Sweney?s mu sic al gift showed it self at an ear ly age. While still a boy, he be gan to teach mu sic in the pub lic schools and lead Sun day school per form ances. At age 19, he start ed stu dy ing mu sic in ear nest un der Pro fess or Bau er, a cel e brat ed Ger man teach er. He took vi o lin and pi a no les sons, and about this time be came a choir lead er. He was al so in con stant de mand for child ren?s con certs and for con duct ing glee clubs.
At age 22, Swe ney was called to teach in Do ver, Del a ware. When the Amer i can civ il war broke out, he took charge of the band of the Third Del a ware Reg i ment. Af ter the war, Swe ney be came Pro fess or of Mu sic at the Penn syl van ia Mil i tary Acad e my in West Ches ter, Penn syl van ia. He worked there over 25 years, and re ceived the de grees of Bach e lor of Mu sic (1876) and Doc tor of Mu sic (1886).
Sweney com posed mu sic for more than 1,000 Gos pel songs, and col lab o rat ed on a num ber of col lect ions. (Hide extended text)...(Read all)