Virginians Will Dance or Die!

Music was everywhere in pre–Revolutionary Williamsburg, Virginia. In 1771, plantation owner Landon Carter noted in his diary that he could hear instruments through the windows of every house in town. In taverns and private homes, at formal performances and dances and casually around the campfire, music filled the daily lives of the people of Williamsburg. While the average citizen enjoyed music during public events, the city’s elite, emulating their British counterparts, spent lavishly on instruments, sheet music and private lessons and held private concerts and dances. Williamsburg’s theater, the first of its kind in America, provided a venue for all Virginians and brought numerous musical acts to the stage. Drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, this book is the first to explore how some 18th–century Williamsburg citizens experienced the growing musical world around them.

Joshua R. LeHuray is an educator at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia, co-director of the Janesville Fife and Drum Corps from Janesville, Wisconsin and an adjunct history professor at Rappahannock Community College in Virginia. He lives in Richmond.

Joshua R. LeHuray

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 196
Bibliographic Info: 16 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2016
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6284-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2409-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments v
Preface 1
Introduction 4
1. The Progression of Williamsburg’s Musical Marketplace 7
2. Virginians Will Dance or Die! 40
3. Casual Music and Common Folk 71
4. The Vibrant Stage of Williamsburg’s Colonial Theaters 99
Epilogue 130
Appendix I: Music Master Cuthbert Ogle’s Musical Estate 133
Appendix II: Concerts and Dances of Williamsburg 135
Appendix III: Slaves and Servants Valued for Their Music or Dancing Skills 144
Appendix IV: Plays and Performances at the Williamsburg Theatres 154
Appendix V: The Articles of Association, October 20, 1774 165
Chapter Notes 169
Bibliography 177
Index 183

“this book is the first to explore how some 18th-century Williamsburg citizens experienced the growing musical world around them”—Chicago Tribune