Introduction

Biography

After stu­dy­ing mu­sic un­der Sam­uel Ar­nold and Charles Wes­ley II, Carr emi­grat­ed to Am­eri­ca in 1794, set­ting up mu­sic pub­lish­ing bu­si­nes­ses in Phi­la­del­phia and New York Ci­ty. He found­ed Carr’s Mu­sic­al Re­po­si­to­ry, thought to be the first mu­sic store in Phi­la­del­phia.

His 1794 Fe­de­ral Over­ture marked the first Am­eri­can print­ing of Yan­kee Doo­dle and Hail Co­lum­bia. His 1796 The Arch­ers, or the Mount­ain­eers of Swit­zer­land, based on the sto­ry of Swiss na­tion­al he­ro Will­iam Tell, is one of the first Am­eri­can op­eras of which piec­es still sur­vive.

He al­so played the or­gan at St. Pe­ter’s Epis­co­pal Church in Phi­la­del­phia, and, start­ing in 1801, was mu­sic di­rect­or at St. Jo­seph’s Ca­tho­lic Church in Phi­la­del­phia.

Works

• Masses, Ves­pers, Li­ta­nies, Hymns, Psalms, An­thems & Mo­tets, 1805
• Collection of Chants and Tunes for the Use of the Epis­co­pal Church in the City of Phi­la­del­phia