author
Robert Rutherford Drummond
1883–1946
A Maine scholar and teacher, he is best remembered for tracing how German immigrants helped shape Philadelphia’s early musical life. His surviving work brings together music history, language study, and a strong interest in cultural exchange.
1 Audiobook
Early German music in Philadelphia
by Robert Rutherford Drummond
About the author
Born in Bangor, Maine, in 1883, Robert Rutherford Drummond graduated from the University of Maine in 1905, then continued his studies in Germany before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
He joined the University of Maine faculty in 1909 as a teacher of German and later led the department, remaining there until his death in 1946. That long academic career suggests a scholar deeply committed to language and European culture.
Drummond is known for Early German Music in Philadelphia (1910), a study of the role German-speaking communities played in the city’s musical life before 1800. The book reflects his blend of historical research and literary clarity, and it remains the work most closely associated with his name.