Delete comment from: Boston 1775
P.S. not to belabor a point, but this is a subject dear to my heart.
I think the Keller/Hildebrand book goes a long way towards an understanding of the power of music in the 18th (and early 19th) century, including military music and British reaction to it, but if you wish to stay within the primary source literature, certainly there is data available. Check out their bibliography, and feel free to contact me offline if you want further references, which I can assemble for you once I am done working.
Offhand, I'm thinking the papers of Christopher French would be a lot of fun, but these are post L&C. Briefly, he was an Irish officer sent to assist the British during the siege of Boston but was arrested the moment he stepped off the ship that brought him there. He was sent CT to await his parole but was a cranky sort of guy and eventually wound up in Newgate Prison. He spent a lot of time there writing, most of which were essays scoffing at the rebels. He also pestered General Washington, seeking relief from his forced living amongst the colonial rabble. I recall some opinions about rebel music and dance as well as some song-texts that he himself wrote and set to well-known tunes. He eventually escaped the confines of Newgate, leaving his papers behind, some of which are at CT Hist Soc, the others at DLC.
Apr 8, 2013, 11:17:29 PM
Posted to The Patriots Day Season Has Begun