[There's a happy land, far away]

Composer: E. T. Hildebrand

Born: January 18, 1866, Rockingham County, Virginia. Died: March 23, 1931. Buried: Weaver Mennonite Church Cemetery, Dayton, Virginia. Hildebrand attended the public schools and Shenandoah Seminary. His mother taught him to sing as soon as he could talk, but his first regular teacher was D. M. Click. He later studied with James Ruebush, Benjamin Unseld, P. J. Merges, George and Frederick Root, C. B. Shaw, F. H. Tubbs and others. He began teaching singing schools during the summer months while pursuing his college course. He was elected principal of the Dayton Music School in 1894, resigning in 1899 to become Director of Music at Bridgewater College, Virginia. He owned the Hildebrand-Burnette music publishing company in Waynesboro, Virg… Go to person page >