141
MUSIC PRINTERS IN BALTIMORE
John Hagerty and the Baltimore'Collection of
Church Music. - Music publishing dates very early in
the annals of American printing; the ninth edition of
the Bay Psalm Fook, printed in Boston in 1698, con-
tained the first musical notation actually printed in
this country.2 However, it was not until the last
decade of the eighteenth century that music publishing
was conducted on anything approaching a large scale.
This dtcade ushered in several publishers of music
alone, in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, and sev-
eral Massachusetts cities.
As early as 1792, John Hagerty, a stationer with
a store at Water Street, Baltimore, advertised the
Baltimore Collection of Church Music "for sale ...
neatly enrraved and printed on copperplates, well
adapted for the use of schools."4 No copy of the
publication has been found, and its having musical
1 "Music" as used in this chapter in reference to
published items, is defined by Lawrence C. Wroth
on p. 247 of his Colonial printer; "The orinted
text occupies the minimum of space and the book
is given over as a whole to the music ... printed
from engraved copper plates."
2 Fisher, W.A. One hundred and fifty years of
music publishing in the United States, p. 3.
3 Upton, W.T. Eighteenth century American imprints
in the society's Diclman collection of music.
P. 375.
4 Maryland journal. November 20, 1792.
|