Little is known of Benjamin R. Hanby beyond his place of birth (Ohio), his dates (1833-1867), and the fact that he composed what was probably the first secular Christmas song in American history with "Up on the Housetop." When he wrote it is a mystery—most guesses place it sometime in the 1850s or 1860s—but that he wrote it and that it has become an American Christmas classic are both equally undeniable. Simple in the extreme with a bouncy, white note melody over plagal and perfect cadences, Hanby's claim to fame still stands as one of the most popular Christmas songs among young children.

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