Menu Close

What musical instrument did Thomas Jefferson play?

What musical instrument did Thomas Jefferson play?

violins
Jefferson was an accomplished violinist and music aficionado who owned four violins, including a so-called “kit,” an instrument small enough to fit neatly into a coat pocket. He was known to take his kit along on his travels so that he could practice when he was away.

When did Jefferson play the violin?

Jefferson’s first musical love was the violin, though he was proficient also with the cello. He play violin since boyhood. It is not known when he took up the instrument, but he could play quite well by the age of fourteen when he entered Maury’s boarding school.

What was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite?

The apple is to America as the potato is to Ireland or the olive to Italy. “The apple,” as Virginia pomologist James Fitz proudly proclaimed in 1872, “is our democratic fruit.” The apple was a standard, every-day fruit at Monticello. Cider was an integral part of the Jefferson dining tradition.

Did Thomas Jefferson like to sing?

But he also held a large collection of American music, and his granddaughter Ellen Wayles Coolidge, whose second-floor bedchamber was directly over Jefferson’s, often heard him “humming old tunes, generally Scotch songs but sometimes Italian airs or hymns.” Monticello slave Isaac Jefferson recalled that Jefferson was ” …

Did Jefferson meet Mozart?

Thomas Jefferson is said to have met Mozart in Paris, and certainly loved his music. He appears to have discussed commissioning a work on behalf of his deceased wife, though it did not come to pass- Jefferson commented on Mozart’s “ineptness and lack of grace […]

Did Thomas Jefferson have a Mocking Bird?

Early in November 1772 — when he had a wife, a month-old child, and an unfinished house — Thomas Jefferson acquired a family pet. For five shillings he bought a mockingbird from one of the slaves of his father-in-law, John Wayles.

Who was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite composer?

The large collection of music catalogued by Jefferson in 1783 indicates the range of compositions enjoyed by the family. Chamber music for strings and keyboard forms the largest part, and Corelli was known to have been Jefferson’s favorite composer.