BIOGRAPHY

John Antes

(1740-1811)

John Antes was a composer, watchmaker, inventor, instrument maker, missionary and officer of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum or United Brethren). Born on March 24, 1740 in Frederick Township, Pennsylvania, he is considered by many scholars to be the first native-born American composer of chamber music. And yet none of this music was written while he resided in America. Descended from a noble German family (von Blume), the name had been Hellenized in hopes of avoiding persecution during the Thirty Years War. Antes’s father, Henry (d.1715), was a very devout member of the Reformed Church until a theological dispute drove him to the Moravian congregation. Through this association, contact was made with Bishop August Spangenberg (1704-1792). Spangenberg would eventually baptize John in 1746 who, in turn, would devote his life and career to working for the Brethren.

In 1762, John Antes opened a shop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania where he built musical instruments. His focus was on stringed instruments (some of which are preserved in the Museum of the Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, Pennsylvania) yet records indicate that he also gave some attention to organ building. Antes had long had a dream to serve the church in Europe and he was finally granted permission on 1764. While in Germany, Antes learned the trade of watchmaker and prospered there.

Antes was ordained in 1769. He would receive some special training in London and then sail for Egypt in July on a missionary journey. His time in Egypt would test him. While en route, he became quite ill with a fever and was stranded in Cyprus for several weeks. He finally arrived in Egypt in 1770. Antes was captured, tortured and nearly beaten to death by the followers of Osman Bey in November of 1779: "... I immediately gave myself up for lost ... I had no other refuge but the mercy of my God, and commended my soul to Him." Antes was finally released when an officer claimed to know him but Antes wrote "I had never in my life seen the officer." Antes was bedridden for six weeks and suffered for years as a result of his beating.

Despite his ordeal in Egypt, Antes wrote his first chamber music and signed them "Giovanni A-T-S, Dilletante Americano". A complete set of parts for these string trios can be found at the Moravian Music Foundation in Winston-Salem, NC. Antes wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin in 1779 where he mentions sending some string quartets to Franklin. The existence of these works is unknown.

Antes returned to Germany in 1782. This was a very stable time for Antes who composed much of his sacred music. In 1785, Antes was called to Yorkshire England to serve as warden of the Fulneck congregation. He will serve the church here until his retirement in 1808. Among the many accomplishments of his career in England include his marriage in 1786 to Susannah Crabtree.

It has been reported that Antes came to know Franz Josef Haydn who visited England in the 1790’s. Furthermore, it has been reported that they played music together. Their meeting can be neither proven nor refuted but timing makes it entirely possible.

John Bland of London published three string trios of Antes in the 1790’s. Moravian scholar Karl Kroeger feels that it is unlikely that Antes composed any more chamber music while at Fulneck. However, most of Antes’s choral music were probably composed during his time at Fulneck, even though they were composed for the Moravian congregations in Nazareth and Bethlehem, PA.

In the early 1800’s, Antes health began to deteriorate. He suffered from many foot problems, some as a result of his beating in Egypt. He finally retired in 1808 and moved to Bristol, England. This would be his place of residence until his death in December, 1811.

John Antes is remembered for his music that borrows much from the style of Handel and Haydn, especially when compared with contemporaneous American music. It has been suggested that Antes’s music represents America’s "empfindsamer Stil" . While this is true, it is important to understand that the style of Antes’s music is a direct representation of his faith. Not intended to pacify, entertain, or appeal to the listener’s emotions, his music reflects his theology, and his personal relationship with God.

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Last Updated: July 17, 2001