Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey was born on November 10, 1766 when, following a petition drafted, circulated, and submitted by Old Dutch Parsonage’s Rev. Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh. William Franklin, Royal Governor of New Jersey and Benjamin Franklin’s son, granted a charter establishing Queen’s College in New Brunswick, N.J.
New Jersey’s second colonial college was named for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III and a devoted patron and practitioner of music and the arts.
The first royal namesake of Rutgers was committed to education, especially for her six daughters, and kept a library including over 4,000 volumes in French, German, Italian and English covering subjects including theology, philosophy, and science alongside classics, poetry, and fiction. Combining this support for education with her own Christian devotion, Queen Charlotte emerged as a leading patron of music and the arts and was herself an accomplished harpsichordist and singer, performing on one occasion alongside the eight-year-old Mozart.
The Practitioners of Musick explore the music and history of Queen Charlotte’s cultural world connecting the Crown with Queen’s College in this virtual concert and lecture released to mark Rutgers Charter Day 2022.
This free online program is sponsored by the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage Association, dedicated supporters of Wallace House & Old Dutch Parsonage State Historic Sites, with an additional grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities.
Visit the Wallace House and Old Dutch Parsonage website.
Watch YouTube video presentation “A Profound Love of Musick”.