In comparison to other early American colonies, the Carolina’s were unique in respect to their heightened culture and social entertainment. Charleston was particularly interested in upholding a luxurious, high-class reputation, rather than enforcing a spiritual focal point. Many scholars parallel the behavior of Charlestonians to that of eighteenth century Britains, and use the slogan carpe diem to describe how society prioritized life in certain Carolinian cities (Weir). During the pilgrimage days, people who settled in Northern New England lands had a diverse outlook on how to live their lives; due to strict forms of orthodox religion, most other colonies persecuted anything that swayed from biblical ideals, whether that be music, literature, theater etc. (Chase). However, the Carolina colony, which was later established in favor of those who supported King Charles II during his exile from England, soon became home to a much more flamboyant society.
After King Charles returned to the throne, he bestowed the land from Virginia to Spanish Florida- otherwise known as South Carolina- to eight Lord Proprietors. Then, they were given reign to control the land in any desirable fashion, as long as it was “under the realm of British conventions” (Butler 2). Eventually, Carolina was divided into two distinguishable regions, North and South of Cape Fear; although this innovation was not legitimate until the original Proprietors sold the entire venue to Britain in 1729. Thus, it is not surprising that Carolina mimicked a culture similar to England’s. From here on, the Carolina’s were used as an economical and agricultural port that served as a beneficiary for trade across the Atlantic. The city of Charleston was specifically useful due to its location, but it also seemed desirable to outsiders for things like agriculture, climate, and a differentiated social culture. Within a short period of time, Charleston became known as the “political, economic, and social capital of the colony, and remained the cultural center in which colonial success was displayed and celebrated” (Butler 3). This city continued to maintain its sophistication within all elements of life, but did so under British constraints for a little over a century. Nevertheless, travelers from all over the world began to recognize Charleston as the “place to be” in America, partly because at the time, people in this town knew how to live lavishly.
Music is a notable feature that served to define segments of South Carolina’s culture at the time of its colonization. What is extraordinary about South Carolina and Charleston’s musical background is how the development of different genres of music spread throughout various groups of people. In the beginning, Charleston, South Carolina was the primary center for musical entertainment, but within just a few years, all regions of South Carolina were practicing and performing music. Even African slaves dedicated a significant amount of musical understanding to the history of music in South Carolina. Starting chronologically though, Charleston was the first city to advertise musical performances. The first and oldest dated musical society in the United States of America originated right here in our very own hometown. This organization was first titled The St. Coecilia’s Society and was officially created on November 22nd, 1766. The concerts that were put on by this group included anything from hymnals to love songs to nationalistic ballads. At first, music was only open to a select audience, which excluded anybody but women and wealthy patrons. When music was solely granted to specific classes of people, the concerts were shown in private council chambers or play-houses. Later on when The St. Coecilia Society underwent modifications, music gradually became more public and would sometimes be held in between popular streets such as Broad Street or Queen Street. The St. Coecilia Society was extremely persnickety about how they ran their organization; they were also very formal in the way that they sponsored live shows. One year following the foundation of the St. Coecilia Society, Robert Wells published a handbook of rules in sponsorship of the society. This original document is currently held at the South Carolina Historical Society, but will be explained and interpreted in this archive.
The St. Coecilia Society rulebook helps to depict the musical status in Charleston, South Carolina during the eighteenth century, but as mentioned before, there was a massive development in music within years successive to the colonization of Carolina. Popular music was not the only type of music that was appreciated by South Carolinians during this time period. Religious hymnals and gospels were not completely outdated in this colony, because the second document that will be presented on this archive is a set of score music from a man named Samuel Peyre. The music composed by this man can be found in the Porcher Family commonplace book, also at the South Carolina Historical Society. This music was written by Samuel Peyre in 1715, but his family seemed to carry on his legacy after he died, because there is music written by his wife and daughters in the commonplace book as well. Mr. Peyre was an average citizen in South Carolina; his duty in the colony was to collect taxes and help organize society’s economy. However, his father, John Peyre was a church Warden, and was responsible for keeping the church protected. Even though Samuel Peyre was not a member of the St. Coecilia Society, he performed music that was appreciated for large church audiences in South Carolina during earlier times in history. Samuel Peyre’s music is important to recognize, because his hymnals suggest that music was a prominent characteristic of all kinds of life in colonial South Carolina.
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