Information about the composer is sorely lacking, I'm afraid. Other than this, all I know is that he was the librettist for MacNamara's Band. My resource was an undated and very battered Victorian songbook in my own music collection. Where was Moses when the Lights went out goes back to the days of Music Hall, naughty humour and parlour songs when families would sing comic songs around the piano. Much more civilised to my way of thinking than watching reality TV, what say you? I heard this song many years ago when I was just a kid and I can't think for the life of me where although it's very possible my grandmother sang it to me as a toddler. She had a wicked sense of humour and was known to do amateur dramatics. She also threw a mean set of arrows down the pub and was on the darts team. Well done for a woman! Her father played the flute and so perhaps there was some music hall connection? I don't know, I am speculating, but I hope someone somewhere enjoys unearthing Victorian gems as much as I do. The octaves in the chorus should be ad lib in pub piano style, but they are not compulsory.