Who was Thomas Jefferson? You know him as the third president of the United States and as the writer of our Declaration of Independence. He was a brilliant writer and statesman, impressing the Colonial public with his pen rather than his voice. It was through his writing that he fought for the independence of this country and then for democracy. But wait, there is so much more.

Thomas Jefferson was a man of extensive and varied interests, pursuits, and accomplishments. He was interested in both the sciences and the arts and committed himself to a lifetime of learning, creating, and contributing to others. He was a gifted inventor, philosopher, scientist, architect, musician, gardener, astronomer, and statesman.

Jefferson said that one of the passions in his life was music. He not only played the violin, but he enjoyed listening to live music and collected every type of music that was available in this country and abroad. Music was the soothing voice that filled many hours with pleasure and escape from his duties as a Virginia politician.

It is not known exactly when he began playing the violin, but by the age of 14, Jefferson already owned a violin and was better than the average player. He not only played “by book,” which is how the colonists referred to reading music, but he also played the songs he heard and liked from memory.

Violins were called fiddles then, and the Virginia countryside was full of fiddlers. In fact, fiddling contests were held everywhere, and were as popular then as sporting events are to us today. Jefferson must have heard hundreds of Virginia folk and hill tunes, many of which he liked enough to copy down in his notebooks and later play for himself.

The violin was more than an instrument for young Jefferson. It was his good friend. He filled endless hours playing the violin to amuse himself and ease the pain of missing his home and family while at school. This was only the beginning of what would later become an insatiable interest in music of all varieties, from baroque to ballads, while never forgetting his love of Virginia country tunes.

Jefferson not only loved music, but he loved horses and preferred riding to taking a carriage. While in Williamsburg, he bought a tiny violin, called a kit. He designed and made a case for it that fit onto his saddle. Now he could take his violin with him wherever he rode his horse! The violin had such a subdued sound that he could play it almost anywhere without bothering others.

The first shots of the American Revolution had been fired in Lexington and Concord. In Philadelphia, a Continental Congress, which had representation from each of the 13 colonies, was meeting. Jefferson was asked to join Congress as a representative from Virginia. This was a difficult time for him because a second baby girl had died, and his wife was now very ill. He stayed with his family as long as he could and then went back to Philadelphia in May 1776 to work with the Congress.

A committee was appointed to write down the reasons for wanting independence from Britain, and five men were chosen. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin were among the five. However, it was the quiet Virginian who was ultimately chosen to write about Colonial independence. He would later be called “The Penman of the American Revolution.”

Thomas Jefferson spent the next 18 days alone in his room, wrestling with the words that would make him famous. It was terribly hot in Philadelphia, and it was hard to settle down to write. Jefferson played his violin for hours at a time, trying to relax enough to write. What he created was a one-page document called the Declaration of Independence.