Harry J. Lincoln

American composer of marches and rags (born April 13, 1878 in Shamokin, Pennsylvania – died April 19, 1937 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) For much of his life, Lincoln lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Apart from composing, he also ran his own music publishing company for a while but then joined Vandersloot Music. Lincoln primarily composed marches and rags. His compositions include "Midnight Fire Alarm" (1900), "Heaven's Artillery: March Two Step" (1904), "Bees Wax Rag" (1911), and "The Lincoln Highway Two Step March" (1921). Lincoln also claimed credit for writing the "Repasz Band March" (1901), reportedly the second-most commonly performed march in history. That march was published under the name of the Repasz Band's trombonist, Charles C. Sweeley. A comparison of the music with other works by both composers points to Sweeley as the likely author of the melody and Lincoln as the arranger of the version that made the march popular. Lincoln wrote under many pseudonyms, including Abe Losch ("Losch" was the maiden name of his mother), Carl Loveland, Harry Jay, Carl D. Vandersloot, F. W. Vandersloot, and Ben E. Crosby. F. W. Vandersloot was also a real person, the founder of Vandersloot Music Publishing Company that published Lincoln's songs and for which he worked himself after 1903. The founder's son, Carl D. Vandersloot, also composed for the firm.