Bound for America: Three British Composers

University of Illinois Press

“In Bound for America, Nicholas Temperley documents the lives, careers, and music of three British composers who emigrated from England in mid-career and became leaders in the musical life of the American Federal era.

William Selby of London and Boston (1738-98), Rayner Taylor of London and Philadelphia (1745-1825), and George K. Jackson of London, New York, and Boston (1757-1822) were among the first trained professional composers to make their home in America and are generally regarded as pioneers in the building of an art-music tradition in the New World that reflected the esteemed "classical" music of Europe.

The three composers all began their work in London, one of Europe's greatest centers of music. Why, in middle age, would they emigrate and start over in uncertain and unfavorable conditions? How did the new environment affect their lives and careers? In seeking answers, Temperley explores each musician's youthful period in England, uncovering much new material. He compares their lives, careers, and compositional styles in the two countries and reflects on American musical nationalism and the changing emphasis in American musical historiography."