Joseph Corré

Biography

Joseph Corré was a Frenchman by birth who became host of New York's City Tavern in the early part of 1784, shortly after the British evacuation of the city on November 25, 1783. He had formerly served as cook to Major Carew, an Irish officer in the British army, but chose to remain behind and make terms with the victorious Americans rather than depart with his employer. In 1791 Corré opened the Mount Vernon Gardens as a musical rendezvous on the Franco-German concert-garden model, using one of Dodds's pianofortes there. In 1800 he began offering theatrical performances, and his resort subsequently became famous for introducing notable foreign artists, including what is described as the first Italian opera performance given in the United States. Corré married a woman of German descent in New York, becoming somewhat assimilated with the German community despite his French origins. Joseph Corré operated the Mount Vernon Gardens and, around 1801, prepared architectural plans for rebuilding his playhouse. Philadelphia newspapers of the time record that Charles Taws, described as an expert in acoustics, traveled to New York with the theatre director Reinagle to inspect Corré's plans for the reconstruction.

Highlights

• Prepared architectural plans around 1801 for rebuilding his Mount Vernon Gardens playhouse, inspected by Charles Taws and Reinagle.
• Opened the Mount Vernon Gardens in 1791, a musical rendezvous on the Franco-German concert-garden model, where he used one of Dodds's pianofortes.
• Began theatrical performances there in 1800; the venue later hosted what is described as the first Italian opera performance given in the United States.
• Formerly cook to Major Carew, an Irish British army officer; stayed behind after the British evacuation of New York on November 25, 1783, and became host of the City Tavern by early 1784.

Source

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), pp. 79, 99.

Public domain.