George Frederick Root 1820-1895 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1864 edition Born: Au­gust 30, 1820, Shef­field, Mas­sa­chu­setts. Died: Au­gust 6, 1895, Bai­ley Isl­and, Maine. Buried: North Read­ing, Mas­sa­chu­setts. Pseudonyms Wurzel (German for “Root”) G. Friedrich Wurzel George F. Root (1820-1895) Root’s music­al tal­ents were ev­i­dent at an ear­ly age. By the time he was 13, he was proud that he could play a tune on as ma­ny in­stru­ments as his age. In 1838, Root moved to Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts, where he stu­died under George Webb. In 1845, he moved to New York City, play­ing the or­gan at the Church of the Strang­ers, and teach­ing mu­sic at the Ab­bott In­sti­tute for Young Ladies. In 1850, he toured Eur­ope for a year. Af­ter­ward, he start­ed work­ing with Lowell Mason, at Bos­ton’s Acad­e­my of Mu­sic. In 1851, Root be­gan com­pos­ing. One of his best known songs is “The Bat­tle Cry of Free­dom.” In 1859, Root be­gan work at his bro­ther’s com­pany, Root and Cady, in Chi­ca­go, Ill­i­nois. In 1872, the Uni­ver­si­ty of Chi­ca­go award­ed him an hon­o­rary Doc­tor of Mu­sic de­gree. Root’s works in­clude: The Young La­dies Choir, 1846 The Pil­grim Fa­thers, 1854 Belshazzar’s Feast, 1860 The Hay­mak­ers, 1857 The Sto­ry of a Mu­sic­al Life, 1891, an au­to­bi­o­gra­phy Sources Hall, pp. 29-35 Nutter, p. 464 Hymns Behold the Bridegroom Cometh Clear as Crystal Come to the Savior Inasmuch O the Way Is Long and Weary She Only Touched the Hem of His Garment Thou Art My Rock Why Do You Wait? Music Ellon Jerusalem, Thou City Bright Knocking, Knocking, Who Is There? Lowry O Where Are the Reapers? Rialto Ring the Bells Rosedale Suffer Little Children Tramp, Tramp, Tramp Varina We Are Watching We Come in Childhood’s Joyfulness When He Cometh -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11/20/2005 21:27:04