Ishmael (Ishmail) Spicer (1760–1832) was a publisher in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

, a teacher, and one of the first American composers. Ishmael Spicer was born in Bozrah, Connecticut. He founded the first singing school at the Court House in Baltimore in November 1789, basing the curriculum using a teaching system advocated by

Andrew Adgate Andrew Adgate (22 March 1762 in Norwich, Connecticut – 30 September 1793 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a musician, music director, and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is noted for founding the Institution for Encouragement of ...

. Tuition was set at $2.50 per quarter and the school was successful for multiple years. For a time the singing school was attended by John Cole.

Publications

''Spicer's Pocket Companion: or the young Mason's monitor'', 1799 (printed by Andrew Wright in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

). Psalmody and Secular Songs
By Timothy Swan, Nym Cooke. Published 1997 A-R Editions, Inc. Psalmody,

References

1760 births 1832 deaths American male composers 18th-century American composers 19th-century American composers Musicians from Baltimore People from Bozrah, Connecticut Musicians from Connecticut 19th-century American male musicians {{US-composer-stub