[Over Bethlehem's hill, in days of old]

Composer: William W. Gilchrist

Born: January 8, 1846, Jersey City, New Jersey. Died: December 20, 1916, Easton, Pennsylvania. Buried: Saint Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. Gilchrist’s family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when William was nine years old. He attended school there until the outbreak of the American civil war, when his father’s business failed and William had to seek other work. Having a good voice, he sang in choirs and choruses, first as a soprano, and later a smooth, flexible baritone. He began singing some of the principal parts in the Handel and Haydn Society, where his first real musical life began. At age 19, Gilchrist began studying organ and voice with Professor H. A. Clarke, gradually concentrating on t… Go to person page >