When one thinks of competent musicians, a few names that may come to mind include Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, and….Thomas Jefferson? Believe it or not, you read that correctly. Thomas Jefferson, as well as other United States Presidents such as Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon, was a skilled musician. The artistic talents of these great men are often overlooked because of the immensity of their political careers. With President’s Day fast approaching, we believe that now is the perfect time to unveil the hidden artistic abilities of past U.S. Presidents.
As mentioned above, Thomas Jefferson was an artist. Specifically, he was a musician who played the violin. Jefferson probably became a proficient violinist by the age of 14. He was reportedly a fanatic who purchased music frequently and was keenly interested in instruments. This United States President also sang, read music, and had his children educated in the subject. At one point in his adult life, Jefferson was said to have played the violin about three hours per day. It’s obvious that this amazing individual had capabilities that reached far beyond the political arena.
Richard Nixon was also an excellent musician, his main instrument being the piano. In fact, Mr. Nixon was so skilled at playing piano that he made a musical appearance on “The Tonight Show” in 1963. He proudly performed a concerto that he had written and was accompanied by a live orchestra. America responded positively to his performance, and the studio audience wildly applauded their musically gifted President.
Are you an art lover as well as a political buff? If so, you are sure to enjoy Segmation’s Presidents caricature art. The United States President Caricature Pattern Set for SegPlay® PC features patterns for George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and many more United States Presidents. Learn more about this pattern set by visiting https://www.segmation.com/2011/01/18/united-states-president-caricature-art-by-www-segmation-com//.
Sources:
http://www.kitchenmusician.net/smoke/tjinstruments.html
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1850902_1850905_1850907,00.html
Coming soon: Do you love to knit? If so, you will definitely want to read Segmation’s exclusive blog post about the impact knitting had on society during World War 1.
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Very interesting! Thanks.
Thank you for enjoying our blog! Have a great day!
Interesting! Knowledge of how to read music is required in our house. Even though they gripe about piano lessons I tell them they can play any instrument in the world since they know how to read music.
Thank you for your kind words. I hope you have a nice day! http://www.segmation.com
Fascinating… 🙂
A very interesting read!
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed my blog. More can be found at http://www.segmation.com.
I had no idea – especially about Richard Nixon.
Glad that you got something out of this. Thank you for your comment.