ABSTRACT
Musical developments kept apace with this growth of Chicago as a city. Music was in its infancy in Chicago of the 1830s: the first piano arrived in 1834, the first sheet music was sold in 1835, the first instrument dealer set up shop in 1836, and the first concert society gave performances (four in number) during the 1835–36 season. Thus, criticism was alive and well in Chicago even during the first stage of its musical development. This chapter examines the development of each of the Chicago musical institutions reported and reviews in the daily press between 1850 and 1871. Because of his unique position in Chicago musical and literary life, Upton will be treated separately. The chapter aims to prove that, by the time of the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago could boast of an active and informed music criticism in its newspapers and music journals and in local reports for national journals.
