Mildred J. Hill (June 27, 1859 – June 5, 1916) was an American songwriter and musicologist, who composed the melody for “Good Morning to All”, later used as the melody for “Happy Birthday to You”. (More from Wikipedia)
That bit of doggerel is something that nearly everyone hears at least once a year. This song too has songwriting credits. As explained by Wikipedia: “The melody of ‘Happy Birthday to You’ comes from the song ‘Good Morning to All’, which has been attributed to American siblings Patty Hill and Mildred J. Hill in 1893, although the claim that the sisters composed the tune is disputed. Patty was a kindergarten principal in Louisville, Kentucky, developing various teaching methods at what is now the Little Loomhouse; Mildred was a pianist and composer. The sisters used ‘Good Morning to All’ as a song that young children would find easy to sing. The combination of melody and lyrics in ‘Happy Birthday to You’ first appeared in print in 1912, and probably existed even earlier.”
(April 2015/1)
