Richard Milburn
Encyclopedia
Richard Milburn or "Whistling Dick" was a nineteenth century African American composer
and barber
. Milburn cut hair in his father's shop on Lombard Street in Philadelphia
. He played the guitar
, and he often whistled tunes while he worked. He composed "Listen to the Mocking Bird", which, arranged by Septimus Winner
, became one of the most popular ballads of the era, selling more than twenty million copies of sheet music
at the time.
Richard Milburn Academies around the US are named for the composer.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
. Milburn cut hair in his father's shop on Lombard Street in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. He played the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and he often whistled tunes while he worked. He composed "Listen to the Mocking Bird", which, arranged by Septimus Winner
Septimus Winner
Septimus Winner is best known as a songwriter of the nineteenth century. He used his own name, and also the pseudonyms Alice Hawthorne, Percy Guyer, Mark Mason, Apsley Street, and Paul Stenton...
, became one of the most popular ballads of the era, selling more than twenty million copies of sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
at the time.
Richard Milburn Academies around the US are named for the composer.