New York HMS: The Founding Of The First Symphony

The New York Philharmonic During the 1800s, New York City was rapidly developing. The refined arts, in the form of operas, painting, and music, were in their infant stages, but quickly growing. One of the major events of this time was the founding of the first symphony in the United States (U.S.) in 1842, the New York Philharmonic. What societal factors in New York allowed the creation and/or prospering of the New York Philharmonic? A cause will only be listed if it causes the symphony to exist, and/or sustain itself. Even though there were many societal factors in New York that allowed the creation and prospering of the New York Philharmonic, including a rising interest in the arts, German immigration and European influence, and a prosperous

From the book New York, An Illustrated History, written by many acclaimed historians and historical authors, including an Emmy-winning historical film producer and several journalists, it says, “No one—not even Alexander Hamilton or Dewitt Clinton—could have predicted the magnitude of the explosion that overtook New York in the years following the opening of the Erie Canal. Within less than a year, ten new shipping companies had been founded. Thirty-nine new banks have been organized. Five hundred mercantile houses had been opened. More than three thousand new buildings had gone up- and it was just the beginning.” (Ades, 76). This demonstrates New York City had a large and blossoming economy at the time of the New York Philharmonic’s opening, as the Erie Canal was finished in 1825, and the Philharmonic Society was founded in 1842, when New York was still experiencing economic expansion. In the previously mentioned book, The Philharmonic Society of New York and it’s 75th Anniversary: A Retrospect, it states, “We [The New York Philharmonic Society] have had far more than our share of princely benefactors, without whom orchestral and operatic presentations would have been only spasmodic and precarious...” (Huneker, 25). This evidence displays that rich people existed and donated money to the Philharmonic in its early stages, and that the Philharmonic was much accredited to them for survival. Because of the economic growth, the businesspeople of the mercantile house, banks, and shipping companies in New York City grew wealthy, allowing them to support the things they desired, including the New York Philharmonic. Their donations enabled the Philharmonic to have a stable financial revenue in its early stages to support quality and periodic concerts. This consistency drove its establishment as a successful and popular symphony of the city, allowing it to keep