1868 John Pond Ordway Massachusetts House of Representatives

John Pond Ordway (August 1, 1824 – April 27, 1880) was an American doctor, composer, music entrepreneur, and politician.

Biography

Born in Salem, Massachusetts, in the mid-1840s John Ordway and his father Aaron opened a music store in Boston. John was also a music publisher and composer; his song ''Twinkling Stars are Laughing, Love'' (1855) was recorded by the Hayden Quartet as late as 1904. Around 1845 he organized Ordway's Aeolians, a blackface minstrelsy, blackface minstrel troupe which performed at Ordway Hall (Boston), Ordway Hall in Boston and also nationally to promote Ordway's publishing business. Future bandleader/composer Patrick Gilmore worked in Ordway's store and also appeared with the Aeolians. James Lord Pierpont's first major composition "The Returned Californian" in 1852 was written expressly for Ordway and his troupe. A number of 19th century songs were written for the Aeolians and/or dedicated to Ordway, including Jingle Bells. Ordway's composition "Song Bie Ge, Dreaming of Home and Mother" (1868) was a very popular sentimental song of the Civil War era, and continues to be played; it is popular in East Asia in translated versions. In 1907, a Japanese version with lyrics entitled 旅愁 (Loneliness in Travel) by Kyukei Indou was published in a middle school song book and became popular immediately. Having heard the song while studying at Tokyo Fine Arts and Music School, Hong Yi, Li Shutong translated it to Chinese with title of 送別 (Farewell) in 1915. It was used during the closing ceremony of 2022 Winter Olympics, 2022 Beijing Olympics. Graduating from Harvard Medical School, Harvard Medical College in 1859, Ordway was one of the first surgeons to volunteer at the start of the American Civil War, Civil War, serving in the 6th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, 6th Massachusetts Militia. He was one of the Union surgeons sent to tend to the wounded after the Battle of Gettysburg. Ordway served from 1859 to 1873 on Boston's School Board, and one term (1868) in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He was opposed to corporal punishment in schools, sponsoring a bill to that effect in the legislature. Ordway was also responsible for founding the Massachusetts Angler's Association, the forerunner to the Massachusetts Fish and Game Association. He died in Boston, Massachusetts. His nephew Lucius Pond Ordway (the son of his older brother Aaron Ordway) was a major backer of 3M in its early days and served as its president.

Published songs

*"The Death of Taylor", composed by, 1850John P. Ordway. Timeline of Works. Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
/ref> *"Old Sam Grid Iron", composed by, 1850 *"Home Delights", composed by, 1854 *"Wake! Dinah, Wake!", composed by, 1854 *"Know Nothing Polka", composed by, 1855 *"Twinkling Stars are Laughing, Love", composed by, 1855 *"Mother, Dear, I'm Thinking of You", composed by, 1857 *"Silver Moonlight Winds", composed by, 1858 *"Let Me Kiss Him for His Mother", composed by, 1859 *"Dreaming of Home and Mother", composed by, 1868

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordway, John P. American male composers 1824 births 1880 deaths People from Salem, Massachusetts People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Physicians from Massachusetts Harvard Medical School alumni 19th century in Boston Musicians from Boston 19th-century American composers Boston School Committee members Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 19th-century American male musicians 19th-century American politicians

Biography

Published songs

See also

References