Joannes Theodorus Wamelink (10 November 1827 in
Aalten
Aalten () is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort (1818) and Dinxperlo (2005) have been merged with Aalten.
Notable inhabitants of Aalten include Angus Young, guitarist of the Australian ro ...
,
Gelderland, the Netherlands – 31 December 1900), was a prominent musician and composer in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
.
Emigration to Cleveland
In 1835, Wamelink and his family, father Hermanus Wamelink and mother Maria Johanna Francisca De Reuwer Wamelink emigrated to
Cleveland,
Ohio, with his eight siblings. Wamelink as a youth of fourteen, became the first organist of St. Mary of the Flats Catholic Church. When the superstructure of the cathedral was completed, a new organ was installed, which the Cleveland Herald of that time refers to as the finest in the district.
For a period, Wamelink moved to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and while there worked as a composer in conjunction with Charles B. Barr. In 1853 Wamelink married Catherine Sweetland, of
Pittsburgh then returned with her to
Cleveland, where he continued to work in music.
Years in Cleveland, Ohio
Upon his return to
Cleveland, Wamelink opened a piano shop on Superior St. He continued as a composer, music, and voice teacher, and for nearly 30 years was the organist at St. John's Cathedral in
Cleveland. He was the founder of the Haydn Society; the first musical society in
Cleveland and served as its director for many years. He died on 31 Dec 1900, and is interred in the St. John's Cemetery. The City of Cleveland named a street near University Circle after Wamelink.
Musical Compositions
Wamelink composed many pieces of music, a number of which are found in the collections of:
The Library of Congress,
The Carnegie Library in
Pittsburgh,
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, the
Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center
The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center is a complex comprising several buildings related to the life and presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes. It is the first presidential library, built in 1916, and one of three such libraries for US presidents ...
,
Washington State University, and the
Penn Libraries, among others. His compositions include:
*First Mass in C, Ave Maria
*Central Skating Park Polka
*Skating Rink Waltz
*Sweetbrier Polka Mazurka, 1854
*Homewood Polka Mazurka, 1855
*O Sing That Melody Again, 1858
*The Queen Rose, 1859
*Col J. B. Clark's Return, 1862
*
Sanitary Fair
Sanitary fairs were fund-raising events held in various cities on behalf of the United States Sanitary Commission to raise funds and supplies for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Established in 1863, the last major event was held in 1 ...
Grand March, 1864
*Liberty and Union, 1864
*Dying Soldier Boy, 1864
*Petroleum Is King, 1865
*Wild Bird's Song, 1865
*President Lincoln's Funeral March, 1865
*We'll March Once More, My Boys, 1872
*United, in 1874 Roses, 1874
*Col. Clark's Grand Triumphant March, 1875
*The Veterans of '76, 1876.
External links
CLPGH.org*
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CDLIB.org
1827 births
1900 deaths
American male composers
American organists
American male organists
Dutch emigrants to the United States
People from Aalten
Musicians from Cleveland
19th-century American composers
19th-century male musicians
19th-century American businesspeople
19th-century organists
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