Introduction

Biography

Silas was the hus­band of Ju­lia O. Hill.

A hat­ter by trade, he wrote a large num­ber of songs for Phil­ip Phil­lips, who was the first to pub­lish Vail’s com­po­si­tions.

Works

• The Ath­en­ae­um Col­lect­ion, 1863, with pre­vious­ly un­pub­lished songs by Ste­phen Fos­ter
• The Di­adem (New York: Hor­ace Wa­ters, 1865)
• Chapel Me­lo­dies, with Ro­bert Low­ry (New York: Big­low & Main, 1868)
• Songs of Grace and Glo­ry, with Wil­liam Sher­win (New York: Hor­ace Wa­ters & Son, 1874)