The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-11
Ths Composer Of "Grandfather's
Clock"

1t would be incorrect to call Henry
Clay Work a famous composer, though
many of his songs, foremost among
which are recalled Marching Through
Georgia, p" Wake Nicodemus, -" King
dom Come" and " Father, Dear Father,
Come Home," are famous throughout
the length and breath of the land. Yet
the very name of their author, shy,
retiring man, is scarcely known to one
person in ten thousand. Mr.. Work is a
native of Connecticut. The family pos
sessed little means, and consequently
Henry began life as a journeyman print
er. He did not know how to play
single instrument, but the time came
when the melodies floating in his brain
were placed upon paper and found quick
appreciation, but the composer remained
obscure and almost unknown. He man.
aged, however, to make considerable
money, by reason of the popularity and
immense sale of his ringing and stirring
war songs, and after the war went to
Europe and spent some time wandering
about after q Quixotic fashion.
His mode of composition is most Pc
culiar. Music and words form them
selves in his brain, and are submitted to
paper and sent to publication without
ever being tried on any instrument or
heard from any lips. In addition to the
songs previously mentioned he is the
author of Grandfather's Clock u
"Babylon is Fallen" "Echo Dell, ~
"The Mystic Veil,' ga Thousand
Years." and "Joy in Heaven The
latter is the most ambitious and power
full of his compositions, and the account
of the singular circumstances attending
its conception, gathered from his letters
by lady of San Francisco, can not fail
to interest the public. Soon after he
came to Brooklyn. and while listening
to Mr.. Beecher's choir, he began to feel
strong desire to write something for
them to sing-a composition more elab-
orative, imaginative and descriptive
than an anthem; something greater
and grander than he had ever before
undertaken. He was closely occupied all
day, but began to collect material men,
tally, and finally commenced to COM
pose the melody and words as he walked
to the ferry, sat in the cabin, or stood
at his case in the printing office. All
day long he hummed it over, continual
ly changing, improving, perfecting. At
the further end of the room were a
dozen steam presses, under the cover of
whose continuous thunder he was
sheltered from notice. Occasionally,
after puzzling for hours over knotty
point, sudden light would flash upon
his mind, and the long-sought har-
monies burst upon him with such ex-
ceeding grandeur that he found himself
almost overcome with excitement and
quite oblivious of typographical distinc-
tons; yet, as his employers seemed sat
isfied, he must have, during the greater
portion of the time, carried on stimuli,
taneously two distinct varieties of COM
position, each requiring close mental
effort. At noon and during every odd
interval he penciled on scraps of paper
the literary and musical efforts. In the
evening he assorted and compiled them,
working under the greatest disadvantage
in sittining-room where there was ev-
erything to distract the mind. One
Saturday the manuscript was completed,
and he sent it to Mr.. Beecher, with an
explanatory note, hoping that he, after
looking it over, would Immediately send
it to the choir, and that they would ex-
anime it at their rehearsal that evening.
There ensued painful strain of nervous
suspense. At last he wrote three notes,
one after the other, requesting the re-
turn of the MSS, but received no reply.
Just as he was completely discouraged
daybreak came, and a note from Henry
Camp, the organist, stating that he
would be pleased to sing the compost
ton as an opening anthem. The
famous Plymouth Church choir of sew
enty voices was to sing his melodies, and
the great organ, with one exception the
largest and finest in the United States,
was to echo his harmonies. The delay
in responding to the author had been
caused by the loss of his address. He
received hearty greeting at Plymouth
Church that evening. The organist
clasped him by the hand and held it
fast all the while they walked across the
lecture-room to the choir library. He
said he liked the piece very much, and
that the final chorus was very effective
and grand, and all the while the COM
poser had never heard a single note sung
or played.-iSdn Francisco Chronicle.