One of Baltimore's biggest claims to fame is the fact that it was where Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics for the Star Spangled Banner. To this day, it remains a place of great history--and of great music. Those whose tastes include Western classical and jazz will be especially pleased with the local music scene. However, this major Maryland city has something for everyone. Moreover, it's close proximity to the United States capitol allows Baltimore to offer even more options to its citizens and visitors. For these and other reasons, the historical city is the next stop on HillTop Records' tour of great American music scenes.The music of Baltimore can be traced as far back as 1784, when the city first became Maryland's largest and most prominent cultural hub. Musical theater and opera were among the preferred forms of entertainment, and the city also hosted several major music publishing firms until well into the 19th century. Around that time, Baltimore became a huge producer of musical instruments, including pianos and woodwinds. The many Protestant churches in the area created another avenue for music; meanwhile, the jazz and gospel scene grew with Baltimore's rapidly expanding African American population. This vast diversity has remained a constant characteristic of Baltimore's music scene: Alongside historic institutions like the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody Institute, the more modern fields of rock, hip hop and R&B thrive.
Originally established in 1866, the Peabody Orchestra was the first professional orchestra in Baltimore. It was famous early on for premiering many works, including those by Asger Hamerik. The prominent Danish composer eventually became director of the Orchestra, which was followed in succession by Ross Jungnickel's Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. By 1899, that Orchestra has also gone under; it was immediately replaced by the Florestan Club, which included author H. L. Mencken. The Club reformed the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and their version (which began performing in 1916) became the first municipally funded company in the country. It was reorganized as a private institution in 1942 under Reginald Stewart, who directed both the Orchestra and the Peabody. That connection paved the way for a lasting, meaningful relationship between the two institutions. To this day, most of the major musical organizations in Baltimore were founded by musicians who trained at the Peabody Institute's Conservatory of Music.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra underwent a series of transitions, becoming more professional during the latter half of the 20th century. Under Music Director David Zinman, it recorded for major record labels and was the first Orchestra to tour in the Soviet bloc. It is still an excellent option for classical music in Baltimore--but definitely not the only one! Choral organizations, founded in the early 19th century for the purpose of instruction in choral music, left their mark on the city by way of an impressive music education system. Check out the Bach Choir, the Choral Arts Society, the Handel Society, Baltimore Choral Arts, and the Baltimore Symphony Chorus. Opera is also a beloved part of Baltimore's classical music scene: There's the Baltimore Opera Company, first founded in 1924, and the Martinet Opera School. The Baltimore Chamber Music Society has commissioned a number of renowned works, and the Baltimore Women's String Symphony Orchestra has been famous since the days when women were barred from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (but allowed in the Baltimore Colored Symphony Orchestra.) In the early 20th century, institutions like the Baltimore Colored Chorus and Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Colored City Band introduced jazz-like sounds to Baltimore's classical music. During these times of great racial tension, the interracial Aeolian Institute for higher musical education was established as a beacon of hope. Meanwhile, the Director of Municipal Music for Baltimore forbade jazz in local venues--and the Peabody Institute debated whether jazz was music at all! Thankfully, those days have passed.
Jazz is now alive and well in Baltimore, as are other forms of popular African American music. An early pioneer was the Baltimore Afro-American, a prominent periodical based in Baltimore in the early- and mid-20th century; another was WBAL radio personality Chuck Richards. Baltimore was also at the forefront of the East Coast ragtime movement, producing the legendary performer and composer Eubie Blake. Chick Webb, Billie Holiday, Noble Sissle and other celebrities of that era played in Baltimore, especially in venues along Pennsylvania and Fremont Avenues. The section of Baltimore Street between Calvert and Gay, known as The Block, was another mecca for jazz players and audiences. The first local bar to specialize in jazz was Club Tijuana, and the Sphinx Club (opened in 1946) was one of the first minority-owned nightclubs in the United States. However, no stage in Baltimore was quite as important--or intimidating--as the one at the Royal Theatre. It produced one of the city's musical leaders in Rivers Chambers, who led the Royal's house band from 1930 to 1937. Blanche Calloway, one of the first female jazz bandleaders in the U.S., was also from Baltimore. The city also gave us Ethel Ennis, Elmer Snowden, and a great number of jazz saxophonists. Once the Left Bank Jazz Society was formed, the city attracted the likes of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane.
Doo-wop groups and soul also had hey days in Baltimore. A few decades later, other genres came onto the scene: New wave musicians Ric Ocasek and David Byrne, Frank Zappa, Tori Amos, Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas, Adam Duritz (the vocalist for the Counting Crows) and other successful rock acts from the '70's and '80's are all from Baltimore. A lively hardcore punk scene grew, but was overshadowed by the one in nearby Washington, D.C. More recently, the Maryland city has given us Animal Collective, Beach House and Cass McCombs. The all-volunteer Baltimore Rock Opera Society adds another voice to the scene, reminding audiences of the city's rich classical heritage. The famous minimalist composer Phillip Glass hails from Baltimore, as do R&B/rap legends like Dru Hill, Mario and Tupac. (Like we said before--there is something for everyone.)
Attractions for the music-lover visiting Baltimore include a plaque marking the site of the now-defunct Royal Theater, and the statue of Billie Holiday that remains on Pennsylvania Avenue between Lafayette and Lanvale. Many of today's most popular nightclubs and live music venues can be found in the districts of Fells Point and Federal Hill. There are also six major concert halls in Baltimore. Be sure to see the Lyric Opera, modelled after the world-famous Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany. The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (the permanent home for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra) and the Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College, both designed by Pietro Belluschi, are other landmarks. Johns Hopkins University's Shriver Hall, the Peabody's Miriam A. Friedberg (the oldest concert venue still in use in Baltimore) and the Joseph Rebecca Meyerhoff Auditorium at the Baltimore Museum of Art (which routinely hosts concerts by the Baltimore Chamber Music Society) complete the list. The Society for the Preservation of American Roots Music and Jazz in Cool Places (which presents concerts in architecturally significant locations throughout the city) also work hard to keep the local music scene at its best.
Although the Baltimore Afro-American is no more, numerous papers and media sites have sprung up to take its place. Check the listings in The City Paper, The Baltimore Sun and Music Monthly, as well as the periodical distributed by the Baltimore Blues Society. For more information on Baltimore's music scene, check out Aural States (voted Best Local Music Blog of 2008) and Beatbots (Best Online Arts Community 2007.) Also keep checking back here with us at HillTop Records as we continue to bring you music news from around the country.
