Johns, Clayton

1857-

American composer, pianist and teacher; best known for his songs. Born of American parents at New Castle, Delaware, and educated at public and private schools and at Rugby Academy, Wilmington. On going to Boston to enter the School of Technology, he heard the Symphony Orchestra and decided to study music. He entered Harvard as a special student in Professor Paine's class in theory, from 1879 to 1881, and took lessons on the piano from William H. Sherwood; studied for two years in Berlin under Kiel in composition, and Garabau, Rummel and Raif in piano. On his return, in 1884, he took up his residence in Boston, where he still lives, teaching and appearing occasionally in concerts. His songs are popular in England and Germany as well as in America. He has written some instrumental music, a berceuse and scherzino for string-orchestra, played at a Boston Symphony concert, and by the Damrosch Orchestra and others. For the piano he has written an impromptu capriccietto; canzone; promenade; mazurka; waltz; introduction and fugue; for violin and piano an excellent intermezzo; berceuse; and romance and scherzino. He has written over one hundred songs, among them excellent settings of songs by Dobson, Herford and Bates and Uhland's Wander Songs; three French songs; four songs by Ada Christen; Song of Four Seasons; Were I a Prince Egyptian,  and No Lotus Flower on Ganges Grows, two very successful Egyptian songs; four German songs, nine songs by Herrick, Dickinson and others; and his most popular, I Love and the World is Mine; When Blooms the Rose; and I Cannot Help Loving Thee.