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William Batchelder Bradbury

An American Sunday-school songwriter, composer of "Jesus Loves Me" and editor of songbooks

RomanticVoiceHarmony

Who he was

William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868) was born in York, Maine, and died in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1868. As a boy he studied music in Boston with Lowell Mason, and later ran singing schools and taught Sunday-school songs in New York and elsewhere. He edited songbooks such as The Golden Chain, The Golden Shower and Fresh Laurels, and wrote tunes for children, the most famous being "Jesus Loves Me" of 1862. His working life centred on teaching and editing rather than on concert composition.

His place

He belongs to the nineteenth-century American world of Sunday-school songs and songbook publishing, and with Mason and Root helped turn singing schools into mass education. His books mixed European hymns with newly written American tunes; his pieces have a narrow range and much repetition, suited to children and untrained adults. They were aimed at Sunday schools and homes, arranged by use so that a teacher could take a piece straight into class. Compared with art song, they do not aim at delicate psychology but at something a class can remember after one hearing and join at once.

What to hear

Listen first for simple melody: "Jesus Loves Me" moves almost entirely by step within less than an octave, so hear how it lets a whole class of children sing. Anna Warner wrote the words, and the tune follows their accents almost exactly. Then for repeated chorus: the refrain of "Sweet Carols" returns again and again, and repetition does the work of technique. Next, march rhythm: "Marching Along" is driven by a steady tread, so hear where the accents fall. Finally, strophic form: "In a Manger Laid So Lowly" keeps the same tune for different verses, and the melody must carry each new text.

Key works

Influence

Bradbury's songbooks and tunes entered countless churches and homes, and "Jesus Loves Me" was later translated into many languages. His books circulated widely around the Civil War, and many American children met their first song in them. He proved that a song a child can remember will cross the church wall.

Listen in the library

Jesus Loves MeC10:36《耶稣爱我》——他最著名的旋律，听级进音型怎样便于儿童齐唱（C1）DetailsSweet CarolsC10:34《甜蜜的颂歌》——圣诞歌曲，听副歌的重复与呼应（C1）DetailsMarching AlongC10:44《Marching Along》——进行曲式的主日学歌曲，听节奏的推动（C1）DetailsIn a Manger Laid So LowlyC10:34《在马槽里安放》——圣诞赞美诗，听分节歌的旋律怎样重复（C1）Details

All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).

Sources

  • 布拉德伯里生平、纽约教学与歌本出版，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Bradbury, William Batchelder"；本文为原创表述
  • 十九世纪美国主日学歌曲与儿童赞美诗，参通行布拉德伯里研究；实例说明为本站听辨提示

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.