Theodore Frelinghuysen Seward (January 25, 1835 – August 30, 1902) was the Founder of the Brotherhood of Christian Unity and the Don't Worry Club.

Life and career

He was born in

Florida, Orange County, New York Florida is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,049 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie- Newburgh- Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York– Newark&ndash ...

. He left his father's farm at the age of eighteen to study music under

Lowell Mason Lowell Mason (January 8, 1792 – August 11, 1872) was an American music director and banker who was a leading figure in 19th-century American church music. Lowell composed over 1600 hymn tunes, many of which are often sung today. His best-known ...

and Thomas Hastings, became organist of a church in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, in 1857, and in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a city in the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, and Yonkers, with a population of 211,328 at the 2020 United States census. Located in W ...

, in 1859, moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1867, and conducted the "Musical Pioneer," and afterward the New York "Musical Gazette." He first became interested in the tonic sol-fa system during a visit to England in 1869, and on his return worked to introduce the method without adopting the notation. He then took charge of the performances of the

Fisk Jubilee Singers The Fisk Jubilee Singers are an African-American '' a cappella'' ensemble, consisting of students at Fisk University. The first group was organized in 1871 to tour and raise funds for college. Their early repertoire consisted mostly of traditio ...

, wrote down more than one hundred of their plantation melodies, and, while making the tour of Europe with them, in 1875–1876. became more impressed with the advantages of the new system of musical instruction. After a course of study at the Tonic sol-fa college in London, he returned to the United States in 1877, to establish the system. Besides writing on the subject for many religious and educational journals, and lecturing before gatherings of teachers, he has edited the "Tonic Sol-Fa Advocate" and the "Musical Reform," taught the system in classes and public schools, and prepared a series of textbooks. He was the founder of the American tonic sol-fa Association, and of the American vocal music association. He died in East Orange, New Jersey.

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

was his second cousin.Theodore Frelinghuysen Seward 1835–1902, hymntime.com
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Publications

*"The Pestalozzian Music-Teacher" (New York, 1871) with

*"The Sunnyside Glee-Book" (New York, 1866)
Temple Choir
(1867) with Lowell Mason *"Coronation" (1872)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seward, Theodore Frelinghuysen 1835 births 1902 deaths American male composers American composers American Christian hymnwriters Composers of Christian music Frelinghuysen family Gospel music composers People from Florida, Orange County, New York Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey 19th-century American writers Songwriters from New Jersey 19th-century American male musicians