John Aitken (music publisher) facts for kids

John Aitken (around 1745 – September 8, 1831) was a Scottish-American music publisher. For over six years, he was the only person publishing sheet music in the United States. He might have been the first American to publish non-religious music as well.

John Aitken's Life Story

Early Years and Moving to America

John Aitken was born in Dalkeith, Scotland, around 1745. In October 1771, he traveled from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. There, he became an indentured servant for about a year and a half. This meant he worked for a goldsmith named William Taylor to pay for his journey.

By 1780, John Aitken owned property in Philadelphia. He also started working as a silversmith, making items from silver. You can even see two of his creations, a teaspoon and a creamer, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art today!

Family and Community Life

In the mid-1780s, John married Elizabeth. They had several children together. The Aitkens were good friends with James and his wife, who owned an inn. These friends even became godparents to the Aitken children.

Even though John Aitken was buried in an Episcopal cemetery, he was very involved in Philadelphia's Catholic community. He was a member of Old St. Mary's church in the 1780s and 1790s. He often donated to the church and rented a pew (a long bench) there. He also served as godparent to several children from the parish.

Starting Music Publishing

John Aitken likely began publishing music in 1787. He released three musical works that year. One of his first projects was Three Rondos for piano by William Brown. Another important work was Alexander Reinagle's A Selection of the Most Favorite Scots Tunes. Reinagle was also from Scotland and had moved to Philadelphia in 1786. He might have influenced Aitken to use a special "punch" engraving process for sheet music. Aitken was the first in the United States to use this method.

His final work in 1787 was his own book, A Compilation of the Litanies and Vespers Hymns and Anthems as They Are Sung in the Catholic Church. This was the first collection of Catholic music published in America. Reverend John Carroll approved its publication. His signature, along with three Philadelphia priests, appeared in an official approval before the title page. They supported the book, saying it would help make religious worship more proper and serious.

A Leader in Music Publishing

From 1787 to 1793, John Aitken was the only publisher of sheet music in the United States. During this time, he published at least 20 musical works. Many of these were by Alexander Reinagle.

Between 1793 and 1806, he published only two more works. These included a collection called Scots Musical Museum (1797) and a song he wrote himself, "The Goldsmith's Rant" (1802). This song was just one page of sheet music. On the back of that page, there was an advertisement for Aitken's services as a goldsmith and jeweler.

In 1807, Aitken started publishing music regularly again. He opened a shop on North Second Street. He began to publish non-religious (secular) music. He might have been the very first American publisher of secular music. From 1807 to 1811, he printed about 125 different musical works.

Although he stopped publishing music in 1811, he continued working in the printing business until 1825. John Aitken passed away in 1831 and was buried in the cemetery of Christ Church.]