SYMPATHY TOWARDS A SOLDIER:

The Music and Death of Major John André

Friday, Sept 19th at 7pm

Gloria Dei, Old Swedes' Church • 916 S Swanson St, Philadelphia PA 19147

 

Tickets: $30 general, $15 student with ID 

 

During the British occupation of Philadelphia, Major John André was a favorite among tory young ladies and well loved by his peers. An accomplished flutist and artist, Major André organized the opulent Meschianza celebration for General Wm Howe that scandalized the city's beleaguered citizens. The celebration included music on barges in the Delaware, a joust, feasting and a candlelit ball. Within two years of the Meschianza, Major André was arrested for espionage in league with Benedict Arnold. Fearing an ignominious death by hanging, Major André begged General Washington to have "sympathy towards a soldier" and grant him death by firing squad. In this concert we'll explore the musical life and ungentlemanly death of this "man of honor" with readings from contemporary letters, diaries and newspapers, and music of the British occupation. Music of James Oswald, JC Bach, Carl Friedrich Abel, James Hewitt, John André, traditional ballads and dances as performed by the British Army during their occupation of Philadelphia 1777-78, performed on period instruments, in the interpretive style of the 18th c.

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With: Anika Kildegaard, voice; Francis Liu, violin; Eve Miller, cello; John Walthausen, harpsichord and Steven Zohn, flute