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Anthony Philip Heinrich as A False Identity

Heinrich, born in Schönbüchel, Bohemia in 1781, traveled to the United States several

times as a businessman looking for work in the new world. As a teenager, he inherited his uncle’s

company as well as a large fortune. After losing both his job and inheritance in the Austrian

financial crash of 1811, Heinrich made the decision move to America. His relocation to America

was interrupted by a tragic visit to Bohemia in 1813 in which his wife passed away, and leaving

behind a newborn daughter. Although, his professional aspirations did not pan out, his self

teachings of violin and piano as a child turned out to be much more fruitful. His arrival in

Philadelphia, PA was greeted with a job as a music director of a theatre. Continuing with his luck

in the work-force, he left the mediocre theatre and traveled 700 miles (by foot) along the Ohio

River to Lexington, KY. Upon arrival he led the first documented performance of a Beethoven1

symphony (assumed to be the Symphony No. 1) in America in 1817 as a violinist. The journey2

along the Ohio River immersed Heinrich in nature. The soon-to-be composer attributed nature as

the fuel to his creative muse. It is this stimulus that inspired him to compose both The Dawning

of Music in Kentucky or the Pleasures of Harmony in the Solitudes of Nature, and The Western

Minstrel, a Collection of Original, Moral, Patriotic, & Sentimental Songs for the Voice & Piano

Forte, Interspersed with Airs, Waltzes, etc. These two monumental collections of pieces were

created in an isolated cabin surrounded by nature. Engulfed in his muse, he practiced his violin

through improvisation. Heinrich lacked any formal training in theory or composition, however,

Chmaj, Betty E, “Father Heinrich as Kindred Spirit or, How the Log Composer of Kentucky Became the1

Beethoven of America:” 41-42, Accessed May 9, 2015. https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/download/2584/2543.

Barron, David, and Clark, J. Bunker. “Heinrich, Anthony Philip.” Oxford Music Online. accessed May 8,2

2015. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12694?q=anthony+philip+heinrich&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

Tim Bausch

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12694?q=anthony+philip+heinrich&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit

https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/download/2584/2543



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his improvisations were often mixed with interactions with the Indians of the region. As a result

of these interactions, he was able to support his own compositional decisions. This marks the

emergence of Heinrich as a composer – more specifically “The Loghouse Composer of

Kentucky.” With a closer look at the years leading up to his permanent arrival in America his3

achievements and labels need to be reevaluated through a lens that takes into account his use of,

what he believed to be, patriotic quotes of folk songs and, instead, reinterpret them into instances

of American exoticism projected through a German aesthetic lens already established by Mozart

and Beethoven. The aesthetic differences, when compared to American composers such as

George Chadwick, prove, to an extent, that he was technically a German composer with frequent

use of American exoticism instead of America’s first American composer.

Approaching the age of 40, “The Loghouse Composer of Kentucky” quickly swept

America by storm and by 1822 he was labeled the “Beethoven of America,” just two years after

the publication of his first work. This title can be taken two different ways. It was originally4

intended to describe Heinrich’s innovations to classical music in America, much like

Beethoven’s reign in Germany. However, it could also be interpreted as an imitation of

Beethoven in response to Heinrich’s German musical qualities. It’s safe to say that Heinrich

would identify with the former interpretation given the tone of his preface to The Dawning of

Music in Kentucky or the Pleasures of Harmony in the Solitudes of Nature (written two years

prior to the Beethoven label):

The many and severe animadversions, so long and repeatedly cast on the talent for

Music in this Country, has been one of the chief motives of the Author [Heinrich],

Chmaj, Betty E. “Father Heinrich as Kindred Spirit,” 41-423

Ibid., 41-424



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in the exercise of his abilities; and should he be able, by this effort, to create but

one single Star in the West, no one would ever be more proud than himself, to be

called an American Musician.– He however is fully aware of the dangers which,

at the present day, attend talent on the crowded and difficult road of eminence; but

fears of just criticism, by Competent Masters, should never retard the enthusiasm

of genius, when ambitious of producing works more lasting than the too manyButterfly-effusions of the present age.– He, therefore, relying on the candor of the

Public, will rest confident, that justice will be done, by due comparisons with the

works of other Authors (celebrated for their merit, especially as regards

Instrumental execution) but who have never, like him, been thrown, as it were, by

discordant events, far from the emporiums of musical science, into the isolated

wilds of nature, where he invoked his Muse, tutored only by Alma Mater.5

We can pin-point Heinrich’s patriotic intentions on one sentence from this preface: “…to create

but one single Star in the West, no one would ever be more proud than himself, to be called an

American Musician.” It seems as if William Gibbons is under the Heinrich-as-patriot trance as6

well: “…many of Heinrich’s orchestral works are blatantly patriotic, reflecting on the landing of

the pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, for example, or celebrating the deeds of George Washington.”

Gibbons then goes on to mention Heinrich’s use of familiar American folk tunes such as “Yankee

Doodle.” Although Heinrich did include these iconic American events and folk songs in his

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music, I would not call the music “blatantly patriotic” on this fact alone, if at all. Richard

Crawford, in describing Francis Key’s The Star-Spangled Banner , describes patriotism through

the feeling of an earned victory “by determined fighting and superior virtue.” For now, I would8

like to revise Gibbons statement on patriotism, with Crawford’s interpretation of patriotism, and

Heinrich, Anthony Philip, The Dawning of Music in Kentucky and The Western Minstrel, (New York: Da5

Capo Press, 1972), Preface

Ibid., Preface6

Gibbons, William, “The Musical Audubon: Ornithology and Nationalism in the Symphonies of Anthony7

Philip Heinrich,” Journal of the Society for American Music 3, no. 4 (2009): 467, Accessed May 9, 2015,http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=6357116

Crawford, Richard, America’s Musical Life, (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company inc., 2001), 2418

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=6357116



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posit that Heinrich’s orchestral music is blatantly nationalistic by process of elimination.

Therefore, if we follow Crawford’s strict definition of nationalism as “borrowing from folk

music, especially in newly emerging nations,” Heinrich’s music fits the mold.9

By looking at the superficial qualities of Heinrich’s music through the lens of Crawford’s

nationalistic ideologies, we have loosely classified him as an American nationalistic composer.

To take the argument one step deeper, we need to account for aesthetics. First, a brief review of

his life framed in a slightly different tone: Born in German-speaking Bohemia in 1781, Heinrich

traveled to America in circa 1813 in a failed business attempt. Although he had no formal

training in violin performance, he led the first performance of a Beethoven symphony in

America. He published his first collection of pieces in 1820 (39 years old) with no face-to-face

composition or theory training. The first 39 years of his life describes a German businessman,

not an American composer. Then to be dubbed the “Beethoven of America” two years later as

well as “this country’s first – and unquestionably most enthusiastic – Romantic nationalist in

music” seems slightly over exaggerated. These labels associated with Heinrich are largely10

indicative of the state of America at the time. The early 19th century consisted of America

desperately trying to find its own artistic voice and Heinrich, unintentionally, emerged as the

nation was famished for a national icon. With the need to feed America’s appetite, the nation

blindly chose a German-exoticist as a musical leader. Keeping in mind Heinrich’s musical

upbringing, we can see that, although he didn’t physically study with a composer, scores of

compositional icons were easily available to him. More specifically, he had access to German

Ibid., 3779

Hitchcock, Wiley H, introduction to The Dawning of Music in Kentucky and The Western Minstrel ,10

(New York: Da Capo Press, 1972)



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composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn. By studying these scores he had lessons in

harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration at his finger tips.

Before moving on, the notion of exoticism requires explanation. Ralph Locke takes the

existing definition of exoticism: “Exoticism may be defined as the imitation of elements in alien

cultures that differ from native traditions,” and expands on it in a more broad and applicable

definition based on criterion,11

• Musical exoticism is the process of evoking in or through music – whether that

music is “exotic-sounding” or not – a place, people, or social milieu that is not

entirely imaginary and that differs profoundly from the home country or culture

in attitudes, customs, and morals.• Beneath the surface, the place (people, social milieu) that is being evoked may

be perceived as resembling home in certain ways.

• The differences and resemblances between Here and There may carry a variety

of emotional charges: they may register as consoling, may trouble a listener’s

complacency, and so on.

• Whereas the differences between Here and There were generally conscious on

part of the creator(s) of the exotic musical work and readily apparent to listeners

of the day, the resemblances may have been relatively conscious or quite

unconscious and readily apparent or not readily apparent . For example, they

may not have been mentioned by critics at the time of the work’s firstappearance.

• In any case, if the work continues to be performed over many years, such

broader cultural resonances – the perceived differences from and resemblances

to the home culture – are likely to fade and be replaced by others, given that

listeners may thus bring different values and expectations to the work.12

He then continues to expand further on the definition of exoticism through the “Exotic Style

Only” Paradigm: “music is, by compositional intent, exotic – and that it registers as exotic to the

listener – if (and, often, only if) it incorporates specific musical signifiers of Otherness.” This13

Locke, Ralph, Musical Exoticism, Images and Reflections, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,11

2009), 45

Ibid., 4712

Ibid., 4813



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definition complicates the argument towards Heinrich’s use of American exoticism as only half

of the qualifiers check out. The immediate qualification of Locke’s Exotic Style Only Paradigm

lies in the fact that Heinrich intentionally used American folk songs, or signifiers of otherness

according to Locke, such as “Yankee Doodle.” However, what makes this argument challenging

is the audience’s perception of “Yankee Doodle” in their own country. It is not until later on in

Heinrich’s career where he officially treats American music as an exotic tool. “Heinrich had not

lived long in Boston before he announced, after a series of successful concerts, that he intended

to sail for Europe, buoyed by his new reputation.” It was his desire to travel to Europe to show14

off his intentional American music. This idea is the precise difference between the nationalistic

and the exotic state of mind. A nationalist would not need to travel to a different country to show

off their successes as they are happy within the country in which they reside. On the contrary, an

exoticist would seek to travel back to their place of origin (unless they never left). By bringing

his music, consisting of American musical quotes such as “Hail Columbia” or “Yankee Doodle,”

to Europe, he contextually introduces new, or “other,” music to Europeans, and he creates the

American exotic aesthetic.

We can find proof of the German aesthetic in The Dawning of Music in Kentucky or the

Pleasures of Harmony in the Solitudes of Nature, specifically in the piece Tema di Mozart and an

Original Air for violin and varied accompaniment. As I hypothesized earlier in regards to score

study, the title of this piece gives us a definitive answer. There would be no theme of Mozart's if

Heinrich did not have access to a score. What I find to be most interesting in this piece is that he

presents us with a theme by Mozart and then composes an original air which sounds strikingly

Chmaj, Betty E. “Father Heinrich as Kindred Spirit,” 4514



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similar to Mozart. To further investigate this notable resemblance, I have analyzed both Mozart,

and Heinrich’s themes for harmonic comparison. This results, from measure one with one chord

per measure, in a harmonic progression of . In

Mozart’s theme, Figure 1, there are several characteristics to make note of. The first trait is the15

textbook harmonic progression which does not deviate away from I, ii, IV, or V. Another

common pattern of Mozart’s is the eight bar phrase lengths. Lastly, the rhythm used in Mozart’s

theme is very simplistic, mostly quarter-notes in the melody and strictly eighth-notes in the

accompaniment. In Heinrich’s theme, Figure 2, we see almost identical characteristics. Note, I16

only chose to look at the first 16 measures out of 24 measures of his theme to keep the analysis

data consistent. Heinrich’s chord progression, , closely

Heinrich, Anthony Philip, The Dawning of Music in Kentucky and The Western Minstrel, 123.15

Ibid., 127.16

Figure 1.

I-V&-V-I-I-ii^-V4̂Qq%3-I-V-I-V&-I-I-IV-V4̂Qq%3-I

I-V-V&-I-I^-ii^-V&-I-I-V^-vi-V-IV-I^-ii^-V&-I



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follows Mozart’s model with only slight variations and embellishments. For example, he chooses

to use a vi chord among the I, ii, IV, and V chords as well as more chord inversions for a more

varied bass-line. Like Mozart, he chose to use simple rhythms as well as even phrase length of

eight measures. A significant difference in Heinrich’s theme, compared to Mozart’s, is the use of

a falling-third sequence in measures 9-13. After analyzing both of these themes, the answer is

clear that Heinrich was not solely self taught in the art of music composition, but that he, in fact,

did have help through score study.

To further justify Heinrich’s German influence in America, his location placed him

alongside the Haydn and Handel Society in Boston, Massachusetts. Chmaj proposes that “it was

not a propitious atmosphere for advancing the cause of national music.” There is one large17

issue in her statement: she never specifies which national music. If she were talking strictly of

American nationalistic music, then yes, I would completely agree that it would be immensely

difficult to achieve nationalistic progress when it was considered a national sin to ignore the

Chmaj, Betty E. “Father Heinrich as Kindred Spirit,” 4417

Figure 2.



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European masters. However, if she was referring to German nationalistic music, I would18

disagree and go so far as to say it aided in the insemination of German nationalism. I do not find

it coincidental that Heinrich, my proposed German nationalist, was located in the same city as

the Haydn and Handel Society for many years. There is no way of knowing but, it could be

possible that the society contributed scores for his perusal, and study especially seeing as how

Haydn was very influential to him.19

As mentioned above, I claim that Heinrich’s aesthetic home is Germany. By this I mean

that his music, on an aesthetic level, appears to my ears as heavily German influenced. This

theory is validated through the listening of Symphonic Sketches by George Chadwick. Chadwick

was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1854 and died in Boston, Massachusetts in 1931. Although

he did not live, for the most part, at the same time as Heinrich, his music was noted for

representing an American aesthetic through the use of “unique rhythms of Anglo-American

psalmody, Afro-Caribbean dance syncopations, parallel voice-leading (4ths and 5ths), and

virtuoso orchestration.” Even though Chadwick had European training, the aesthetic quality20

attached to America proves evident. If one were to dissect Jubilee from Chadwick’s Symphonic

Sketches, within moments the listener immediately recognizes that this music sounds different

than the music they are used to hearing in the concert hall. To achieve this, Chadwick

significantly changed, among the many aspects of music, the texture of his symphonic works.

Ibid., 4418

Barron, David, and Clark, J. Bunker. “Heinrich, Anthony Philip.” Oxford Music Online.19

Ledbetter, Steven, and Yellin, Victor Fell, “Chadwick, George Whitefield,” Oxford Music Online, 20

accessed May 15, 2015, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/05356?q=george+chadwick&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.

http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/05356?q=george+chadwick&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit



10

Unlike what Heinrich was composing with thick orchestration and counterpoint, Chadwick’s

textures were relatively thin with not much counterpoint at all.

Although Mozart proved highly influential, Heinrich’s relationship to Beethoven’s First

Symphony is much more applicable to the argument at hand. I would like to compare the opening

statements of Beethoven’s symphony and Heinrich’s Wildwood Spirits Chant . Wildwood Spirits

Chant was written in 1842, over 20 years since his first publication and his abandonment of the

cabin in the woods in Kentucky. I would highly doubt that his violin improvisations provided

enough information to teach him how to orchestrate a large ensemble such as an orchestra.

However, the score to Beethoven’s first symphony would have contributed plenty of examples of

orchestration techniques. Aesthetically, I have a difficult time telling these two pieces apart, as

their musical characteristics are so similar. Both the Wildwood Spirits Chant and Symphony No. 1

start with Mm7 chords at one point or another: Heinrich uses a Ger+6, and Beethoven a V7/IV,

respectively, in the key of C major. Even more interesting is, what sounds like, verbatim copying

of Beethoven’s version of the chord, Figure 3. In spite of the fact that the orchestration is21

unbelievably similar in each others’ music, the texture which both composers utilize plays a huge

role in Heinrich’s German aesthetic. Generally quite thick and heavily orchestrated, both

composers in this case make use of dense counterpoint. American nationalistic music at the time,

for example by George Chadwick, did not treat counterpoint as a focal point. More importantly

in Heinrich’s piece is the unique quoting of “Yankee Doodle,” one of America’s most popular

patriotic songs. Like many of his other works, Wildwood Spirits Chant quotes “Yankee Doodle,”

however, it’s slightly tainted in terms of aesthetic quality. I’m not sure this achieves his

Beethovan, Ludwig van, First, Second and Third Symphonies, in Full Orchestral Score, (New York:21

Dover Publications, Inc.), 1976, 2.



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intentions of patriotism, especially if he distorts the harmonies behind the folk tune. Could this

possibly be a stab at America? I am even willing to question if this could potentially be

patriotism towards Germany with the idea that “Germany will always win.” It seems clear

enough that he was intending to praise America, but his music distorts his own intentions.

I can not help but think how bitter Heinrich must have felt towards Bohemia considering

he lost his entire inheritance, his wife, and his daughter. I’m curious as to how much love he

Figure 3. Beethoven Symphony No. 1 measure 10 beat two, pitches only.



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really had for America or how much of it was forced due to sufferings beyond his control. It

would seem appropriate to exaggerate positive feelings of a new world when your home country

fails. Unfortunately, this is not something that can be measured or researched, but it is an

interesting thought that could pay into my argument towards his true identity. Between spending

half of his life as a Bohemian salesman, studying music from printed German scores, and trying

to evoke America through Americanistic icons, Heinrich successfully created a blurred image of

his true self. He could be seen both as an American nationalist, or a German exoticist. Though I

lean towards the latter, as I have argued above, I can accept an argument to both sides because of

the lack of empirical data. Still unclear to which side of the ocean Heinrich wrote music for, he

had, without question, a phenomenal impact on America during his lifetime. His music may have

been too difficult for the majority of the populous, but that is a notion that was not actively

thought of. Much like the virtuosic pianists that would be coming to America towards the end of

his life, Heinrich aimed at elevating his audience through his music, both spiritually and on a

performance level. With that being said, it no longer matters where he hails from, but that his

music had such a positive impact on the current state of the nation.



Bibliography

Barron, David, and Clark, J. Bunker. “Heinrich, Anthony Philip.” Oxford Music Online. accessed

May 8, 2015. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/12694?

q=anthony+philip+heinrich&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.

Beethovan, Ludwig van. First, Second and Third Symphonies, in Full Orchestral Score. New

York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1976.

Chmaj, Betty E. “Father Heinrich as Kindred Spirit or, How the Log Composer of Kentucky

Became the Beethoven of America.” Accessed May 9, 2015. https://journals.ku.edu/

index.php/amerstud/article/download/2584/2543.

Crawford, Richard. America’s Musical Life. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company inc.,

2001.

Gibbons, William. “The Musical Audubon: Ornithology and Nationalism in the Symphonies of

Anthony Philip Heinrich.” Journal of the Society for American Music 3, no. 4 (2009):

465-491. Accessed May 9, 2015. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?

fromPage=online&aid=6357116.

Heinrich, Anthony Philip. The Dawning of Music in Kentucky and The Western Minstrel . New

York: Da Capo Press, 1972.

Hitchcock, Wiley H. introduction to The Dawning of Music in Kentucky and The Western

Minstrel. New York: Da Capo Press, 1972.

Ledbetter, Steven, and Yellin, Victor Fell. “Chadwick, George Whitefield.” Oxford Music Online.

accessed May 15, 2015. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/

music/05356?q=george+chadwick&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit.

Locke, Ralph. Musical Exoticism, Images and Reflections. Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 2009.

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=6357116

https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/download/2584/2543

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Tim Bausch Written Work