[David Post, July 4, 2009 at 6:00pm] Trackbacks
The Fourth of July:

July 4, 1776 - entry in Jefferson's "Memorandum Book":

"Pd. Sparhawk for a thermometer 3/15"

Somehow I've always loved that - that on the day Congress approves the revised version of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson heads into town to buy a thermometer.

And regarding co-blogger Kenneth Anderson's comments on Jefferson's violin-playing musical tastes: one of the great encounters in history took place in 1760 when the 17 year-old Jefferson is heading off to college (William and Mary, in Williamsburg); along the way (several days journey in those days), he stops off at Nathaniel Dandridge's plantation in Hanover County for 4 or 5 days, and who should be there but Patrick Henry (then 23). Henry, too, played the violin, and the two of them, apparently, spent hours each day playing together. I've always loved that picture in my head, too -- Jefferson and Henry, fiddling away together.

And it's also nice that Jefferson, like just about every amateur musician around, grossly exaggerated the amount of time he epent practicing, writing to his son-in-law late in life that he practiced three hours a day (!). [If you're interested in Jefferson-the-Musician, I can recommend Helen Cripe's "Jefferson and Music" (UVA Press 1974) and Sandor Salgo, "Thomas Jefferson: Musician and Violinist" (TJ Foundation 2000).]

"What so hard, so stubborn, or so fierce, But music for the time will change its nature? The man who has not music in his soul, Or is not touch'd with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, strategems, and spoils . . . Let no such man be trusted."

From Jefferson's "Commonplace Book" (original quotation from The Merchant of Venice, Act V)

Kenneth Anderson:
Very cool! Off the record, I think I probably understate publicly how much time I spend practicing as an amateur, because I have so relatively little to show for it ...
7.4.2009 6:11pm
Bpbatista (mail):
Jefferson's career was distinctly down hill after 7/4/76.

The most overrated of all the Founders -- and American history.
7.4.2009 8:07pm
smitty1e:
"spent practicing"
7.4.2009 10:04pm
James Kabala (mail):
That may have been the last time Henry and Jefferson had a friendly encounter!
7.4.2009 11:11pm
Sander Hjortshøj:
Why do you claim Jefferson's three hours of daily practice is a gross exaggeration? Is that based on your personal skepticism or is it in Cripe's or Salgo's books? The basis of this claim is not evident from your post as written.
7.5.2009 4:59am
Former Temple Student:
Actually I can believe 3 hours a day playing a violin - they had no TV, Internet, basketball hoop, etc. It was either read a book or fiddle the day away.
7.6.2009 12:15pm
David Schwartz (mail):
For 3 pounds, 15 shillings that must have been one heck of a thermometer. I doubt it was decorated with solid gold, more likely it was a very precise instrument.
7.7.2009 9:57am
Rich Rostrom (mail):
Henry and Jefferson, fiddling together...

Have you ever heard of Alf and Bob Taylor, two brothers who were both Governors of Tennessee? The Taylor family were mostly East Tennessee Republicans, but Bob went over to the Democrats. In 1886, they were their parties' candidates for governor. (Bob won, 54%-46%. Alf was elected Governor in 1920.)

Both were also well-known fiddle players. They made many joint campaign appearances, in the manner of Lincoln and Douglas in 1858. After the speechifying, they would get out their fiddles and play together. (It's even said that when hotel rooms were short, they'd sleep in the same bed.)
7.7.2009 2:21pm