Alonzo "Zo" Elliot (May 25, 1891 – June 25, 1964) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

Early life

Born in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is the List of municipalities in New Hampshire, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Located on the banks of the Merrimack River, it had a population of 115,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Manches ...

, Elliot was educated at St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire,

Phillips Academy Phillips Academy (also known as PA, Phillips Academy Andover, or simply Andover) is a Private school, private, Mixed-sex education, co-educational college-preparatory school for Boarding school, boarding and Day school, day students located in ...

( Andover, Massachusetts),

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, and

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

. He also studied music privately with

Nadia Boulanger Juliette Nadia Boulanger (; 16 September 188722 October 1979) was a French music teacher, conductor and composer. She taught many of the leading composers and musicians of the 20th century, and also performed occasionally as a pianist and organis ...

and

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, among others.

"There's a Long, Long Trail"

His best-known composition is " There's a Long Long Trail A-Winding", a popular song from the era of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Elliott wrote the music, and Stoddard King, Elliot's chief song collaborator, wrote the lyrics, when they were seniors at

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

. The song was published in London in 1914 (no U.S. publisher would gamble on it), but a December 1913 copyright for the music is claimed by Zo Elliot.

In Elliot's own words told to me shortly before his death in 1964, he created the music as an idle pursuit one day in his dorm room at Yale in 1913. King walked in, liked the music and suggested a first line. Elliot sang out the second, and so they went through the lyrics. And they performed it—with trepidation—before the fraternity that evening. The interview was published as an article in the New Haven Register and later reprinted in Yankee Magazine. It then appeared on page 103 of "The Best of Yankee Magazine" In the interview he recalled the day and the odd circumstances that led to the creation of this historic song. I'm so pleased to have caught the details for history. — Marc Drogin

Other works

Elliot composed the well-known march “British Eighth”. It was written in tribute to General Bernard Montgomery and the Eighth Army and was copyrighted in 1943 for publishing in 1944. He also composed as an opera entitled ''Top Sergeant''. In addition, he wrote an article on the background of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

song " John Brown's Body" (“John Brown’s body lies a-mouldering in his grave,” sung to a melody later to become more famous as the melody to “

The Battle Hymn of the Republic The "Battle Hymn of the Republic" is an American patriotic song written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. Howe adapted her song from the soldiers' song " John Brown's Body" in November 1861, and sold ...

"); the article purported to show that the John Brown of the song was a soldier in Boston, not the famous abolitionist of the same name. Elliot died age 73 at the Gaylord Farm Hospital in

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part ...

on June 25, 1964.

References

External links

Zo Elliot Papers
at the Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, Yale University; includes photograph of Elliot
Sheet music for "There's a Long, Long Trail"
M. Witmark & Sons, 1914. *"Alonzo Elliot" ''Chicago Tribune'', June 26, 1964 (short death notice). *"Alonzo Elliott (sic) Composer, Dead" ''New York Times'', June 26, 1964, page 29 (includes photograph). {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliot, Alonzo Songwriters from New Hampshire American male composers 1891 births 1964 deaths Yale University alumni Columbia Law School alumni 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters 20th-century American songwriters