Francis Hopkinson was a well-educated man, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a member of the Convention of 1787 which formulated the Constitution of the United States, first Judge of the Admiralty Court in Pennsylvania, and author of many pamphlets and poems.
A man of entirely different calibre was William Billings, who was considered the first composer in New England. His compositions were chiefly "fuguing tunes," and he published several psalm books.
Billings was a tanner by trade, but a great musical enthusiast and organizer. The Stoughton (Mass.) Musical Society, which is the oldest musical society still in existence, was organized by Billings. Lack of education was no bar to his activities, and he accomplished much with very limited means.
It is said that Billings introduced the bass viol into the services of the Church, and thus began to break down the ancient Puritanical prejudices against musical instruments. He was also the first to use the pitch-pipe in order to ensure some degree of certainty in "striking up the tune" in church.
Again, we find the first American ballad operas during this period. Benjamin Carr, an Englishman who had been in America a couple of years, produced in 1796 a ballad opera, "The Archers of Switzerland," and, shortly afterwards, in the same year, with Pellesier (a Frenchman of recent arrival) as librettist, another ballad opera, "Edwin and Angelina," was staged in New York City. Though these works could hardly be called distinctively American, they were the first composed and produced in this country.
During the last decade of the 18th century some French actors and singers invaded the country and made New Orleans their headquarters. From that time on, for many years, New Orleans was prominent in the production of French operas and plays.
Theatres were built in several of the larger cities, and noted singers began to appear from abroad. The first of these appears to have been Miss Broadhurst, who appeared in Philadelphia in 1793, at the Chestnut Street Theatre. She was closely followed by Mrs. Oldmixon.
1750. April 30. "The Mock Doctor," and Dec. 3, "The Beggar's Opera," given at the "Theatre in Nassau St.," New York City. The first performances of ballad opera on record in that city.
1750. A Collegium Musicum was established about this time at Bethlehem, Pa.