James Pierpont (musician)

James Lord Pierpont ( born April 25, 1822 † August 5, 1893 ) was an American songwriter and composer, known for his composition Jingle Bells.

Family

His father John Pierpont was a pastor at a church in Boston. He was a famous poet. His mother's name was Mary Sheldon Lord. Together, the parents had six children.

Pierpont first wife was Millicent Cowee. With her he had two children, Mary and John Pierpont Barnum. She died in 1856 of tuberculosis. His second wife was Eliza Jane Purse, with whom he had other children.

Life

At the age of ten he was sent to a boarding school in New Hampshire. In a letter to his mother he wrote from there on the sleigh race in the snow, from which is also the lyrics of the song Jingle Bells. After boarding school, he spent several years on a ship. In 1845 he returned to the East Coast, where his father worked. There he married Millicent Cowee, with whom he later Mary and John got. Mary was later a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution ( DAR). In 1849 he left his wife and children to establish a company in San Francisco during the gold rush. He is said to have worked at this time as a photographer.

1853 took his brother John Pierpont Jr. a post at the parish of Savannah (Georgia ). James followed him and became director and organist of the music of the church. There he gave organ lessons and singing lessons. In the same year he published his first songs like Kitty Crowe, The Colored Coquette, Ring the Bell, Fanny, Quitman Town March and Wait, Lady, Wait.

When his wife died, he married a little later in 1857 Eliza. Soon after, they had their first child Lillie. His two children from his first marriage continued to live in Massachusetts with James ' father. In August 1857 he released his song One Horse Open Sleigh, now known under the title of Jingle Bells.

When in 1859 the church was closed in Savannah, his brother John Pierpont, Jr. in 1860 went back to the north. James remained with his wife and child in Savannah and was the beginning of the Civil War, a member of the Fifth Georgia Cavalry. For this he wrote during this time songs such as Our Battle Flag, Strike for the South and We Conquer or Die.

After the war he moved with his family to Valdosta, Georgie, where he taught music and made ​​many friends.

In 1869 he moved to Quitman (Georgia), where he was organist of the Presbyterian Church. Here he gave private piano lessons and taught at the Quitman Academy until his retirement.

1880 renewed his son, Dr. Pierpont Juriah M.D. but the copyrights of Jingle Bells, never earned much money by it. He brought to great effort to ensure links after the expiration of copyrights, his father's name with the song remained.

1893 Pierpont died in Winter Haven, Florida. At his request, he was buried next to his Schwippschwager Thomas in Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah.