Henry Clay Work  (1832-1884)
Last updated: 01.02.24
Henry Clay Work was an American songwriter and composer of popular songs, born in Middletown, Connecticut and died in Hartford. He was educated in Illinois but later returned to Connecticut taking an apprenticeship as a printer. Self-taught in music and poetry, he is reported to have composed directly whilst typesetting without a manuscript or resorting to a piano. He wrote a large number of patriotic songs during the Civil War, the best known being of course Marching Through Georgia (1865), which later became a jazz standard. His Grandfather's Clock (1876) is known throughout the English-speaking world ever since (and by-the-way, one this old codger's childhood favourites). Another of his songs to a achieve widespread popularity was Ring the Bell, Watchman! (1865) which with a change of lyrics became the almost Australian national anthem Click go the Shears. It was also taken up by English and Scandinavian seamen as Strike the bell.
Besides his music, Work was also an inventor patenting diverse machinations such as a rotary engine, a knitting machine and a walking doll. It is written that he was probably one of only a few of the truly original American popular song composers to invent American popular music style influencing the succeeding generations of songwriters.


Henry Clay Work  (1832-1884) has at least 2 item(s) at the Amazons which you can order on-line by clicking the item's order icon.
Grandfather's Clock
Music by: Henry Clay Work.
Performed by: Christy Minstrels
Publisher: Root & Cady
Suppliers: flag15us.gif
Printed: 1876. Sheet Music.
Watching For Pa
Music by: Henry Clay Work.
Performed by: Christy Minstrels
Publisher: Root & Cady
Suppliers: flag15us.gif
Printed: 1863. Sheet Music.
  Title (Release Year) Co-Author(s) Performers Issue
         
cylinder15.gif Grandfather's Clock (1915) Helen Clark
W.V. Brunt
Edison Blue Amberol: 2526
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia - Song (1911) Byron George Harlan
Joe Parsons
U.S. Everlasting: 369
cylinder15.gif Grandfather's Clock (1905) Edison Male Quartette Edison Gold Moulded Record: 8967
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia - Song (1904) Byron George Harlan
F.C. Stanley
Edison Gold Moulded Record: 8606
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia - Song (1896-1900) George J. Gaskin Columbia Phonograph Co.: 4098
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia (1896-1900) Gilmore's Band Columbia: 1638
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia - Song (1913) James F. Harrison Edison Blue Amberol: 1888
cylinder15.gif Marching Through Georgia (1909) Indestructible Military Band Indestructible Record: 1069
  Title Co-Author(s) Sequencer
       
audiomidi15.gif Marching Through Georgia (1865) Colin McDonald
  Title (Release Year) Performers Instruments
     Performer CD Title Supplier
       
Brass Music CDs:
cd15.gif Rastrick & Brighouse Band An Evening with Brighouse and Rastrick Band flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
Jazz Music CDs:
cd15.gif Acker Bilk The Very Best of Acker Bilk flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
Ragtime Music CDs:
cd15.gif Various Artists 100 Favorite Patriotic Songs flag15us.gif flag15uk.gif flag15de.gif flag15fr.gif flag15ca.gif flag15it.gif flag15es.gif
Item Title Available €     £     $     Other
             
DBE620 Marching Through Georgia (1865) - March & Two Step
T/T/T+B/B/GB(B), approx. 2¾ mins.
1-2 days
other.gif
     Title Instruments Remarks
       
sm15.gif Marching Through Georgia (1865) T/T/T+B/B/GB(B) dbe15.gifwvicon.gif
     Title Attribution Remarks
       
url15.gif Grandfather's Clock Henry Clay Work (words & music)
George Formby Sr. (perf.)
 
     Title Attribution Instruments Source Remarks
           
pdf15.gif Babylon Is Fallen! (1863) H.C. Work (music) Piano, Voice Greer wvicon.gif
pdf15.gif Come Home, Father (1864) H.C. Work (w&m) Piano, Voice IMSLP Pub.
pdf15.gif Grandfather's Clock (1876) H.C. Work (w&m) Piano, Voice IMSLP Pub.
pdf15.gif Marching Through Georgia (1865) H.C. Work (music) Piano, Voice Greer Pub.
pdf15.gif Nellie Lost and Found (1863) H.C. Work (music) Piano, Voice Greer Pub.
pdf15.gif Ring the Bell, Watchman! (1865) H.C. Work (w&m) Piano, Voice IMSLP Pub.
pdf15.gif Watching For Pa (1850) H.C. Work (w&m) Piano, Voice IMSLP wvicon.gif
This list is arranged in chronological order and contains 52 works by Henry Clay Work (1832-1884). It does not claim to be complete and represents only the number of items located. Keys: ER pdf15.gif (w&m)
Title Year Attribution Remarks
       
Watching For Pa (w&m) 1850 Christy Minstrels (perf.)  wvicon.gif
We Are Coming, Sister Mary 1853  wvicon.gif
Lilly-Willy-Woken 1855  wvicon.gif
Brave Boys Are They! 1861  wvicon.gif
Grandmother Told Me So 1861  wvicon.gif
Lost on the Lady Elgin 1861  wvicon.gif
Our Captain's Last Words 1861  Pub.
God Save the Nation 1862  Pub.
Grafted Into the Army 1862  Pub.
How Are You Telegraph! 1862
Kingdom Coming! 1862  Pub.
Little Major 1862  Pub.
Uncle Joe's Hail Columbia 1862  Pub.
We'll Go Down Ourselves 1862  Pub.
Babylon Is Fallen! 1863  Pub.
Days When We Were Young, The 1863  Pub.
Title Year Attribution Remarks
       
Girls at Home, The 1863  wvicon.gif
Nellie Lost and Found 1863  Pub.
Sleeping For the Flag 1863
Song of a Thousand Years 1863  Pub.
Watching For Pa 1863 Christy Minstrels (perf.)  amazon15.gif Pub.
Come Home, Father (w&m) 1864  Pub.
Corporal Schnapps 1864  Pub.
Wake Nicodemus 1864  Pub.
Washington and Lincoln 1864
Just Before the Battle Mother 1865  wvicon.gif
Marching Through Georgia 1865 Gilmore's Band (perf.)
Indestructible Military Band (perf.)
Midi Ragtime Recorder Ensemble (perf.)
 Pub.  cylinder15.gif cylinder15.gifaudiomidi15.gif audiodbemp315.gif
Marching Through Georgia - Song 1865 George J. Gaskin (perf.)
Byron George Harlan (perf.)
James F. Harrison (perf.)
Joe Parsons (perf.)
Frank C. Stanley (perf.)
 Pub.  cylinder15.gif cylinder15.gif cylinder15.gif cylinder15.gif
Now Moses 1865  Pub.
Ring the Bell, Watchman! (w&m) 1865  Pub.
Tis Finished 1865  Pub.
Andy Veto 1866  Pub.
Title Year Attribution Remarks
       
Lillie of the Snowstorm 1866  wvicon.gif
Poor Kitty Popcorn 1866  Pub.
Who Shall Rule This American Nation? 1866  Pub.
Come Back to the Farm! 1867  Pub.
Crossing the Grand Sierras 1870  Pub.
Take Them Away! They'll Drive Me Crazy 1871  wvicon.gif
Grandfather's Clock (w&m) 1876 Walter Van Brunt (perf.)
Christy Minstrels (perf.)
Helen Clark (perf.)
Burl Ives (perf.)
Edison Male Quartette (perf.)
George Formby Sr. (perf.)
 amazon15.gif Pub. youtube15.jpg  cylinder15.gif cylinder15.gif
Used-Up Joe 1876  wvicon.gif
King Bibler's Army 1877  wvicon.gif
Shadows on the Floor 1877 Jennie Morgan (perf.)  Pub.
Sequel to Grandfather's Clock 1878  wvicon.gif
Ship That Never Returned, The 1884  Pub.
Bring the Good Old Bugle, Boys 1885
Beautiful Rose ?
Buckskin Bag of Gold ?
Columbia's Guardian Angels ?
Title Year Attribution Remarks
       
Dad's a Millionaire ?
First Love Dream ?
Phantom Footsteps ?
Touch the Sleeping Strings Again ?
     Composer Title Performer
       
youtube15.jpg H.C. Work Grandfather's Clock (2:23) Burl Ives