Elkanah Kelsey Dare

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Elkanah Kelsey Dare (January 15, 1782 – August 26, 1826) was a Mid-Atlantic schoolteacher, composer of sacred music, and Presbyterian minister. He was among the first American composers to publish music in shape-note notation.

Life
- Born in Salem, New Jersey, to Benoni Dare and Damaris Kelsey.
- Married Mary Shallcross Phillips in 1804; they had ten children.
- Moved to Wilmington, Delaware before 1809, then to Colerain Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, by 1817.
- Joined the Presbyterian church at age 23.
- Worked as music editor for Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second (1813) for printer John Wyeth; he is described as “late of Wilmington College,” suggesting a move to Pennsylvania.
- Served as pastor at Union Presbyterian Church in Colerain Township from 1817 until his death. He also was Dean of Boys at Wilmington College.
- Died of swamp fever in 1826.

Musical works
- Dare composed ten tunes, all appearing in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, Part Second (1813).
- Five of his tunes were reprinted in Shenandoah Harmony (2013); three were reprinted in The Valley Pocket Harmonist (2024).
- Notable works include Kedron (1799), Road’s Town (1813), and Babylonian Captivity (1813).
- Free scores are available at the Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL).
- The introductory essay to Wyeth’s Repository credits Dare’s editorial approach; editors note Wyeth himself had limited formal musical training, so Dare likely handled much of the musical editing for Part Second.

Discography
- Babylonian Captivity – I Am The Rose Of Sharon, on Early American Vocal Music, Vol. 1.