At first I thought it might have been Walt Whitman who as a cub reporter for the Brooklyn Eagle did music reviews. He often visited Castle Garden but was more interested in the visiting European opera singers. He never mentioned the Jullien concerts which P.T. Barnum had arranged shortly after the phenomenal success of the Jenny Lind concerts.
When I wrote to Gay Wilson Allen, the top Whitman scholar of his period, several decades ago, he replied that the language and sentiments were Whitmanesque enough to have been written by him, but it was unlikely, because at that period, he was so poor he could not have possibly afforded to have had the row boat or skiff the letter writer describes. He told me he passed the letter on to his student, Max Muller, who had edited a definitive edition of Walt Whitman's letters.
Professor Muller wrote to me that he did not agree with Professor Allen's opinion that the language and thought were that close to Whitman's, but the lack of a rowboat for Whitman should be decisive enough in ruling out Whitman as the anonymous letter writer. He did wish it were a letter from Whitman's pen so that he could add it to his collection of published letters.
I subsequently queried several other major experts in the field including History Detectives who did consider my find at first glance, but declined it on the basis that it was printed matter rather than autograph copy, which takes it out of the realm of their domain.
I have since then been able to narrow my research to target what I think may be the most likely candidate for the anonymous letter, a candidate who would have had a good reason to remain anonymous.
In a later posting I would like to discuss who the gentleman, Amico, may have been.
Jordan Richman, Ph.D.
When I wrote to Gay Wilson Allen, the top Whitman scholar of his period, several decades ago, he replied that the language and sentiments were Whitmanesque enough to have been written by him, but it was unlikely, because at that period, he was so poor he could not have possibly afforded to have had the row boat or skiff the letter writer describes. He told me he passed the letter on to his student, Max Muller, who had edited a definitive edition of Walt Whitman's letters.
Professor Muller wrote to me that he did not agree with Professor Allen's opinion that the language and thought were that close to Whitman's, but the lack of a rowboat for Whitman should be decisive enough in ruling out Whitman as the anonymous letter writer. He did wish it were a letter from Whitman's pen so that he could add it to his collection of published letters.
I subsequently queried several other major experts in the field including History Detectives who did consider my find at first glance, but declined it on the basis that it was printed matter rather than autograph copy, which takes it out of the realm of their domain.
I have since then been able to narrow my research to target what I think may be the most likely candidate for the anonymous letter, a candidate who would have had a good reason to remain anonymous.
In a later posting I would like to discuss who the gentleman, Amico, may have been.
Jordan Richman, Ph.D.
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