Performing as a virtuoso of the (now rare) keyed Kent bugle and the violin, he wrote more than two hundred compositions of various styles—operatic airs, Ethiopian minstrel songs, patriotic marches, ballads, cotillions, quadrilles, quicksteps and other dances.

Francis "Frank" Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 16, 1792, and baptized three months later at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on September 23.

In 1837 Johnson and a small ensemble of African American musicians sailed to England to take part in the celebrations surrounding the ascent of Queen Victoria to the British throne.

[citation needed] This notoriety is a hint as to why Johnson's music was included in compilations alongside Beethoven, Bellini, Brahms, Burgmüller, Czerny, Donizetti and Weber.

[4] Johnson successfully rivaled white musical organizations, receiving patronage from the public in spite of the considerable racial discrimination of the time.

[citation needed] This is presumed to be similar to the improvisations made by jazz musicians today, although the current practices and idioms are probably vastly different from the ones used by Johnson.

[6] The Philadelphia Public Ledger newspaper reported that Johnson introduced the extended technique of singing while playing,[citation needed] which has become more common today as a way of providing wind instrumentalists a means of producing harmonies.

[citation needed] The orchestral version of Ravel's "Ma Mère l'Oye" (Mother Goose) features a similar effect in the "Tom Thumb" movement, where flutes depict the chirping birds that steal the breadcrumb trail.

During this period, it was common to not write a complete score, since works were in such demand that this time-consuming task was best left as notes; the performers could more easily be taught to produce the desired sound.