Story
A Selection of Monticello Music
A selection of music related to Jefferson and Monticello, ranging from popular tunes to classical pieces.
Music
Articles about the roles music played in Jefferson's life and the lives of the people of Monticello.
-
![A violin and sheet music sit on top of a harpsichord in Monticello's Parlor.]()
-
![]()
EncyclopediaEnglish Guitar
Thomas Jefferson bought an English guitar -- a popular drawing-room instrument in the second half of the eighteenth century -- for his granddaughter Cornelia.
-
![]()
Francis Alberti
Francis (Francesco) Alberti, a musician from Faenza, Italy, taught music to Thomas Jefferson and Jefferson's wife, Martha.
-
![]()
EncyclopediaGuitars
While Thomas Jefferson was known to play the violin, several members of his family played the guitar.
-
![]()
EncyclopediaHarpsichord
In the 1780s, Jefferson acquired a Kirckman harpsichord, one of the finest such instruments available at the time, for his daughter Martha.
-
![]()
EncyclopediaKeyboard Instruments
Jefferson purchased harpsichords and pianos for members of his family and was generally very interested in the latest improvements in musical instruments.
-
![Sheet music in Jefferson's hand including 17 bars of Money Musk]()
StoryMusic and Monticello's Enslaved Community
Music was an important part of life for enslaved people at Monticello, and particular individuals, like Eston Hemings, within this society were noted for their artistic talents.
-
![robert tiso, Copyrighted free use, via Wikimedia Commons]()
EncyclopediaMusical Glasses
An article about Thomas Jefferson's interest in musical glasses and similar instruments.
-
![Encyclopedia Virginia, (original photograph by the Centennial Photographic Company) Courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation]()
Peter Pelham
Peter Pelham was a noted late 18th century Virginia musician, who taught and played music and was an organist at Bruton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia.
-
![A five-octave portable piano by John Isaac Hawkins]()
EncyclopediaPortable Grand Piano
Thomas Jefferson owned several keyboard instruments, including a portable grand piano created by the man who invented Jefferson's beloved Polygraph.
-
![A violin and sheet music sit on top of a harpsichord in Monticello's Parlor.]()
EncyclopediaViolins
Learn more about Thomas Jefferson's ability to play the violin and about specific instruments he owned during his life.
