|
He was an organist, music director and songwriter born
in Boston, Massachusetts as one of six children. His father was a poet, an abolitionist and a pastor at Boston's
Unitarian Hollis Street Church. He studied at a New Hampshire boarding school from the
time he was 10 and when he was 14 he ran away to sea. He had returned to the mainland by
the mid 1840s where he married and in 1849 he left his family in the care
of his father, who was now a minister in Medford, Massachusetts, so he
could travel to San Francisco and start a business. After one of the fires that were
commonplace in that city at the time, his stock was all destroyed, so he
returned to Medford. He
travelled with his brother to Savannah, Georgia, and became a music
director and organist of the Unitarian congregation there. He also started songwriting and
teaching organ and singing and had several songs published. The Unitarian Church in Savannah closed
in 1859 and he became a member of the Isle of Hope Volunteers of the First Georgia
Cavalry after the breakout of the Civil War. During the war years he worked as a company clerk and
wrote several Confederacy pieces along with various other types of songs
and once peace had been announced he moved to Valdosta, Georgia, and taught
music. In 1869 he relocated
his family again when they all moved to Quitman, Florida, where he taught at
the Quitman Academy, where he would later become Head of the Music
Department, and gave private lessons in piano as well as playing the organ
at the Presbyterian Church. His compositions include "Our Battle Flag", "Strike for
the South", "We Conquer or Die", "Wait, Lady Wait", "Quitman Town March", "Kitty
Crowe", "The Colored Coquette" and his most popular and extremely successful
"Jingle Bells". He died aged 71
in Winter Haven, Florida, and was buried beside his brother-in-law, Thomas,
in Savannah. Being honoured by
the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, his induction happened in 1970. He was the uncle of J.P. Morgan who
was a well-known financier.
Jingle Bells recordings
Black Dyke Mills Band
Chandos 4541 (CD: A Christmas Fantasy)
Boston Pops
Philips 416 287 - 2 (CD: We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
Conductor - John
Williams
DG 419 414-2 (CD: White Christmas)
Conductor - Arthur
Fiedler
RCA 09026-61685-2 (CD: Pops Christmas Party)
Conductor - Arthur
Fiedler
Sony SK 48232 (CD: Joy to the World)
Conductor - John
Williams
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Naxos 8.990005 (CD: Joy to the World)
Conductor - Richard Hayman
Rochester Pops Orchestra
Koch CHD 1531 (CD: Joy to the World Carols for Orchestra and Chorus)
St Louis
Philharmonic Orchestra
Sonari records - 7 55724 00272 3 (CD: Christmas with
the Philharmonic)
Conductor - Robert
Hart Baker
Sources:
- http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Biographies/james_lord_pierpont.htm
- http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibit_bio.asp?exhibitId=195
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Pierpont_(musician)
|
