1831–1912

Introduction

portrait

Born: Ju­ly 21, 1831, Pough­keep­sie, New York.

Biography

Son of a Bap­tist preach­er, Per­kins came from a fa­mi­ly of 10 child­ren who sang and played va­ri­ous in­stru­ments. His mu­sic les­sons be­gan at age three.

During his fa­ther’s pas­tor­ate at Ham­il­ton, New York, choir re­hear­sals were oft­en held at the par­son­age; the lead­er would put the three year old on a small stool, on the ta­ble around which the choir was as­semb­led, giv­ing him a chance to see and hear.

Later, Per­kins would play the vio­lin­cel­lo in church, stand­ing on a stool to fin­ger the in­stru­ment.

In 1839, the fa­mi­ly moved to New York Ci­ty, where Theo­dore stu­died the pi­ano­for­te. By age 19, while work­ing as a clerk, he used all his spare time to stu­dy voice and pi­ano.

In 1851, he went to Ha­mil­ton, New York, to teach mu­sic at Ma­di­son Uni­ver­si­ty (later Col­gate Uni­ver­si­ty) and the Fe­male Sem­in­ary.

In 1854, Per­kins went to Port Jer­vis, New York, where he taught sing­ing school.

In 1855, he mar­ried Ma­ry Cas­key, who for years was his so­pra­no so­lo­ist in ma­ny ev­ents. Soon af­ter the mar­riage, they moved to Sa­lem, New Je­rsey.

In the sum­mer of 1856, he and his wife stu­died at the Nor­mal Aca­de­my of Mu­sic at North Read­ing, Mas­sa­chu­setts, un­der Lo­well Ma­son and George Root.

In 1859, Per­kins be­came co-prin­ci­pal, with Will­iam Brad­bu­ry, of the Nor­mal Aca­de­my of Mu­sic at Ge­ne­seo, New York.

He al­so worked in schools in North Pel­ham, On­tar­io, Ca­na­da, and in Tunk­han­nock and Mead­ville, Penn­syl­van­ia, and served as mu­sic­al di­rect­or in num­er­ous church­es in Brook­lyn, New York, and Phi­la­del­phia, Penn­syl­vania.

He al­so taught voice cul­ture at Prince­ton and La­fay­ette Uni­ver­si­ties, the Un­ion The­o­log­i­cal Sem­in­ary, and Cro­zer Se­mi­na­ry, Up­land, Penn­syl­van­ia.

Works

Sources

Music

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