William Batchelder Bradbury (October 6, 1816 – January 7, 1868) was a musician who composed the tune to "

Jesus Loves Me "Jesus Loves Me" is a Christian hymn written by Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). The lyrics first appeared as a poem in the context of an 1860 novel called ''Say and Seal'', written by her older sister Susan Warner (1819–1885), in which t ...

" and many other popular hymns.

Biography

He was born on October 6, 1816, in York, Maine, where his father was the leader of a church choir. He had a brother,

Edward G. Bradbury Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

. He moved with his parents to Boston and met Lowell Mason, and by 1834 was known as an organist. In 1840, he began teaching in Brooklyn, New York. In 1847 he went to Germany, where he studied harmony, composition, and vocal and instrumental music with the best masters. In 1854, he started the Bradbury Piano Company, with his brother,

in New York City. William Bradbury is best known as a composer and publisher of a series of musical collections for choirs and schools. He was the author and compiler of fifty-nine books starting in 1841. In 1862, Bradbury found the poem "

". Bradbury wrote the music and added the chorus: "Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus Loves me ..." He died on January 7, 1868, in Bloomfield, New Jersey (now Montclair, New Jersey) at age 51. He was buried in

Bloomfield Cemetery Bloomfield Cemetery, designated a New Jersey Historic Site, is located at 383 Belleville Avenue, Bloomfield in Essex County, New Jersey. Bloomfield Cemetery is one of New Jersey’s most significant rural cemeteries, and the only such landscap ...

in Bloomfield, New Jersey.

Works

He composed many tunes, including those for "He Leadeth Me"; " Just As I Am"; "Sweet Hour of Prayer" (attributed to William W. Walford, 1772–1850); "

Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead us" is a Christian hymn written by Dorothy Ann Thrupp from London. The hymn first appeared unsigned in her collection Hymns for the Young, in 1836. The music is by William B. Bradbury. History The composer Doroth ...

" and "

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less My or MY may refer to: Arts and entertainment * My (radio station), a Malaysian radio station * Little My, a fictional character in the Moomins universe * My (album), ''My'' (album), by Edyta Górniak * My (EP), ''My'' (EP), by Cho Mi-yeon ...

", all of which can still be found in hynmbooks and songbooks today. File:"Fresh Laurels" by William Batchelder Bradbury (title page, 1867).jpg, William Batchelder Bradbury's ''Fresh Laurels'' of 1867 File:Elliott Bradbury Just as I am.jpg, Elliott Bradbury ''Just as I am'' File:1864 A Sound Among the Forest Trees songsheet.jpg, 1864 ''A Sound Among the Forest Trees'' songsheet

Publications

*''The Shawm'' (1853) *''The Jubilee'' (1858) *''Cottage Melodies'' (1859) *''The Golden Chain'' (1861) *"

Hold On Abraham! "Hold on Abraham!" is a popular song dating from 1862, during the time of the American Civil War. The song is fast-paced and repetitive, and, at the time of its popularity, was often performed by Minstrel Show, minstrels. The words and lyrics were ...

" (1862) *''The Key-Note'' and ''Pilgrims' Songs'' (1863) *''The Golden Censer'' (1864) *''Golden Trio'' (1864) *''Temple Choir'' and ''Fresh Laurels'' (1867) *''Clairiona'' (1867) compilation of previous works

References

External links

*
Free scores

Mutopia Project The Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books. It started in 2000.Portal page at thInternet ArchiveRetrieved January 24, 20 ...

More scores and biographical information
at

Hymnary.org Hymnary.org is an online database of hymns, hymnodists and hymnals hosted by Calvin College's Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The searchable database contains over one million hymn tunes and texts and ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradbury, William Batchelder 1816 births 1868 deaths American male composers People from Montclair, New Jersey 19th-century American composers Musicians from New Jersey People from York, Maine Musicians from Maine American hymnwriters 19th-century American male musicians