Ephraim Ruebush (September 26, 1833 – November 18, 1924) was a music teacher, publisher, and co-founder of the Ruebush-Kieffer Company, one of the largest and most influential publishers of gospel song books in the United States.
Ephraim Ruebush was born in
Churchville, Virginia
Churchville is a census-designated place (CDP) in the western part of Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 194. , the son of John Ruebush and Mary Huffman. In September 1853, he traveled to
Singers Glen, Virginia
Singers Glen is an Census-designated place (CDP) located in Rockingham County, Virginia, and situated between Little North Mountain and Interstate 81. Singers Glen is a historic settlement that is registered by both the Virginia Historic Landma ...
, to study music and printing under
Joseph Funk
Joseph Funk (1778–1862) was a pioneer American music teacher, publisher, and an early American composer. He invented a shape note system in 1851 for the Harmonia Sacra.
Funk was born April 6, 1778 (though his gravestone states March 9, 1777) ...
. He married Lucille Virginia Kieffer on March 28, 1861. With his brother-in-law,
Aldine Silliman Kieffer
Aldine Silliman Kieffer (August 1, 1840 – November 30, 1904) was a leading 19th century proponent of shape note musical notation, music teacher and publisher.
Kieffer was born near Miami, Saline County, Missouri. He died in Dayton, Virgin ...
, he founded the Kieffer-Ruebush music company in
Dayton, Virginia
Dayton is a town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. The population is 1,530 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Dayton is located at (38.416323, -78.939440). The ...
. This became one of the largest and most influential
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
companies of its day, printing songbooks into the 1940s. Ruebush died on November 18, 1924, and is buried in Dayton.
Jacob Henry Hall
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...
, an author of books on gospel music and a book on gospel songwriters, was associated with the company.
References
External links
The Music Books of Ruebush and Kieffer accessed February 24, 2012
The Musical Million: The Ruebush-Kieffer Company, Singing Schools, And The Birth Of Southern Gospel, The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia
1833 births
1924 deaths
American music educators
American music publishers (people)
People from Churchville, Virginia
People from Dayton, Virginia
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