Francis Hopkinson (1737-91) was a Philadelphia lawyer ("One of your pretty, little, curious, ingenious men," wrote John Adams), inventor of an improved method of quilling the harpsichord, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the first native American composer. He wrote several English-flavored songs, a quantity of church music and an "oratorial entertainment" entitled The Temple of Minerva, which his scattered fans claim as the first American opera. His most ambitious work was Seven Songs, dedicated to his old friend George Washington, who confessed that "I can neither sing one of the songs,...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
