Peter Philip Bilhorn
Born: July 22, 1865, Mendota, Illinois.
Died: December 13, 1936, Los Angeles, California.
Bilhorn’s family name was originally Pulhorn; it was changed by a judge in
Ottawa, Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln. Peter and his brother formed the
Eureka Wagon and Carriage Works in Chicago, Illinois. Later, Peter became
involved in Gospel music, studying underGeorge Root, George Stebbins, and
others. He wrote some 2,000 Gospel songs in his lifetime, and for a while,
worked with evangelist Billy Sunday. He also invented a folding pump organ
used at revivals in the late 19th Century, and founded the Bilhorn Folding
Organ Company in Chicago, Illinois.
One of the high points in Bilhorn’s career came in 1900,
when he traveled to London. There he conducted a 4,000 strong choir in the
Crystal Palace, and Queen Victoria invited him to sing in Buckingham Palace.
Bilhorn’s works include:
Music