John Fountain

Fountain, John, was born in 1767. He was a member of the Baptist Church in Eagle Street, London, and in Jan., 1796, was recommended to the Baptist Missionary Society as "a person whose heart was engaged in the work of missions and whose, character was suitable to such an undertaking." He set sail for India in April of the same year. He soon became sufficiently master of the Bengali language to preach to the people, and gave promise of great usefulness; but after a brief bright course, died at Dinagepore, Aug. 20th, 1800.

Mr. Fountain had musical gifts, and, as appears from Rippon's Baptist Register for 1798, was probably the first who wrote out a Hindoo tune in musical notes. In the same number of the Register is a hymn entitled The Penitent's Prayer A Resolve, composed in Bengali by Dr. W. Carey, and translated into English by J. Fountain. A hymn by Mr. Fountain is in the Evangelical Magazine for 1798. Another, beginning "Sinners, you are now addressed," appeared in Rippon's Selection (1800), and is in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.]

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)