William Henry Fry

For the woodcarver and gilder, see William H. Fry. William Henry Fry (1813–1864) was a pioneering American composer, music critic, and journalist. Fry was the first person born in the United States to write for a large symphony orchestra, and the first to compose a publicly performed opera. He was also the first music critic for a major American newspaper. And he was the first person to insist that his fellow countrymen support American-made musi... more

For the woodcarver and gilder, see William H. Fry. William Henry Fry (1813–1864) was a pioneering American composer, music critic, and journalist. Fry was the first person born in the United States to write for a large symphony orchestra, and the first to compose a publicly performed opera. He was also the first music critic for a major American newspaper. And he was the first person to insist that his fellow countrymen support American-made music. William Henry Fry was born on August 10, 1813 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, William Fry, was a prominent printer and, along with Roberts Vaux and Robert Walsh, ran the National Gazette and Literary Register, a major American newspaper at the time. William Henry had four brothers -- Joseph Reese, Edward Plunket, Charles, and Horace Fry. He was educated at what is now Mt. St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. After returning to Philadelphia to work for his father, he studied composition with Leopold Meignen, a former... less