Jessie Gaynor

Jesse L. Smith Gaynor (February 17, 1863 - February 20, 1921) was an American composer of children’s music. She wrote the music for the well-known children’s lullaby “The Slumber Boat”, in collaboration with the children’s author, Alice C.D. Riley, who wrote the lyrics. Her daughter, Rose Gaynor Barrett (1884-1954), was an American visual artist as well as songwriter under her maiden name, Rose Fenimore Gaynor. Biography Jessie L. Smith was born in St. Louis, Missouri to a prominent businessman of that city and Susan Fenimore Taylor, from whom she inherited her love and talent for music and who was related to James Fenimore Cooper. As a child, Mrs. Gaynor sang correctly before she could talk. She was early placed under instruction, first in instrumental and later in vocal music, and continued her musical studies while in school and college. Aside from her piano study she became somewhat familiar with the cornet, double bass, and violin, and later studied the violin for two years. While at school, she played these various instruments in an amateur orchestra. She later studied piano and theory under Dr. Louis Maas of Boston. Afterward she studied voice under John Dennis Mehan, theory