The Practitioners of Musick

A Reimagined 1774 Princeton Concert and Dance Assembly at Morven

Posted on November 11, 2024 by John & Donovan

The Practitioners of Musick – John Burkhalter, Small flute and harpsichordist Donovan Klotzbeacher with guest artists soprano Abigail Chapman and Baroque violinist Elizabeth Rouget. following the reimagined 1774 Princeton concert and dance assembly at Morven. The program was co-sponsored by The Historical Society of Princeton & Morven Museum and Garden. The players performed works by James Oswald, Thomas & Michael Arne, and Charles Dibdin that were actually heard [as listed in a newspaper account] during the course the August 22nd 1774 Princeton program.

Practitioner of Musick John Burkhalter with Susan Nabors Braisted [center] and her company of historic dancers at Morven. The dance troop performed minuets and English Country Dances to the delight of the audience gathered for the reimagined 1774 Princeton concert & dance assembly originally held in Mr. Whitehead’s “Long Room” in the Sign of the College Tavern on the King’s Highway [Post Road] across from Nassau Hall.

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A 1774 Tavern Concert and Dance Assembly

Posted on September 30, 2024 by John & Donovan

Advertisement in the New York Journal, dated August 11th 1774 provides information about a concert and dance assembly at the “Sign of the College” tavern on the King’s Highway in Prince-town, New Jersey

You’re invited to an evening of eighteenth century music and dance on Friday, November 8th, 2024 with the Historical Society of Princeton and Morven Museum & Garden.

Arranged by The Practitioners of Musick and taking place in Morven’s Stockton Education Center, the event will reimagine an actual concert and dance assembly that took place in Princeton on August 22, 1774 at the “Sign of the College” tavern. Located directly across from Nassau Hall, the tavern was leased by William Whitehead from Morven’s Richard Stockton.

The 2024 performers for the reimagined 1774 entertainment will be The Practitioners of Musick, featuring John Burkhalter playing English and small flutes and harpsichordist Donovan Klotzbeacher, with guest artists soprano Abigail Chapman and Baroque violinist Elizabeth Rouget. The dance component will be directed by Susan Nabors Braisted, a choreographer with an extensive background in the performance of Baroque Dance. Mr. Burkhalter will also offer an illustrated talk.

Light refreshments, including coffee and tea, will be served prior to the performance, which will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Ticket Prices
Individual Ticket: $45
Tickets for Two: $80

Visit the Morven website to register for this special program.

https://morvenmuseumgarden.ticketing.veevartapp.com/tickets/view/list/1774-tavern-concert-and-dance

Program tickets include access to visit Morven’s newest exhibition, Morven Revealed: Untold Stories from New Jersey’s Most Historic Home, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. prior to the concert.

Morven Museum & Garden 55 Stockton Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540

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Lafayette the Nation’s Guest Soirée in Philadelphia

Posted on September 30, 2024 by John & Donovan

On Saturday evening September 28th, 2024 Practitioner of Musick John Burkhalter, who is also a member of the American Friends of Lafayette, participated in a soirée honoring the Bicentennial 1824/2024 visit to America of the Marquis de Lafayette.

The grand celebration, including period music and dance, took place in the commodious banquet hall of the Grand Masonic Temple on Broad Street in Philadelphia. This extraordinarily festive event was arranged by Michael McKee, Executive Director of the Masonic Library and Museum, in collaboration of Chuck Schwam Executive Director, The American Friends of Lafayette.

In 1824 on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the American War of Independence, President James Monroe, invited Lafayette to be the Nation’s Guest. The Marquis, who had served as a Major General in the Continental Army commanded by General George Washington, travelled extensively throughout the 24 American states at that time. Citizens of New Jersey, essentially the crossroads of the American Revolution, warmly greeted Lafayette as he made his progress through the state including stops in Princeton and Trenton en route to a remarkable series of celebratory fetes in Philadelphia.

Practitioner of Musick John Burkhalter with the Marquis de Lafayette as interpreted by Mark Schneider

John Burkhalter, Anne Enslow, Sue Dupre, and Ridley Enslow in the Grand Banquet Hall of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia.

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Tavern Night at The Old Barracks Museum

Posted on August 5, 2024 by John & Donovan

Friday, September 6, 2024 from 7 to 10 pm

The Officers Quarters at The Old Barracks

Sue Dupre – Dance Mistress and John Burkhalter playing “English” Flute at The Old Barracks

Tavern Night is a Celebration of 18th Century Colonial American History.

“Tavern Night”, a ticketed event, returns to the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey on Friday, September 6th 2024 an esteem’d celebration of Colonial American History. Guests will enjoy savory foodstuffs and artisanal style beer and porter while being immersed in the setting of an 18th century tavern. All manner of felicitous amusement and entertainment will be provided from cards games to learning the latest dance steps to the most popular melodies of the day for ladies and gentlemen to convivially perform in the pursuit of refinement. Sue Dupre serves as dance mistress and John Burkhalter, a member of The Practitioners of Musick, will play English and small flutes in company with violinist Russell Hoffmann.

Guests are encouraged to arrive in period dress that no doubt will add immeasurably to the charm of evening festivities. The Old Barracks built in 1758, during the period of The French and Indian War, is the only surviving military barracks or edifice of its type in America. The “Tavern Night” fundraiser supports educational programming for thousands of New Jersey students through innovative “Meet the Past” Field Trips.

The Practitioners of Musick have had a long and enriched collaboration with the Old Barracks Museum.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TICKETS CONTACT:

The Old Barracks Museum – 101 Barrack Street- Trenton, New Jersey 08608

609.396.1776

http://www.info@barracks.org

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Edison NJ – Magnet School Presentation

Posted on June 12, 2024 by John & Donovan

On Wednesday, 29th May 2024 The Practitioners of Musick presented at The Edison Academy Magnet School [on the campus of Middlesex College in Edison, New Jersey] a program of music played and enjoyed by three generations of the extended family of George Washington. Music was a skill cultivated by polite society in the pursuit of refinement and was thought to contribute to the felicity of social harmony. General Washington once noted “There is nothing more agreeable and ornamental than good music”. Following the Revolutionary War and later serving as the first President of the United States, Washington attended numerous concerts, dance assemblies and theatrical performances in Philadelphia. The city that became, during his first term as President, capital of the New Republic from 1790 to 1800. The music heard at Edison Academy included select works drawn from the extensive Washington family music collection at Mount Vernon as well as music from volumes of sheet music now in the Houghton Rare Books and Special Collections Library at Harvard University that belonged to Martha Washington’s Granddaughter “Nelly”.The Edison Academy Magnet School is modeled as a small school with a curriculum targeted to a career that meets very high academic standards. As Principal of the school, Amro Mossad stated in his welcoming remarks to the Practitioners of Musick , admission to this special school is competitive. The students with strong academic skills selected recognize the core curriculum is rigorous in the sciences and humanities. This is supplemented with a wide array of special guest presentations such as the Practitioners program organized by Jean Dvorak. Following the music a Q&A ensued with the students and faculty. For many students this was the first time they had seen and heard a harpsichord. One student brought up the great question how important was the role of music in advancing the patriotic cause during the American Revolution? This provoked a lively and engaging discussion bringing the presentation to a close.

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Manuscript – Pennsylvania ca. 1790-1810

Posted on June 11, 2024 by John & Donovan

The Practitioners of Musick have recently acquired a wonderful music manuscript [unsigned & undated] most likely with a Southeastern Pennsylvania provenance circa 1790 – 1815. At least three individuals owned and copied, on hand ruled staves, a remarkable array of music for the theatre as heard and documented in Philadelphia, as well as country dances, and military marches. The original owner apparently played the German Flute as indicated in the opening pages of the manuscript including a fingering chart for the instrument. This volume, including music honoring General Washington, is of extraordinary significance and has quickly been already the subject of scholarly interest amongst an authority of late 18th century military [fife and drum corps] music and a Doctoral student in musicology at Princeton University.

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Princeton University: Dance Workshop

Posted on April 10, 2024 by John & Donovan

The Society for Seventeenth-Century Music 32nd Annual Conference was held at Princeton University from April 4-7, 2024 . Practitioner of Musick John Burkhalter (holding descant recorder and retired from the University Concert Office ) along with harpsichordist Kerry Heimann (far right and Patron Services Manager of Princeton University Concerts) performed in a historic dance workshop on Saturday April 6th led by Caroline Copeland (second from left who is a member of the New York Baroque Dance Company and teaches at Hofstra University). The workshop featuring two 17th century dance forms, the Canary and the Minuet, [music by Michael Praetorius and Jean-Baptiste Lully] was well and enthusiastically attended by conference participants.

Caroline, John, and Kerry are joined by Wendy Heller the Scheide Professor of Music History at Princeton University.

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The Practitioners of Musick present “The Ingenious Mr. Hopkinson” at the Sussex County Main Library in Newton, New Jersey on Saturday April 13th 2024 from 2 to 4 pm

Posted on March 30, 2024 by John & Donovan

Francis Hopkinson

In addition to being a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence for New Jersey, Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791) was also an inventor, designer, accomplished poet, and multi-talented musician who has been credited as the United States’ first native-born composer.

Learn about his fascinating contributions to early American culture and hear a rich and diverse selection of music from his own personal manuscript and printed music collection.

It will be performed at The Sussex County Main Library in Newton, New Jersey on harpsichord and recorder by The Practitioners of Musick, an ensemble founded to survey the musical riches of 17th and 18th century Great Britain and Ireland and the Colonial and early Federal periods in America.

The program is offered by the Library free of charge.

Sussex County Library System
Main Library
125 Morris Turnpike,
Newton, NJ 07860

Phone: 973.948.3660

For additional information please visit
http://www.sussexcountylibrary.org

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The 1740 Abraham Staats House – A Dutch Musical Miscellany

Posted on January 24, 2024 by John & Donovan

The Practitioners of Musick offer a program at the Abraham Staats House in South Bound Brook, New Jersey [March 23rd, 2024] that reflects both mid -to – late 17th and 18th century Dutch and English popular music of the sort that likely was or could be heard in New Netherlands and its capital New Amsterdam, located on the tip of Manhattan Island, and after 1664 when the English captured the city renaming it New York. Honoring James, Duke of York, brother of King Charles II who later reigned as James II adding the former Dutch colony to its North American territory.

New Netherlands was in effect a network of various settlements in the Hudson River region that included New Jersey. Household inventories in New Netherlands occasionally list various musical instruments such as lutes and “fluyten” or recorders and serve as testimony to a vibrant “high & low” musical culture. Music making was a collaborative endeavor drawing together player and listener alike and was thought to contribute to the felicity of social harmony.

Dutch “popular” instrumental “repertory heard will be drawn from such diverse collections as “T’Uitnement Kabinet” or “The Delightful Cabinet” and “Boerenliedjes” or “Little Farmer/ Country Dances” some with origins in Britain. Reflecting in some measure the multitude and influence of the cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and England during the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II. William was of the Dutch House of Orange Nassau and Mary Stuart, eldest daughter of James II.

Abraham Staats House 1740

Important among the many historic Dutch homesteads in New Jersey is the architecturally significant Staats family House dating from ca. 1740. The residence of patriot Abraham Staats, the house during the American War of Independence, served as the temporary headquarters for Baron von Steuben in 1779. The Baron was a Prussian military officer who played a leading role during the war by reforming George Washington’s Continental Army into a disciplined and professional fighting force. Acknowledging New Jersey as the Crossroads of the American Revolution, a march composed in honor of von Steuben will be played. Social activities included various amusements including dancing such as the grand entertainment held February 18th, 1779 in Pluckemin, New Jersey.

Additional English music as could be heard in the taverns, concert and assembly rooms of New York and New Jersey , country estates and rural environs [farm communities] will also be performed. Airs from The Beggar’s Opera [ the most often performed ballad opera in the American colonies following its 1728 London premiere ] , variation sets from a mid -18th century tune book and preceptor for the harpsichord by Robert Bremner [copies were owned by among others the Washington’s, Thomas Jefferson] and Country Dances drawn from a 1730 colonial New York dance manuscript compiled by James Alexander who would become Surveyor-General of New Jersey and later Attorney-General for New York.

See Video:

For further information about the Abraham Staats House visit:
http://www.staatshouse.org

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The Practitioners of Musick and the American Friends of Lafayette.

Posted on November 30, 2023 by John & Donovan

The Practitioners of Musick announce a collaborative involvement with both National and New Jersey State Committee’s charged with supporting in myriad educational endeavors, especially for children in the classroom , the American Friends of Lafayette celebrations that are attendant in observing the Bicentennial of the fourth and last visit to the United States in 1824/25 of the American Revolutionary War hero the Marquis de Lafayette.

Lafayette upon accepting the invitation of President James Monroe to be the “Nation’s Guest’ on the near 50th anniversary of the events associated with the Revolutionary War [April 19, 1775 “with the shot heard round the world “ to the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783] made his triumphal return trip to America.

At many stops on his extensive itinerary, that included Princeton and Trenton, the Marquis was regaled with celebratory verse, toasts, songs, marches and other instrumental works. In addition, Lafayette was often lavishly feted & entertained at Balls and other “choice and select” Dance Assembly venues.

The Practitioners of Musick archive includes several original [1824 ] editions of plate printed compositions including the “Pennsylvania La Fayette March” by Mr. Taws and “Come Honor the Brave “ by Mr. W. Strickland
dedicated in honor of and as heard by Lafayette in Philadelphia .

The Practitioners archive also includes a rare setting [in two parts ] of “General La Fayette’s Quick Step “ as found in a circa 1805-1815 manuscript compiled most likely in New England. The melody in circulation in America undoubtedly referring to the role Lafayette, as a senior officer and confidant of General George Washington, played in the military success of the American War of Independence.

The American Friends of Lafayette is an historical and patriotic society dedicated to the memory of Major General Gilbert Motier, Marquis de Lafayette and to his life and times in America and France. The AFL recognizes the ideals of this great French visionary leader, the inspirational quality of his remarkable career, his contributions to our own struggle for liberty, and his ceaseless efforts to forge a lasting bond of friendship between the United States of America and the Republic of France.

The American Friends of Lafayette is thrilled to announce the upcoming thirteen-month bicentennial celebration of Maior General Lafayette’s triumphant return tour to America!

Join us at lafayette200.org!

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A Reimagined 1774 Princeton Concert and Dance Assembly at Morven

A 1774 Tavern Concert and Dance Assembly

Lafayette the Nation’s Guest Soirée in Philadelphia

Tavern Night at The Old Barracks Museum

Edison NJ – Magnet School Presentation

Manuscript – Pennsylvania ca. 1790-1810

Princeton University: Dance Workshop

The Practitioners of Musick present “The Ingenious Mr. Hopkinson” at the Sussex County Main Library in Newton, New Jersey on Saturday April 13th 2024 from 2 to 4 pm

The 1740 Abraham Staats House – A Dutch Musical Miscellany

For further information about the Abraham Staats House visit:
http://www.staatshouse.org

The Practitioners of Musick and the American Friends of Lafayette.

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For further information about the Abraham Staats House visit: http://www.staatshouse.org

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For further information about the Abraham Staats House visit:
http://www.staatshouse.org