Sargent was a very respected literary figure by the time he returned to Boston in 1847, when he became editor to The Boston Evening Transcript. It was noted that under his care the newspaper "showed an increasing tenderness toward the Abolitionists". [7] In 1848 he married Elizabeth Weld (1820–1902); the couple had no children. Henry Russell – wait for it! – was born at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey on 24 th December 1812, and died in London in 1900. As a one-time pupil of Rossini at Bologna and Naples, he went to Canada in about 1933, then to the USA where he was the organist at the Presbyterian Church in Rochester NY. He returned to England in 1841. In 1897 he wrote to Mr George Miller, the bandmaster of the Royal Marines Light Infantry, Portsmouth Division, telling him that “A Life on the Ocean Wave” had been inspired some 60 years earlier when walking on The Battery in New Pork Harbour with Epps Sargant, the poet. The scenes of ships moored in the harbour had inspired Russell to “set them to music”, and the song ultimately became one of the most popular in England and America. Henry Russell composed over 800 pieces and his book of reminiscences “Cheers Boys Cheer” proved to be an enduring and popular collection of his works. a b c d Haralson, Eric L.; John Hollander (1998). Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers. pp. 376–378. ISBN 1-57958-008-4.

At an 1851 celebration in Salem, Massachusetts, the Boston Cadet Band gave the new clipper ship Witch of the Wave a lively sendoff by striking up "A Life on the Ocean Wave" as the USS R. B. Forbes towed the new clipper out to set sail for Boston. [2]The tune, played by the Band of the Royal Marines, is played over the opening credits of the 1992 BBC television film; An Ungentlemanly Act, about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1900). "Sargent, Paul Dudley". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton. Nineteenth-century American Children & What They Read". American children's periodicals, 1841-1860 . Retrieved July 3, 2008.

One day Sargent and Russell were walking on The Battery in New York City watching the ships enter the harbour. This scene inspired Sargent to write a poem, which Russell then put to music. The song soon became popular in both the United Kingdom and the United States. [1] The tune, played by the Band of the Royal Marines, is played over the opening credits of the 1992 BBC television film An Ungentlemanly Act, about the first days of the invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. A Life on the Ocean Wave" is a poem-turned-song by Epes Sargent published in 1838 and set to music by Henry Russell.

"A Life on the Ocean Wave"

His monumental book, Harper's Cyclopaedia of British and American Poets (1881), was not published until after his death. Sargent died in Boston from oral cancer on December 30, 1880. [2] Works [ edit ] Sargent became captivated with the notion of communicating with "the beyond". He hosted many séances, and philosophical discussions. He published Planchette, or the Despair of Science (1869), The Proof Palpable of Immortality (1875), and The Scientific Basis of Spiritualism (1880). [4] Sargent's first play, The Bride of Genoa, premiered at Boston's Tremont Theatre on February 13, 1837, with a lead role written for American actress Josephine Clifton. Set in Genoa in 1593, the play was based on the historical Antonio Montaldo, a commoner who falls in love with the daughter of a nobleman named Laura Catelli, a role given to Charlotte Cushman when it played at the Park Theater in New York in November. [5] In 1837, he wrote the tragedy Velasco for British actress Ellen Tree. It was produced in several theaters in the United States and had moderate success in London. Velasco was critically admired by playwright Thomas Talfourd [2] and Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote "compared with American tragedies generally, is a good tragedy — indeed, an excellent one, but, positively considered, its merits are very inconsiderable". [6] Around this time, Sargent wrote the words to the song, " A Life on the Ocean Wave". a b Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar (1969). The Boston Transcript: A History of Its First Hundred Years. Freeport, New York: Ayer Publishing. p.93. ISBN 0-8369-5146-8.