Established 2023
Music as Defiance in Isolation
Monday, November 11, 2024
Timothy Lie
All to know is nothing.
A thin layer of dust coated my fingertips as they traced the surface of the stone wall. It felt cold, almost lifeless. My eyes drifted upwards to the tiny window above the cell, where a faint ray light broke through; the unsettling silence and looming walls seemed to swallow any trace of hope that light might have offered. I closed my eyes, trying to imagine myself imprisoned in the cell for years. However, even a few minutes were unbearable. The air was suffocating, as if it was draining my breath.
Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) opened its doors October 25th, 1829 and was heralded as the world’s first true penitentiary. Located at the heart of Philadelphia’s Fairmount neighborhood, ESP juxtaposed its surrounding area with its isolating walls. Designed by John Haviland, the prison contained rows of solitary confinement cells spanning across seven corridors. The corridors radiated from a central point within the prison that allowed guards to monitor all seven cell blocks by a mere turn of their head. During the prison's early decades, incarcerated individuals were locked away in their cell and deprived of any form of social interaction, which was intended to inspire genuine penitence in those convicted. If they were to leave their cell, incarcerated individuals wore hoods on their heads “to prevent distraction, knowledge of the building, and even mild interaction with the guards”.
Friendship and Melodies
However, in this oppressive silence, there might have existed a rare source of hope for those confined here: music. Music is often regarded as the universal language, but how might have it given hope for the convicted persons at ESP? How would incarcerated individuals have the opportunity to even play music? In The Umpire, one of many newspapers printed within the walls of ESP, we find the Honor and Friendship Club (HFC). The club was a social organization for incarcerated individuals, providing a recreational outlet for its members as the prison gradually relaxed its solitary confinement policies. Below is an excerpt from Charles Miller (B-6447), Vice President of the HFC.
- “If there is any one feeling that is universal, that feeling is the need of friends. How well we know that, to be friendless has always been accounted the most pitiable of conditions. Friendship is among the common things of earth and yet it is of the finest. Because it has inspired the most heroic deeds it has figured greatly both in history and fiction. Because it is tender, and the dearest possession of the heart, and we all know it has been praised in the songs the human heart holds dear. It is a feeling that comes from within, not from without. To have friends you must be one; he who is to be your friend must feel the desire in you as well as in himself.”
Within the HFC, members were encouraged to find community and serve as friends to each other. The club contrasted sharply with the surrounding isolation at ESP, providing a rare sense of camaraderie and belonging for its members in a place designed to instill regret. For many people, the HFC was a place where individuals could reconnect with their humanity and create friendships that were beyond the confines of their cell. Members shared in activities like music which offered a fleeting sense of normalcy in ESP’s culture of social isolation. Music was not purely for entertainment, as we often experience it while studying or walking from place to place; it was a mode to finding communities in a place intended to breaking them.
The HFC often held parades where they played “cheering music” and “all enjoyed themselves and were happy in thus being allowed to mingle freely with their fellows and free for the moment of watch and ward”. These pieces included "Dixie Land”, which were meant to express themes of happiness and resilience amongst incarcerated people at ESP. Popular songs served as reminders of their past and provided a sense of nostalgia.
John H. Evans
One notable individual found in The Umpire was John H. Evans (B-6765). Evans was born on October 11th, 1975 in Camden, NJ and was received by the ESP on September 12th, 1913 at 43 years old for his fourth conviction (Ancestry.com). Evans was recorded to have joined the HFC and was a bugle and cornet player. Across The Umpire in the “Honor Club Notes”, Evans was a well-respected member and performed with the HFC band during parades, marches, and vaudeville events. Evans played a significant role in the HFC and greatly influenced the club’s performances with his playing. Though it was not explicitly mentioned on what pieces Evans may have played, it’s likely that he likely played familiar bugle pieces like “Reveille”, “Taps”, and “Star Spangled Banner” during athletic games. Evans was also reported to have played a cornet solo during a film screening which was appreciated by those attending the event.
Evans’ contribution to the HFC as a bugle and cornet player is evidence that music was an impactful pastime of life within ESP. Evans was given the opportunity to participate in events and gatherings that broke the motions of isolation and social deprivation through his performances. Evans likely looked forward to rehearsals and performances, which may have provided him a sense of normalcy. The HFC not only impacted Evans but many other people as well. The shared activities by the club served as a catalyst for interaction and escape from the cold, lifeless atmosphere of each cell. How music and the HFC individual impacted each incarcerated individual at ESP is hard to tell, but it is no doubt that both were evidence that life within ESP’s walls existed and that the cells couldn’t bring friendships apart.
References
- The Umpire, 028 (1916)
- The Umpire, 116 (1916)
- The Umpire, 144 (1916)
- The Umpire, 032 (1917)
- Pennsylvania, U.S., Prison, Reformatory, and Workhouse Records (1829-1971)
- Eastern State Penitentiary History Overview (2019)
- Temple University Libraries, Urban Archives
- World Monuments Fund
