to music by composerWilliam Hayes. Perhaps this reflected theparty games his “kissing machine” (awire mesh on the floor upon which thefeet could be scuffed to create a staticelectric kiss) inspired in Paris.

During Franklin’s years as American

For further reading

Benjamin Franklin by Carl Van Doren. TheViking Press, 1956 (©1938).

“Benjamin Franklin and Traditional Music,” byEllen R. Cohn, in Reappraising BenjaminFranklin; a bicentennial perspective. Universityof Delaware Press, 1993.

“Francis Hopkinson and Benjamin Franklin” byDixon Weeter, in American Literature, Vol. 12,No. 2 (May 1940).

“Franklin as a Music Critic” by Andrew Schiller,in New England Quarterly, 31: I/4,1958.

Mon Cher Papa: Franklin and the Ladies ofParis by Claude-Anne Lopez. Yale UniversityPress, 1990 (reprint).

“The Music of Madame Brillon: A UnifiedManuscript Collection from BenjaminFranklin’s Circle” by Bruce Gustafson, inNotes, 2nd Ser., Vol. 43, No. 3 (March 1987).

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, edited byWilliam B. Willcox et al. Yale University Press,I959.

“Reflections on the String Quartet(s) Attrib-uted to Franklin” by M.E. Grenander, in Amer-ican Quarterly, XXVII (1975).

Thomas Jefferson and Music by Helen Cripe.University Press of Virginia, 1974.


FOUNDED 1915

FACULTYLaurie Monahan, voice & directorCristi Catt, voice & co-coordinatorDaniela Tosic, voice & co-coordinatorMargriet Tindemans, vielleShira Kammen, vielle & harpDana Maiben, vielleGrant Herreid, plectrum lute,

voice & early windsDan Stillman, shawm & sackbutMack Ramsey, sackbut & slide trumpetAlejandro Planchart, Du Fay scholar &choral conductor

Tapestry & Medieval Strings,ensembles-in-residence

FACULTYPaul Leenhouts, recorder & director

Phoebe Carrai, cello & co-directorRichard Campbell, gamba

Maxine Eilander, harpJeffrey Gall, voice

Arthur Haas, keyboardMatthew Jennejohn, oboe

Riccardo Manasi, violinKen Pierce, dance

Stephen Stubbs, luteStephen Schultz, flute

2 0 0 6

SUMMER INST I T UT ES

L O N G Y S C H O O L O F M U S I C

InternationalBaroqueInstitute atLongyJuly 21–30, 2006

PER CANTARE E SUONAREA Seminar on Cantats &

Incidental Music of the

17th & 18th Centuries.

INFORMATIONFor more information please contact:

Margaret DentonCoordinator of Continuing Studies & Summer ProgramsLongy School of MusicOne Follen Street; Cambridge, MA 02138

617+ 876–0956 x611

[email protected]

www.longy.edu

MedievalSummerInstitute

June 10–17, 2006

THE MAGNIFICENT

ITALIAN 14TH CENTURY

TRACK I: A performance seminar focusing on Songs of FRANCESCO LANDINI

(1325-1397), Songs & Motets ofJOHANNES CICONIA (1335-1411),

and instrumental music derived from andcontemporary to this repertory including

ESTAMPIES and FAENZA CODEX ornamentations.

For solo singers, vielle, lute, harp,shawm, sackbut & slide trumpet

TRACK II: Evening ChoralProgram: The anonymous English“CAPUT MASS” so favored by the

Italians and sung for generations at thecathedral in Lucca.

For experienced choir singers

Continued from page 36


ambassador to France, he was able torenew his friendship with the convivialAbbé Morellet, a leading intellectual andeconomist. Morellet frequented thesalon of Madame Helvetius, whose cir-cle included the most eminent men ofFrance. The widowed Ben Franklin wasso taken with Helvetius that he evenproposed marriage in a sly letter: “As hehas already given her many of his days,it seems ungrateful in her that she hasnever given him a single one of hernights.”

Franklin and Morellet shared anenjoyment of good wine, witty conver-sation, and satirical ballads and Scotssongs, with Morellet even translatingScots songs into French so that Franklincould accompany him on thearmonica.

Although Franklinspent most evenings“improving his souland his French” in thesalons, he did attendthe Concerts des Ama-teurs and the opera,including a memorableperformance of Gluck’sOrfée on June 8, 1781.Gluck himself had recastOrfeo for French audiences, dedi-cating it to Marie Antoinette. June of1781 found Gluck in Vienna, recoveringfrom a stroke, so he was not present atthe opera to see the fire start near theend of his final ballet. In fact, neitherwas Franklin nor the rest of the audi-ence. They had all left unaware beforethe blaze burnt down the Opera Theatreof the Palais Royal.

In his flirtatious letters of the period,Franklin sometimes referred to MadameBrillon as his Euridice, lamenting “J’aiperdu mon Euridice” (the Gluck transla-tion for “Che faro”) when she aban-doned him for the countryside. Themusic of Andre Grétry also captured hisinterest during his years at Passy. Onefavorite was the vocal trio “Dieud’amour” from Les Mariages Samnites.Once “Petits oiseaux” from Grétry’sopera Colinette à la cour became a hit inParis, Franklin even attempted it on hisglass armonica with Brillon.

Although Franklin’s French was notfluent enough to permit him to engage

in the heated disputes over the merits ofPiccinni versus Gluck, he would haveappreciated that Gluck was on a missionto excise opera seria of its “trills, caden-zas and other defects with which theirairs seemed to me [Gluck] to be bur-dened.” Instead, he satirized the contest-ants in his bagatelle The Ephemera aboutthe short life of the fruit fly. The over-heated arguments of the Gluckistes andPiccinnistes would long outlive the life-times of the arguers.

What would last, in BenjaminFranklin’s view, were the timeless tunesof the common people. One of hisfavorite anecdotes was the story heshared with Morellet. “When travellingin America, (Franklin) came one evening

to the place of a Scot who had set-tled on the other side of the

Alleghanies [sic], far fromsociety, with his wife. It

was a beautiful night;they sat on the porchand the woman sangthe Scottish air, ‘Suchmerry as we have

been,’ in such a sweetand touching manner

that Franklin burst intotears.” More than 30 years

later, he still treasured a vividmemory of that evening.

Soprano Julianne Baird, distinguished profes-sor at Rutgers University, is recognized inter-nationally for her work in 18th-century music.Her recent recordings include Benjamin Frank-lin’s Musical World with Philomel Baroque, theHandel Gloria for Lyrichord Records, and Deut-she Arien with Tempesta di Mare for Chandos.Her new publication, Music in the Life of Ben-jamin Franklin, which includes an accompany-ing CD featuring the author, David and GingerHildebrand, and Franklin’s glass armonica, is acollection of songs and instrumental piecesFranklin knew and enjoyed. The set will beavailable from the Colonial Music Institute atwww.colonialmusic.org/BF.htm in the springof 2006. Edward A. Mauger has receivednational attention for his expertise in AmericanColonial history. He was recently featured onPBS’s History Detectives, ABC’s Good MorningAmerica, and on a History Channel specialdocumentary on the Revolutionary War.Author of Philadelphia Then and Now, he hasrecently completed another book, Philadelphiain Photographs, which is scheduled for releasein the fall of 2006 by Random House.

Once“Petits Oiseaux”

from Grétry’s operaColinette a la Cour

became a hit in Paris,Franklin even attempt-

ed it on his glassarmonica.

Documents

A Musical Life Franklin.pdf · Ben Franklin was born into a musical family in 1706, the 10th son and 15th child of soap and candle maker Josiah Franklin. Some of his favorite child-hood