Born: April 23, 1839, New York.

Bassford first stu­died har­mo­ny and com­po­si­tion un­der Sam­u­el Jack­son, who was for some time or­gan­ist at St. Bar­thol­o­mew’s Church in New York. While still young, he tra­veled ex­tens­ive­ly with a con­cert troupe as a pi­an­ist. He event­u­al­ly set­tled in New York as a teacher, where he was liv­ing as of 1885. He wrote a number of secular songs, a mass in E flat, and some other church pieces. He also wrote a two-act opera, Cassilda, and was hired to complete the opera Estrella, which was left unfinished by Vincent Wallace

Sources

Music

1. Thanksgiving