John Rogers Thomas

John Rogers Thomas (26 March 1830 Newport, Rhode Island-5 April 1896 New York City) was an American composer, pianist, and singer of Welsh decent. He performed with the Seguin English opera company, and later toured with a minstrel troupe that performed on Broadway. He wrote more than one hundred popular American songs during the nineteenth century of which his most popular were "The Cottage by the Sea" (1856), "Old Friends and Old Times" (1856), "Bonny Eloise—The Belle of Mohawk Vale" (1858), "'Tis But a Little Faded Flower" (1860), "When the War Is Over, Mary" (1864), "Beautiful Isle of the Sea" (1865), "Croquet" (1867), "Eilleen Allanna" (1873), and "Rose of Killarney" (1876). Thomas occasionally published material under the pseudonyms Charles Osborne, Arthur Percy and Harry Diamond. In addition to song writing, Thomas composed three larger works; "The Picnic" (1869), a children's operetta with a libretto by George Cooper; "The Lady in the Mask" (1870), an operetta with a libretto by George Cooper; and "Diamond Cut Diamond" (1876), a parlor opera in one act. [ [http://www.pdmusic.org/thomas.html pdmusic.org] ]

In addition to his popular songs, Thomas also composed sacred music, and was also known as a teacher in Brooklyn and New York City.

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