Thursday 5 April 2018
Tune of the Day: Philadelphia Hop Waltz
arranged for two flutes
This polka-like “hop waltz” was composed by James Hemmenway around 1815. Hemmenway was an African-American composer, trumpeter and band leader, a native of Philadelphia, and, like his competitor in the city, Frank Johnson, was one of the first generation of classically trained African-American musician-composers in the United States.
The present arrangement for two flutes is taken from Blake's Young Flutist's Magazine, published in 1833.