Comments on Heinrich
The following comments, on Anthony Philip Heinrich, are by John Hill Hewitt from his book Shadows on the Wall or, Glimpses of the Past, (Baltimore: Turnbull Brothers, 1877) pages 82-85:
Father Heinrich. The eccentric Anthony Philip
Heinrich, generally known as "Father Heinrich,"
visited Washington while I resided in that city, with a
grand musical work of his, illustrative of the greatness
and glory of this republic, the splendor of its institu-
tions and the indomitable bravery of its army and navy.
This work Heinrich wished to publish by subscription.
He had many names on his list; but, as he wished to
dedicate it the the President of the United States, and
also to obtain the signatures of the Cabinet and other
high officials, he thought it best to call personnally and
solicit their patronage.
He brought with him a number of letters of intro-
duction, among them one to myself from my brother, a
music-publisher in New York. I received the old gen-
tlemen with all the courtesy due to his brilliant musical
talents; and, as I was the first he had called upon, I
tendered him the hospitalities of my house --"pot-
luck" and a comfortable bed; promising to go the
rounds with him to President Tyler, (whose daughter, Alice,
was a pupil of mine,) and such other influential men as
I was aquainted with.
Poor Heinrich! I shall never forget him. He im-
agined that he was going to set the world on fire with
he "Dawning of Music in America"; but alas! it met
with the same fate as his "Castle in the Moon" and
"Yankee Doodliad."
Two or three hours of patient bearing did I give to
the most complicated harmony I had ever heard, even in
my musical dreams. Wild and unearthly passages,
the pianoforte absolutlely groaning under them, and
"the old man eloquent," with much self-satisfaction,
arose from the tired instrument, and with a look of
triumph, asked me I had ever heard music like that
before? I certainly had not.
At a proper hour we visited the President's mansion,
and after some ceremony and much grumbling on the
part of the polite usher, were shown into the presence
of Mr. Tyler, who received us with his usual urbanity.
I introduced Mr. Heinrich as a professor of exalted
talent and a man of extraordinary genius. The Presi-
dent after learning the object of our visit, which he
was glad to learn was not to solicit an office, readily
consented to the dedication, and commended the under-
taking. Heinrich was elated tot he skies, and imme-
diately proposed to play the grand conception, in order
that the Chief Magistrate of this great nation might
have an idea of its merits.
"Certainly, sir," said Mr. Tyler; "I will be greatly
pleased to hear it. We will go into the parlor, where
there is a piano, and I will have Alice and the ladies
present, so that we may have the benefit of their
opinion; for, to confess the truth, gentlemen, I am but
a poor judge of music."
He then rang the bell for the waiter, and we were
shown into the parlor, and invited to take some refresh-
ments at the sideboard. The ladies soon joined us,
and in a short space of time we were all seated, ready
to hear Father Heinrich's composition; I, for the
second time, to be gratified. The composer labored
hard to give full effect to his weird production; his
bald plate bobbed from side to side, and shone like a
bubble on the surface of a calm lake. At times his
shoulders would be raised to the line of his ears, and his
knees went up to the key-board, while the persperation
rolled in large drops down his wrinkled cheeks.
The ladies stared at the maniac musician, as they,
doubtless, thought him, and the President scratched his
head, as if wondering, whether wicked spirits were
not rioting in the cavern of mysterious sounds and re-
belling against the laws of acoustics. The composer
labored on, occasionally explaining some incomprehen-
sible passage, representing, as he said, the breaking up
of the frozen river Niagara, the thaw of the ice, and the
dash of the mass over the mighty falls. Peace and
plenty were represented by soft strains of pastoral
music, while the thunder of our naval war-dogs and the
rattle of our army musketry told of our prowress on sea
and land.
The inspired composer had got about half-way
through his wonderful production, when Mr. Tyler
restlessly arose from his chair, and placing his hand
gently on Heinrich's shoulder, said:
"That may all be very fine, sir, but can't you play us
a good old Virginia reel?"
Had a thunderbolt fallen at the feet of the musician,
he could not have been more astounded. He arose
from the piano, rolled up the manuscript, and taking
his hat and cane, bolted, toward the door, exclaiming:
"No, sir: I never plays dance music!"
I joined him in the vestibule, having left Mr. Tyler
and family enjoying a hearty laugh at the "maniac
musician's" expense.
As we proceeded along Pennsylvania avenue, Hein-
rich grasped my arm convulsively, and exclaimed:
"Mien Got in himmel! do peeples vot made Yohn
Tyler President ought to be hung! He knows no more
apout music than an oyster!"
He returned to New York by the next train, and I
never heard any more of the "Dawning of Music in
America."
Mr. Heinrich died quite poor in New York. He was,
in his earlier days, a very wealthy and influential
banker in the city of Hamburg. His fondness for
music, however, drew him away from the less refined
but more profitable operations in the money market.
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or
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Created 23 July 2001.
Last updated 21 June 2003.