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William B. Bradbury
1816 - 1868 Person Name: W. B. Bradbury Composer of "LITTLE PILGRIM" in The Home and School Hymnal William Bachelder Bradbury USA 1816-1868. Born at York, ME, he was raised on his father's farm, with rainy days spent in a shoe-shop, the custom in those days. He loved music and spent spare hours practicing any music he could find. In 1830 the family moved to Boston, where he first saw and heard an organ and piano, and other instruments. He became an organist at 15. He attended Dr. Lowell Mason's singing classes, and later sang in the Bowdoin Street church choir. Dr. Mason became a good friend. He made $100/yr playing the organ, and was still in Dr. Mason's choir. Dr. Mason gave him a chance to teach singing in Machias, ME, which he accepted. He returned to Boston the following year to marry Adra Esther Fessenden in 1838, then relocated to Saint John, New Brunswick. Where his efforts were not much appreciated, so he returned to Boston. He was offered charge of music and organ at the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn. That led to similar work at the Baptist Tabernacle, New York City, where he also started a singing class. That started singing schools in various parts of the city, and eventually resulted in music festivals, held at the Broadway Tabernacle, a prominent city event. He conducted a 1000 children choir there, which resulted in music being taught as regular study in public schools of the city. He began writing music and publishing it. In 1847 he went with his wife to Europe to study with some of the music masters in London and also Germany. He attended Mendelssohn funeral while there. He went to Switzerland before returning to the states, and upon returning, commenced teaching, conducting conventions, composing, and editing music books. In 1851, with his brother, Edward, he began manufacturring Bradbury pianos, which became popular. Also, he had a small office in one of his warehouses in New York and often went there to spend time in private devotions. As a professor, he edited 59 books of sacred and secular music, much of which he wrote. He attended the Presbyterian church in Bloomfield, NJ, for many years later in life. He contracted tuberculosis the last two years of his life.
John Perry
William B. Bradbury
John Curwen
1816 - 1880 Author of "I'm a little pilgrim" in The Sunday School Hymnary Curwen, John, son of the Rev. S. Curwen, of an old Cumberland family, born at Heckmondwike, Yorkshire, Nov. 14, 1816, and educated at Coward College, and University College, London. In 1838 he became assistant minister in the Independent Church, Basingstoke; co-pastor at Stowmarket in 1841, and pastor at Plaistow, Essex, in 1844. There he developed and promoted the Tonic Sol-fa method of teaching to sing, using it in his own schools and church, and lecturing upon it in various parts of the country. Resigning his ministry through ill health, in 1867, he established a printing and publishing business in order the better to create a Tonic Sol-fa literature. In 1853 he assisted in founding the Tonic Sol-fa Association, for the promotion of that method of singing, and in 1862 the Tonic Sol-fa College. He died May 25, 1880. Besides a number of works explanatory of the Tonic Sol-fa system, Mr. Curwen was the compiler of Sacred Songs, 1840, and Hymns & Chants, 1844. In 1846 these were combined as The Child's Own Hymn Book. This was enlarged in 1865, and recast as The New Child’ s Own Hymn Book in 1874. As a Sunday-school hymn-book this collection has been exceedingly and deservedly popular.
For it Mr. Curwen composed two hymns:—
1. I'm a little Pilgrim. Pressing Heavenwards. This was written in place of another with the same first line, whose author had refused permission for its use in Mr. Curwen's book. The time and chorus usually sung with it are American.
2. 0 what has Jesus done for me? Passiontide. This was also written in place of another having the same line.
These are the only hymns known to be his The Sabbath Hymn Book, Lond. 1859, was also edited by Mr. Curwen. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.]
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
John Curwen
