Baker, Benjamin Franklin
Baker, Benjamin Franklin
Baker, Benjamin Franklin, American singer, teacher, and composer; b. Wenham, Mass., July 10, 1811; d. Boston, March 11, 1889. He was a singer, choir director, and music teacher in Salem, Mass. In 1833 he made a tour as a singer. In 1837 he settled in Boston, where he studied with John Paddon. He was active as a church music director and in 1841 he was made superintendent of music in the public schools. He made many appearances as a soloist with the Handel and Haydn Soc. In 1851 he founded the Boston Music School, which he led as principal and head of singing until it closed in 1868. He also was ed. of the Boston Musical Journal. He publ. 2 harmony textbooks (1847, 1870) and collaborated on more than 25 vols, of hymns, anthems, songs, and glees. He also wrote various vocal works.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire