Richard Storrs Willis (1819 - 1900) was an American composer, notably of hymn music. He attended Chauncey Hall, the Boston Latin School, and Yale College where he was a member of Skull & Bones in 1841.
He then went to Germany, where he studied six years under Xavier Schnyder and Moritz Hauptmann. While there, he became a personal friend of Felix Mendelssohn. After returning to America, Willis served as music critic for the New York Tribune, The Albion, and The Musical Times, and edited The Musical Times (1852-64). Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he traveled to Germany and studied music composition there for six years.
Additionally, he was a newspaper critic and a music journal editor.
His works and music compilations include:
Church Chorals and Choir Studies (1850)
Our Church Music (1856)
Waif of Song (1876)
Pen and Lute (1883)
One of his better known hymns is It Came upon the Midnight Clear (1850), lyrics by Edmund Sears.
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