Philip Antony Corri / Arthur Clifton:
Letter to Isaac Phillipps, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the First Independent Church of Baltimore, March 29, 1826.
Allow me, through you as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the first Independent Church, to make a request which I hope may not be consider'd by them as unjust, or occasion'd by dissatisfaction.
It is now three years that I have had the honor to serve in your Church as Organist & to the best of my abilities, without ever having fail'd in punctuality. On the resignation of Mr. Carr I accepted the double duty of Organist and Leader at a very reduced salary, with the understanding that when the fiscal affairs of the Church were less embarrass'd, my salary would be more liberal.
From a knowledge of the difficulties the Church labor'd under, I have never yet made any claim on the liberality of the Trustees, but now I hope it will not be deem'd premature, when I solicit their consideration that I am performing the duty of two, with the salary of one.
If the Trustees are content with my efforts, and think me worthy of the situation I yet hold, may I hope that they will so evince their approval by encreasing [sic] my salary, thereby rendering it more commensurate with the duty I have to perform, and with that of my predecessor.
Letter to Isaac Phillipps, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the First Independent Church of Baltimore, January 7, 1830.
The short notice I had of any reduction being made in the already reduced Salary I received at your Church and the short conversation I had with you yesterday morning prevented me from properly contemplating the subject.
I now beg leave, respectfully to state my reasons for objecting to the proposed reduction.
I have held my situation of Organist and Conductor of the Choir at a rate by no means adequate to the double duty which in all other Churches is performed by two individuals. At St. Pauls--Mr. Meinicke & J. Cole for $400--at Christ Church by Mr. L. Smith (who is not a professor of music but a Bankers Clerk) and Mr. Dearley for $300-- At Mr. Nevins Church by Mr Smitt & Mr Welsh for $300-- and I believe at St. Peters by Mr Sminke & another for $300-- At the Cathedral at a great expence-- Hence I have saved for the Church 50 or 100 dollars annually by assuming the double duty of organist and conductor or teacher of the Choir at a low rate; indeed at half what you formerly paid Mr Carr--
Under the circumstances, the Trustees will not take offence at my resigning a situation I cannot hold with satisfaction to myself, nor consequently, to my employers.
If the funds of the Church are insufficient to defray the expense of the Choir, I regret, that in duty to my professional abilities, I cannot yield to my desire of acquiescing to their proposal--
I would accept the situation of Organist alone at $200-- but to lead, and teach the Choir is certainly worth a dollar a day.