H. P. Main

Hubert Platt Main, son of Sylvester Main (during his life a member of the firm of Biglow & Main), was born at Eidgefield, Conn., August 17, 1839.

Mr. Main is gifted with a remarkable memory. He remembers distinctly things that occurred as far back as 1842. He hasn’t forgotten a whipping received in that year for repeatedly running off from home at evenings to the band room, hiding under the benches and listening to the music.

He attended the district school from 1842 to 1854. His father was an old-fashioned singing-school teacher of unusual skill and success, possessing a fine voice. Hubert began attending his father’s singing schools at the age of eleven, although for a time he did not take any interest in anything but the girls. Finally he did give enough attention to observe that the pupils sang one tone for a note that was on a line, and another for the note that was above the line, and still another for a note below the line. He spoke to his father about it, who gave him a few words of explanation, and he immediately began to study the tune ” Burton,” in the ” Dulcimer,” and before he went to bed he could read every note of it.

From that time on he practiced reading notes until he could read anything at sight by the syllables — do, re, mi. Wherever he might be he was practicing the do, re, mi’s. If when walking on the street any air came to his mind, he would apply the syllables to it, and sing away. He continued to attend singing schools regularly till 1854.

In April of this year he went to New York City and worked as errand boy in a wall paper house. In the fall he returned to Ridgefield for his final winter’s schooling. In April of 1855, he became office boy in the piano house of Bristow & Morse. The Bristow of the firm was the now celebrated composer, Geo. F. Bristow. He has ever since been one of Mr. Main’s warmest friends.

In June of the same year Mr. Main accepted a position as salesman in a gent’s furnishing store, continuing there three years, at the same time playing the melodeon in the Forsyth Street M. E. Church on Sundays. He also attended singing, and devoted all his spare time to music. His first experience in compiling music books was in the year 1855. He helped his father edit the ” Sunday School Lute,” by I. B. Woodbury.

Mr. Wm. B. Bradbury also sought the assistance of Mr. Main’s father in the compilation of his books, commencing with “Cottage Melodies “in 1859, and continuing till his death in 1868. At this time the house of Biglow & Main was formed as successors to the publishing business of Wm. B. Bradbury. During all these years young Main assisted his father in editing the books of Woodbury and Bradbury, in which he was laying the foundation of his own skill, for which he is so well known.

From 1858 to 1864 he was bookkeeper for the piano house of Hazelton Bros. In Kovember, 1864, he went to Cincinnati ostensibly as bookkeeper for the piano house of Philip Phillips & Co., really to arrange his music for him. After one year he returned to New York and married. He then connected himself with the firm of F. J. Huntington & Co., where he was especially useful on account of his knowledge of the copyrights of I. B. Woodbury.

In 1866 he assisted Philip Phillips compile the second M. E. Church Hymn and Tune Book. In fact, he prepared almost all the copy and read all the proofs.

In 1867 he was called to fill a position in the publishing house of Wm. B. Bradbury, New York, and has remained with Bradbury’s successors ever since and is now treasurer of the company. With but few exceptions, every publication of the house has passed through his hands in the making, compiling, editing, proof-reading, etc. His acquaintance with Woodbury, Bradbury, and Thomas J. Cook commenced at the Fairfield County (Conn.) musical conventions between 1854 and 1861, and later in New York with Theo. E. Perkins, S. J. Vail, Theo. F. Seward, and others.

He has been a member of all the great choral bodies of New York, such as the New York Harmonic (1867), G. F. Bristow, F. L. Hitter, conductors ; the Mendelssohn Union (1869), Theo. Thomas, G. F. Bristow, Otto Singer, conductors ; the Clinton Local Union, Newark, N. J. (1877), B. C. Gregory, conductor ; the Newark Harmonic Society, Dr. L. Damrosch, conductor ; also, the Schubert Society (1881), L. A. Russell, conductor ; the New York Oratorio Society, Dr. L. Damrosch, conductor; the New York Chorus (1884), Theo. Thomas, conductor.

Mr. Main has attended hundreds of concerts, and has heard nearly all the musical celebrities from Julian in 1854 down. He has never done any teaching, but was choir leader and organist in New York for many years. Mr. Main is a skillful, prolific, original, and versatile composer. His first tune was written in 1855, and since then he has written over a thousand pieces — all sorts — part songs, singing school pieces, Sunday-school songs, hymn tunes, gospel hymns, anthems, sheet music songs, love songs, quartets, and instrumental pieces.

The only instruction in harmony and musical composition he has ever had ^vas one quarter’s lessons with Prof. Geo. W. Pettit and another quarter’s tuition with the venerable Thos. Hastings, Mus. Doc. All his other musical education he obtained by exercising his Yankee propensity for asking questions.

Among fifty or more pieces, which might be mentioned as his most popular ones, the following well-known songs may be named : ” We Shall Meet Beyond the River,” ” The Bright Forever,” ” In the Fadeless Spring-time,” “Clare — In Heavenly Love Abiding,” ” Blessed Homeland,” ” O How He Loves,” and many others.

Mr. Main is a veritable antiquarian in old music books. This propensity asserted itself in 1861, when he dug out from a pile of rags in a tin-shop a copy of Daniel Read’s ” Columbian Harmonist, No. 1,” 1Y93. His collection increased until 1891 he sold to the Newberry Library of Chicago over thirty-five hundred volumes, where they are known as the “Main Library” Among the number were over two hundred American books betw^een 1721 and 1810. He still has a modest little library of some 4,000 volumes. He has musical autographs and manuscripts of many of the musical celebrities.

Mr. Main has a wonderful memory for names and dates. He knows the names of hundreds of tunes, their authors, with date of birth and death, and, in many cases, the date of the copyright. He is an authority in the matter of copyrights, and can tell in most cases instantly whether a song is copyrighted and who owns it, or knows where to look for the information. In this respect he is unique. There is not another individual in America, so far as we know, who knows as much about old church music, especially that of American origin, as he does. He can take a new hymn and tune book, and go through it and mark every well-known tune in it, and many of the less known American and foreign, as regards composer, owner, copyright, dates, etc., at a single sitting without reference to his library, so extended is his knowledge and so reliable his memory. His knowledge and skill in this direction render his services invaluable to the publishers who have been so fortunate as to secure them.

As to his tastes in literature, he prefers biography and travels ; is fond of poetry of the tender and pathetic ; has a keen sense of the humorous, and is especially fond of the comical ; in fact he can write a pretty good comic verse himself, but is too modest to show it to the world.

In regard to his religious proclivities, he was brought up a Methodist, joined the church in 1854 before he came to New York ; but he quaintly says that he is not outrageously pious, and could laugh at a funeral, even his own, if he saw anything comical, and he could just as easily shed tears at anything tender and pathetic.

He is full of sunshine and good humor. He is immensely entertaining in his conversation, and one of the best of companions. His letters to his friends are usually full of wit and humor. He remarks that he might be more dignified, but it would increase his doctor’s bills.

Concerning his tastes in music, he believes heartily in music for the masses, and endeavors to write mostly that grade of music. He believes there is a use for, and much good done by, gospel hymns and much other music that is frequently called trashy. While he respects all great composers he is a confirmed Wagnerite, and thinks there is no music like that of this great master. Personally he is an out and out Wagnerite.

Mr. Main is old enough to quit work, but he hasn’t time to stop — so he is “still at it.”