ABSTRACT
In all probability, the New York American-Music Association, born in 1856, died in 1858, was the first group devoted to the performance of concert music composed in this country. American audiences came quickly to want the repetition of certain works—be they operas, oratorios, church anthems, symphonies, songs, or chamber pieces. A few American works were, of course, performed, thanks to the persistence of such men as George Frederick Bristow, William Henry Fry, and Jerome Hopkins. From the spring of 1856 to the spring of 1858, Jerome Hopkins must have been perpetually nagged by the need to secure free performers for his struggling Association. Before the start of the second season, Hopkins was perhaps worried about getting performers to donate their time and talent, especially the “eminent American musicians” alluded to by the New York Times. Perhaps he had had trouble getting performers during the first season.
