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G. W. Briggs

1875 - 1959 Person Name: G. W. Briggs (1875-1959) Topics: Epiphany 6, Revelation Parables Author of "God has spoken - by his prophets" in Hymns for Today's Church (2nd ed.) George Wallace Briggs is a Canon of Worcester Cathedral and one of the most distinguished British hymn writers and hymnologists of today. Six of his hymns appear in the Episcopal Hymnal of 1940 (American). Another hymn on the Bible entitled "Word of the living God" was written for the 25th Anniversary of the British Bible Reading Fellowship and was sung in Westminster Abbey on June 5, 1947. It has been widely used since that time. Canon Briggs is a leading member of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He is also the composer of several hymn times, six of which have appeared in British hymnals. In addition to his work as a clergy man of the Church of England and an hymnologist, he has interest himself actively in the field of religious education, being largely responsible for two books with wide circulation in Britain, "Prayers and Hymns for used in Schools" and "The Daily Service." These books have had great influence on the worship practices of British schools, public and private. It is of historic interest that he is the author of one of the prayers used at the time of the famous meeting of Churchill and Roosevelt on H.M.S. Prince of Wales in 1941 when the Atlantic Charter was framed. --Ten New Hymns on the Bible, 1952. Used by permission.

Joseph P. Holbrook

1822 - 1888 Topics: Third Sunday after Epiphany Composer of "JESUS, LOVER OF MY SOUL" in Evangelical Lutheran hymnal Joseph P. Holbrook was a tune writer in the parlor music style, and used the popular melodies of Mason and Hastings, Bradbury and Root, Greatorex and Kingsley in his collections. He furnished settings for the choir hymns in Songs for the Sanctuary in his Quartet and chorus Choir (New York, 1871, and sought more recogniation than had been given him in a hymnal of his own, Worship in Song (New York, 1880); a book that found no welcome. from The English hymn: its development and use in worship By Louis FitzGerald Benson

Henry Purcell

1659 - 1695 Topics: Epiphany 7 Year A; Epiphany 3 Year C Composer of "WESTMINSTER ABBEY" in Voices United Henry Purcell (b. Westminster, London, England, 1659; d. Westminster, 1695), was perhaps the greatest English composer who ever lived, though he only lived to the age of thirty-six. Purcell's first piece was published at age eight when he was also a chorister in the Chapel Royal. When his voice changed in 1673, he was appointed assistant to John Hingston, who built chamber organs and maintained the king's instruments. In 1674 Purcell began tuning the Westminster Abbey organ and was paid to copy organ music. Given the position of composer for the violins in 1677, he also became organist at Westminster Abbey in 1679 (at age twenty) and succeeded Hingston as maintainer of the king's instruments (1683). Purcell composed music for the theater (Dido and Aeneas, c. 1689) and for keyboards, provided music for royal coronations and other ceremonies, and wrote a substantial body of church music, including eighteen full anthems and fifty-six verse anthems. Bert Polman

Federico J. Pagura

1923 - 2016 Person Name: Frederico J. Pagura Topics: Epiphany Season Translator (Spanish) of "All People That on Earth Do Dwell" in Christian Worship Federico José Pagura was an Argentine Methodist bishop and author and translator of hymns. Leland Bryant Ross

Angelus Silesius

1624 - 1677 Person Name: Johann Scheffler, 1624-1677 Topics: Epiphany 3 Author of ""Come, Follow Me," the Savior Spake" in Lutheran Book of Worship Pen name of Johann Scheffler ======================================= Angelus Silesius, born in Selisia, in 1624, was the son of a Polish nobleman, and his true name was John Scheffler; but he adopted the name Angelus from a Spanish mystic of the 16th century--John ab Angelis--and added the name Silesius, because of his own country. He studied medicine, and obtained his degree of M.D. at Padua. While physician to the Duke Sylvius Nimrod--from 1649 to 1652--he had contention with the Lutheran clergy, and in 1653 entered the Romish Church. Subsequently he was physician to the Emperor Ferdinand III., but at length entered the priesthood and retired to the Jesuit monastery of S. Matthias, in Breslau, where he died in 1677. His hymns were mostly written before he joined the Romish Church, and were intended for private devotion; some, however, have been very acceptable for public use. "Several of them are among the deepest and most tender in the German language, and breathe a glowing love to the Saviour." --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ================================================= Scheffler, Johann (Angelus Silesius), was born in 1624 at Breslau in Silesia. His father, Stanislaus Scheffler, was a member of the Polish nobility, but had been forced to leave his fatherland on account of his adherence to Lutheranism, and had then settled in Breslau. The son was thus educated as a strict Lutheran. After passing through the St. Elisabeth's Gymnasium at Breslau, he matriculated at the University of Strassburg, on May 4, 1643, as a student of medicine. In the next year he went to Leyden, and in 1647 to Padua, where he graduated PH. D. and M.D. on July 9, 1648. Thereafter he returned to Silesia, and, on Nov. 3, 1649, was appointed private physician, at Oels, to Duke Sylvius Nimrod of Württemberg-Oels. The Duke was a staunch Lutheran, and his court preacher, Christoph Freitag, administered the ecclesiastical affairs of the district according to the strictest Lutheran churchly orthodoxy. Scheffler, who in Hollaud had become acquainted with the writings of Jakob Böhme, and had become a personal friend of Abraham von Frankenberg, the editor of Böhme's works, soon found that the spiritual atmosphere of Oels did not suit him. His own leanings at this time were distinctly to Mysticism and Separatism. He was at no pains to conceal his sentiments, and withdrew himself from public worship, from confession, and from the Holy Communion. When he wished to publish his poems, and submitted them for this purpose to Freitag, he was refused permission to print them on the ground of their mystical tendencies. He resigned his post in the end of 1652, and went to Breslau. Here he became acquainted with the Jesuits, who in that place were earnest students of the mystical works of Tauler (q.v.), and through them was introduced to the study of the mediaeval mystics of the Roman Catholic Church. On June 12, 1653, he was formally received into the Roman Catholic communion, and at his confirmation on that day at St. Matthias's Church in Breslau, he took the name of Angelus, probably after a Spanish mystic of the 16th cent, named John ab Angelis.* On March 24, 1654, the Emperor Ferdinand III. conferred on him the title of Imperial Court Physician, but this title was purely honorary, and Scheffler remained still at Breslau. On Feb. 27,1661, he entered the order of St. Francis; on May 21, 1661, was ordained priest at Neisse in Silesia, and in 1664 was appointed Rath and Hofmarschall to his friend Sebastian von Rostock, the newly created Prince Bishop of Breslau. After the Bishop's death in 1671 Scheffler retired to the monastery of St. Matthias in Breslau, where he died July 9, 1677, from a wasting sickness, during which he used this characteristic prayer, "Jesus and Christ, God and Man, Bridegroom and Brother, Peace and Joy, Sweetness and Pleasure, Refuge and Redemption, Heaven and Earth, Eternity and Time, Love and All, receive my soul." Of Scheffler, as a Convert and as a Controversialist, not much need be said. He certainly became more Roman than the Romans; and in his more than 50 controversial tractates, shows little of the sweetness and repose for which some have thought that he left the Lutheran church. In his Ecclesiologia, published at Glatz in 1677 [British Museum has the 2nd edition, published at Oberammergau and Kempten in 1735], he collected 39 of these treatises, of which e.g. No. 34 is entitled, "The Lutheran and Calvinistic Idol of the Understanding exhibited, laid bare, as well as the Likeness of the True God. In which also, at the same time, the attacks aud objections of adversaries are repelled. 1 Cor. viii. 4, Idolum nihil est, an idol is nothing." At an early age Scheffler had begun to write poems, and some of these occasional pieces were printed in 1641 and 1642. His most famous non-hymnological work is his Geistreiche Sinn- und Schlussreime, &c, published at Vienna in 1657, but better known by the title prefixed in the 2nd edition published at Glatz in 1675, viz. the Cherubinischer Wandersmann, [Both eds. in the British Museum]…. Scheffler's latest poetical work was the Sinnliche Beschreibung der vier letzten Dinge, zu heilsamen Schröken und Auffmunterung aller Menschen inn Druck gegeben. Mit der himmlischen Procession vermehrt, &c. Schweidnitz, 1675. [British Museum]… Scheffler's most important hymnological work is his Heilige Seelenlust, oder geistliche Hirten-Lieder, der in ihren Jesum verliebten Psyche, gesungen von Johann Angelo Silesio, und von Herrn Georgio Josepho mit aussbündig schönen Melodeyen geziert, &c. Of this the first edition appeared at Breslau, apparently in 1657, in three books, with Hymns 1-123, and a fourth—-separately paged—-book, with 32 hymns, apparently also at Breslau, 1657. In the 2nd ed., pub. at Breslau in 1668, the paging and numbering are consecutive; and a fifth book is added, with Hymns 166-205. [Both eds. in Royal Library, Breslau; 2nd ed. in British Museum] The first three books form a cycle of hymns, principally on the person and work of Our Lord, arranged according to the Christian Year, from Advent to Whitsuntide, and seem mostly to have been written before Scheffler left the Lutheran church. Those of the fourth book were probably written 1653 to 1656, and those of the fifth book between 1656 and 1668. In the first three books he is most clearly under the influence of his predecessors. That is, so far as the style and form are concerned, he was greatly influenced by the Pastorals of the Nürnberg Pegnitz Shepherds, and of Friedrich von Spee (q.v.) ; and in the substance of his poems—their longings for mystical union with Christ, and their clinging love to the Saviour—he was influenced on the one side by Böhme, and on the other by the earnest inner religious life which he had found in Holland. In his later hymns the tone is more manly, and the defects and excesses of his earlier style have, in great measure, disappeared. Scheffler's hymns were gladly received by the Lutheran Church as a welcome addition to the store of "Jesus Hymns," but many long passed current as anonymous; the I. A., for Johann Angelus, being often interpreted as Incerti Autoris, and vice versa. Through the Nürnberg Gesang-Buch, 1676; Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch 1704 and 1714; Porst's Gesang-Buch, 1713; and Burg's Gesang-Buch, Breslau, 1746, a large number came into use among the Lutherans, more indeed than among the Roman Catholics. They were great favourites among the Moravians, after Zinzendorf had included 79 of them in his Christ-Catholisches Singe-und Bet-Büchlen, 1727 ; and, unfortunately, preciscly the worst were selected for imitation, so that Scheffler has the doubtful honour of being the model of tli8 spiritual-fleshly productions which disfigured the Moravian hymn-books between 1740 and 1755. Judging Scheffler's hymns as a whole one must give them a very high place in German hymnody. Only a small proportion of the hymns bear a distinctively Roman Catholic character. Of the rest, after setting on one side those in which Christ is set forth as the Bridegroom of the soul, with an excessive use of the imagery of Canticles; and those disfigured by the mannerisms of the Pastoral School, there remain a large number which are hymns of the first rank. These finer hymns are the work of a true poet, almost perfect in style and in beauty of rhythm, concise and profound; the fruits indeed it may be said of Mysticism, but of Mysticism chastened and kept in bounds by deep reverence and by a true and fervent love to the Saviour. Scheffler holds a high place in the first rank of German sacred poets, and is much the finest of the Post-Reformation Roman Catholic hymn-writers. A number of Scheffler's hymns are translations from the Latin…which have passed into English, are as follows. i. Ach Gott, was hat vor Herrlichkeit. God's Majesty. First published as No. 110 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust , in 6 st. of 8 1., entitled, "She [the soul] rejoices herself on the glory of Jesus." In the Herrnhut Gesang-Buch, 1735, No. 67. The translation in common use is:— Thy Majesty, how vast it is. This is a free translation of st. i.-iv. as part of No. 189 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1886, No. 225). Another tr. is: "My God! how vast a Glory has," as No. 310 in the Moravian Hymn Book, pt. ii., 1743. ii. Der edle Schäfer, Gottes Sohn. The Good Shepherd . Translated as:— The true good Shepherd, God's own Son. This is a translation of st. i., v., by P. H. Molther, as No. 18 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. In the 1826 and later eds. (1886, No. 22) it begins, "Christ the good Shepherd.” iii. Grosser König, dem ich diene. Love to God. First published as No. 161 in Bk. v., 1668, of his Heilige Seelenlust in 10 stanzas of 8 lines, entitled, "She presents to her Beloved her heart in diverse fashion as a morning gift." The translation in common use is:— Make my heart a garden fair. This is a tr. of st. viii., as st. ii. of No. 439 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. Other trs. are: (1) "Lord, I come, Thy grace adoring," by J. D. Burns, 1869, p. 227. (2) "Almighty King, Eternal Sire," by G. Moultrie, in his Espousals of S. Dorothea, 1870, p. 69. iv. Jesus ist der schönste Nam'. Love to Christ. First published as No. 35 in Bk. i., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust in 9 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled, "She praises the excellency of the Name of Jesus." Tr. as:— Jesus is the highest name. This is a good tr. of st. i., ii., viii., ix., by A. T. Russell, as No. 69 in his Psalms & Hymns, 185. Another tr. is: "Jesus is the sweetest Name, Unto mortals," by J. C. Earle, in O. Shipley's Annus Sanctus, 1884, pt. ii. p. 43. v. Keine Schönheit hat die Welt. Love to Christ. A beautiful hymn on Christ in Nature. First published as No. 109 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 16 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled, "She ponders His charmingness to the creatures." The trs. in common use are :— 1. Earth has nothing sweet or fair. This is a very good translation, omitting st. vi.—viii., x., xi., by Miss Cox in her Sacred Hymns from the German, 1841, p. 165 2. Nothing fair on earth I see. This is a somewhat free tr. of st. i.-v., ix., xii.-xiv., xvi., by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855, p. 48; repeated, abridged and altered, in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 158. Other translations are : (l) All the beauty we can find," as No. 457, in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book 1754. (2) "Would you view the glorious face," in J. A. Latrobe's Psalms & Hymns ., 1841, No. 437. (3) "Whate'er of beauty I behold," by Lady E. Fortescue, 1843, p. 35. (4) " Earth has nothing bright for me," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 168. (5) "The world with broadcast beauties sown," by E. Massie, 1867, p. 14. vi. Morgenstern der finstern Nacht. Love to Christ. First published as No. 26 in Bk. i., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 6 st. of 5 1., entitled, "She wishes to have the little Jesus as the true Morning Star in the heaven of her heart." Another tr. is: "Morning Star in darksome night”, by Miss Winkworth, 1869, p. 250. vii. Nun nimm mein Herz, und alles was ich bin. Self-surrender to Christ. First published as No. 102 in Bk. iii., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, in 4 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled, "She gives herself to her Bridegroom." The translation in common use is:— O take my heart, and whatsoe'er is mine. This is a tr. of st. i., iv., by F. W. Foster, as No. 267 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789. Another tr. is: "Now take my heart and all that is in me," by Miss Winkworth, 1858, p. 98. viii. Wollt ihr den Herren finden. Seeking of Christ. First published in Bk. iv., 1657, of his Heilige Seelenlust, entitled, "She gives notice where Jesus is to be found.” Translated as:— If you would find the Saviour. This is a free version, condensing st. iii., iv., as st. iii. in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, pt. i., No. 657. Included, greatly altered, and beginning, "Would you find the Saviour?" in J. A. Latrobe's Psalms & Hymns, 1841 and 1852. ix. Wo willt du hin, weils Abend ist. Evening. A beautiful hymn founded on the Narrative of Christ at Emmaus. The translation in common use is:— Where wilt Thou go! since night draws near. By A. Crull, in full, as No. 93 in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal 1880. Another translation is: "Where wilt Thou go? the eve draws nigh," by Miss Manington; 1863, p. 154. Other hymns by Scheffler which have been rendered into English are:— x. Ach, sagt mir nicht von Gold und Schätzen. Love to Christ. The translations are (1) "Tell me no more of golden treasures," in the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 53; and Select Hymns from German Psalmody , Tranquebar, 1754, p. 84. (2) "0 tell me not of glitt'ring treasure," by Dr. H. Mills, 1845, p. 75. (3) "0 tell me not of gold and treasure," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, August, 1865, p. 121, repeated as "Ah, tell me not," &c, in Reid's Praise Book, 1872. xi. Ach, was steh'st du auf der Au. Love to Christ. This form is tr. as "Jesus, end of my desires." xii. ‘Auf, auf, 0 Seel', auf, auf, zum Streit. Christian Warfare. The translations are (1) "Up! Christian man, and join the fight," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 44. (2) "Up, Christian! gird thee to the strife," by Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, July, 1865, p. 106. xiii, Dein' eigne Liebe zwinget mich. Love to Christ. Tr. as, "Thine own love doth me constrain," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1878, p. 716. xiv. Die Sonne kommt heran. Morning. Translated as "The sun will soon appear," by J. Kelly, in the Family Trea¬sury, 1878, p. 716. xv. Ihr Engel, die das höchste Gut. Love to Christ. This form is tr. as, "Ye Seraphim, who prostrate fall," as No. 649 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xvi. Jesu, ew'ge Sonne. Love to Christ. Translated as "Christ the spring of endless joys," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1878, p. 716. xvii. Kommt, meine Freund, und höret an. Eternal Life. Tr. as: "Come hither, friends, and hear me say," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury , 1879, p. 271. xviii. Meine Seele willt du ruh'n. Love to God. This form is tr. as "O my soul, desir'st thou rest." In the Supplement to German Psalmody, ed. 1765, p. 56. xix. Mein Lieb ist mir und ich bin ihm. Love to Christ. This is tr. as, "My Friend's to me, and I'm to Him," as No; 467 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xx. 0 du allerliebster Gott. Christ in Gethsemane. This form is tr. as "Jesus, O my Lord and God," by J. C. Earle, in O. Shipley's Annus Sanctus, 1884, p. 73. xxi. Schau', Braut, wie hängt dein Bräutigam. Passiontide. Tr. as, "O Bride! behold thy Bridegroom hangs," as No. 460 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. xxii. Tritt hin, o Seel', und dank' dem Herrn. Thanksgiving. Tr. as "Come, O my soul, with thankful voice," by Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 70. xxiii. Weil ich schon seh' die gold'nen Wangen. Morning. The trs. are (1) "Because I see red tints adorning," by Miss Manington, 1863, p. 119. (2) "I see the golden light of morn," in the Family Treasury, 1877, p. 603. xxiv. Wie lieblich sind die Wohnungen. Eternal Life. Translated as "How lovely are the mansions fair," by J. Kelly, in the Family Treasury, 1879, p. 270. xxv. Zeuch mich nach dir, so laufen wir. Love to Christ. Translated as "Draw us to Thee, then will we flee," as No. 137 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. It may be added that in some English books Scheffler appears as a composer of hymn-tunes. This is however a mistake, for the melodies in the Heilige Seelenlust are, as the title distinctly says, by Georg Joseph, a musician living at that time in Breslau. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] * In his later writings he styled himself Johann Angelus Silesius, adding this designation—the Silesian—in order to distinguish himself from the Lutheran theologian, Johann Angelus, of Darmstadt. --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William Hiley Bathurst

1796 - 1877 Topics: Third Sunday after Epiphany Author of "O for a faith that will not shrink" in Evangelical Lutheran hymnal Bathurst, William Hiley , M.A., son of the Rt. Hon. Charles Bragge (afterwards Bathurst) some time M.P. for Bristol, born at Clevedale, near Bristol, Aug. 28, 1796, and educated at Winchester, and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating B.A. in 1818. From 1820 to 1852 he held the Rectory of Barwick-in-Elmet, near Leeds. Resigning the Rectory in the latter year, through his inability to reconcile his doctrinal views with the Book of Common Prayer, he retired into private life, and died at Lydney Park, Gloucestershire, Nov. 25, 1877. His works include, The Georgics of Virgil: Translated by W. H. B., 1849; Metrical Musings; or, Thoughts on Sacred Subjects in Verse, 1849; and Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Use, 1831 (2nd ed. 1842). This last contains 141 versions of Psalms, and 206 hymns. All the latter, and many of the former are original. Of his hymns, those in most extensive use are, "Hark! the distant isles proclaim," "Holy Spirit from on high,” "Jesus, Thy Church with longing eyes,” "Eternal Spirit, by whose power," "O for a faith that will not shrink” and “O Saviour, may we never rest." In addition to these and a few others (all of which are annotated under their first lines), the following are in common use, but mainly in America:— 1. Before Thy cross, my dying Lord. Faith. 2. Before Thy mercy-seat, O Lord. Holy Scriptures. 3. Behold what unspeakable love. Heaven. 4. Does the Lord of Glory speak? Holy Scripture. 5. Ere the world with light invested. Holy Spirit. 6. Except the Lord our labours bless. Ps. cxxvii. 1. Full of weakness and of sin. The Creator Spirit desired. 8. Glory to the Almighty Father. Praise. 9. Holy Lord, our hearts prepare. Preparation for Prayer. 10. Holy Spirit from on high. Holy Spirit's direction implored. 11. How blest are they who feel the weight. Repentance. 12. How strange that souls whom Jesus feeds. Conflict. 13. How sweet it is in early youth. Youthful Piety. 14. How sweet the hour of closing day. Death. 15. Led by a Father's gentle hand. Communion of Saints 16. Lord, a better heart bestow. Lent. 17. Lord, bid the light arise. To the Holy Spirit. 18. Lord, shed Thy glory as of old. Whitsuntide. 19. Lord, what blessed consolation. Safety of the Church. 20. Lord, when our offerings we present. Offertory. 21. 0 for a beam of heavenly light. Lent. 22. 0 for that flame of living tire. Holy Spirit. 23. 0 give thanks unto the Lord. Ps. cv. 24. Shepherd of Israel, from above. On behalf of Children. 25. This day the Lord hath called His own. Sunday. 26. When the world my heart is rending. Heaven. 27. Why search ye in the narrow tomb? Ascension. 28. Ye servants of the living God. Praise. All these hymns were given in his Psalms & Hymns , &c, 1831 (Preface dated November 15th, 1830), and repeated, without alteration, in the 2nd ed., 1842. They are characterized by simplicity of language, and directness of aim; but do not in any instance rise above the ordinary level of passable hymn-writing. In some American collections Bathurst's name is contracted to "Bath," and this is regarded either as a complete surname or as a Bath Collection. The contraction was given by Bickersteth in his Christian Psalmody, 1833. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== Bathurst, William H., p. 117, ii. Additional hymns from his Psalms & Hymns, 1831, are in common use as follows:— 1. Great God, when I approach Thy throne. Redemption. 2. How bright a day was that which saw. The First Sabbath. 3. How frail and fallible I am. Jesus Unchangeable. 4. In Jesus' name with one accord. Divine Worship. 5. Lord, I claim Thee for my own. Ps. lxiii. 6. Lord shew Thy glory as of old. This is not "Lord shed Thy glory, &c," as stated at p. 118, i., 18. 7. Lord, when I lift my voice to Thee. Ps. ci. 8. O Lord, defend us as of old. Ps. lxxiv. 9. O Lord, how long shall heathens hold. Ps. lxxix. 10. 0 Lord, look down with pitying eye. Intercession for the Jews. Begins with st. iv. of “0 how is Zion's glory gone." 11. Praise God, O my soul. Ps. cxlvi. 12. Saviour, at Thy feet we bow. United Prayer. 13. 'Tis past, that agonizing hour. Ascension. 14. The Lord look'd all around. Universal Corruption. 15. To the Source of every blessing. Praise to the Father. 16. What can relieve the troubled soul? Christ the Comforter. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Robert Lowry

1826 - 1899 Person Name: Robert Lowry, (1826-1899). Topics: Epiphany, Second Sunday Composer of "SOMETHING FOR THEE" in The Hymnal and Order of Service Robert Lowry was born in Philadelphia, March 12, 1826. His fondness for music was exhibited in his earliest years. As a child he amused himself with the various musical instruments that came into his hands. At the age of seventeen he joined the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia, and soon became an active worker in the Sunday-school as teacher and chorister. At the age of twenty-two he gave himself to the work of the ministry, and entered upon a course of study at the University of Lewisburg, Pa. At the age of twenty-eight he was graduated with the highest honors of his class. In the same year of his graduation, he entered upon the work of the ministry. He served as pastor at West Chester, Pa., 1851-1858; in New York City, 1859-1861; in Brooklyn, 1861-1869; in Lewisburg, Pa., 1869-1875. While pastor at Lewisburg, he was also professor of belles lettres in the University, and received the honorary degree of D. D. in 1875. He then went to Plainfield, N. J., where he became pastor of Park Avenue Church. In each of these fields his work was crowned with marked success. Dr. Lowry was a man of rare administrative ability, a most excellent preacher, a thorough Bible student, and whether in the pulpit or upon the platform, always a brilliant and interesting speaker. He was of a genial and pleasing disposition, and a high sense of humor was one of his most striking characteristics. Very few men had greater ability in painting pictures from the imagination. He could thrill an audience with his vivid descriptions, inspiring others with the same thoughts that inspired him. His melodies are sung in every civilized land, and many of his hymns have been translated into foreign tongues. While preaching the Gospel, in which he found great joy, was his life-work, music and hymnology were favorite studies, but were always a side issue, a recreation. In the year 1880, he took a rest of four years, visiting Europe. In 1885 he felt that he needed more rest, and resigned his pastorate at Plainfield, and visited in the South and West, also spending some time in Mexico. He returned, much improved in health, and again took up his work in Plainfield. On the death of Wm. B. Bradbury, Messrs. Biglow & Main, successors to Mr. Bradbury in the publishing business, selected Dr. Lowry for editor of their Sunday-school book, Bright Jewels, which was a great success. Subsequently Dr. W. Doane was associated with him in the issue of the Sunday-school song book, Pure Gold, the sales of which exceeded a million copies. Then came Royal Diadem, Welcome Tidings, Brightest and Best, Glad Refrain, Good as Gold, Joyful Lays, Fountain of Song, Bright Array, Temple Anthems, and numerous other volumes. The good quality of their books did much to stimulate the cause of sacred song in this country. When he saw that the obligations of musical editorship were laid upon him, he began the study of music in earnest, and sought the best musical text-books and works on the highest forms of musical composition. He possessed one of the finest musical libraries in the country. It abounded in works on the philosophy and science of musical sounds. He also had some musical works in his possession that were over one hundred and fifty years old. One of his labors of love some years ago was an attempt to reduce music to a mathematical basis. On the established fact that Middle C has two hundred and fifty-six vibrations per second, he prepared a scale and went to work on the rule of three. After infinite calculation and repeated experiments, he carried it far enough to discover that it would not work. A reporter once asked him what was his method of composition — "Do you write the words to fit the music, or the music to fit the words?" His reply was, "I have no method. Sometimes the music comes and the words follow, fitted insensibly to the melody. I watch my moods, and when anything good strikes me, whether words or music, and no matter where I am, at home or on the street, I jot it down. Often the margin of a newspaper or the back of an envelope serves as a notebook. My brain is a sort of spinning machine, I think, for there is music running through it all the time. I do not pick out my music on the keys of an instrument. The tunes of nearly all the hymns I have written have been completed on paper before I tried them on the organ. Frequently the words of the hymn and the music have been written at the same time." The Doctor frequently said that he regarded "Weeping Will Not Save Me" as the best and most evangelistic hymn he ever wrote. The following are some of his most popular and sweetest gospel melodies: "Shall We Gather at the River?," "One More Day's Work for Jesus," "Where is My Wandering Boy To-night?," "I Need Thee Every Hour," "The Mistakes of My Life," "How Can I Keep from Singing?," "All the Way My Saviour Leads Me," "Saviour, Thy Dying Love," "We're Marching to Zion," etc. "Shall We Gather at the River?" is perhaps, without question, the most widely popular of all his songs. Of this Mr. Lowry said: "It is brass band music, has a march movement, and for that reason has become popular, though for myself I do not think much of it." Yet he tells us how, on several occasions, he had been deeply moved by the singing of that hymn, "Going from Harrisburg to Lewisburg once I got into a car filled with half-drunken lumbermen. Suddenly one of them struck up, "Shall We Gather at the River?" and they sang it over and over again, repeating the chorus in a wild, boisterous way. I did not think so much of the music then as I listened to those singers, but I did think that perhaps the spirit of the hymn, the words so flippantly uttered, might somehow survive and be carried forward into the lives of those careless men, and ultimately lift them upward to the realization of the hope expressed in my hymn." "A different appreciation of it was evinced during the Robert Raikes' Centennial. I was in London, and had gone to meeting in the Old Bailey to see some of the most famous Sunday-school workers in the world. They were present from Europe, Asia, and America. I sat in a rear seat alone. After there had been a number of addresses delivered in various languages, I was preparing to leave, when the chairman of the meeting announced that the author of "Shall We Gather at the River?" was present, and I was requested by name to come forward. Men applauded and women waved their handkerchiefs as I went to the platform. It was a tribute to the hymn; but I felt, when it was over, that, after all, I had perhaps done some little good in the world, and I felt more than ever content to die when God called." On Children's Day in Brooklyn, in 1865, this song was sung by over forty thousand voices. While Dr. Lowry said, "I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative, receptive congregation than write a hymn," yet in spite of his preferences, his hymns have gone on and on, translated into many languages, preaching and comforting thousands upon thousands of souls, furnishing them expression for their deepest feelings of praise and gratitude to God for His goodness to the children of men. What he had thought in his inmost soul has become a part of the emotions of the whole Christian world. We are all his debtors. Rev. Robert Lowry, D. D., died at his residence in Plainfield, K J., November 25, 1899. Dead, yet he lives and his sermons in gospel song are still heard and are doing good. Dr. Lowry was a great and good man, and his life, well spent, is highly worthy of a place among the world's greatest gospel song and hymn writers. -- Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers ------- Lowry, Robert, D.D., son of Crozier Lowry, was born at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 12, 1826, and educated at Lewisburg University. Having received ordination as a Baptist Minister, his first charge was at West Chester, Pennsylvania. From thence he passed to New York City, and then to Brooklyn, N. Y. In 1876 he was appointed Professor of Rhetoric in his University. On resigning his Professorship he undertook the charge of the 2nd Baptist Church, New Jersey. Dr. Lowry has been associated with some of the most popular Sunday School hymn-books published in the States, including Happy Voices, 1865; Chapel Melodies, 1868; Bright Jewels, 1869; Pure Gold, 1871; Royal Diadem, 1873; Tidal Wave, 1874; Fountain of Song1877; Welcome Tidings, 1877, &c. Of Dr. Lowry's hymns those which have attained the widest circulation are:— 1. Jerusalem, for ever bright. Heaven. Appeared in the American Tract Society's Happy Voices, 1865, with music by the author. 2. Low in the grave He lay. Resurrection of Christ. Written in 1874 and published in Brightest and Best, 1875. 3. Marching on, marching on. Sunday School Battle Song. Appeared, with music by the author, in Happy Voices, 1865. 4. My home is in heaven, my rest is not here. In Happy Voices, 1865, with music by the author. 5. My life flows on in endless song. Joy in God. In Bright Jewels, 1869; the Royal Diadem, 1873, and others in America and Great Britain, with music by the author. 6. One more day's work for Jesus. Work for Christ. Published, with music by the author, in Bright Jewels, 1869. 7. Shall we gather at the river? Mutual recognition in the Hereafter. The origin of this hymn is thus set forth in E. W. Long's Illustrated History of Hymns and their Authors, Philadelphia, 1876, p. 64:— ”On a very hot summer day, in 1864, a pastor was seated in his parlour in Brooklyn, N. Y. It was a time when an epidemic was sweeping through the city, and draping many persons and dwellings in mourning. All around friends and acquaintances were passing away to the spirit land in large numbers. The question began to arise in the heart, with unusual emphasis, ‘Shall we meet again? We are parting at the river of death, shall we meet at the river of life?' ‘Seating myself at the organ,’ says he, ‘simply to give vent to the pent up emotions of the heart, the words and music of the hymn began to flow out, as if by inspiration:— ‘Shall we gather at the river, Where bright angel feet have trod?’" In 1865 the hymn and music were given in Happy Voices, No. 220, in 5 stanzas of 4 lines and a chorus. The hymn has since passed into a great number of hymnals in Great Britain and America. 8. Take the wings of the morning; speed quickly thy flight. Exhortation to Repentance. Written for, and published with music by the author in, the Royal Diadem, 1873. 9. Weeping will not save me. Salvation through Faith. Published in the Chapel Melodies, 1868. 10. What can wash away my stain? Precious Blood of Jesus. Given in the Welcome Tidings, 1877, with music by the author. 11. Where is my wandering boy tonight! The absent Child. In the Fountain of Song, 1877, together with music by the author. Most of these hymns are given in Mr. I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos, Pts. i., ii. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Carl P. Daw Jr.

b. 1944 Person Name: Carl P. Daw, Jr. Topics: Year A Epiphany Last / Transfiguration; Year B Epiphany Last / Transfiguration Author of "We Have Come at Christ's Own Bidding" in The New Century Hymnal Carl P. Daw, Jr. (b. Louisville, KY, 1944) is the son of a Baptist minister. He holds a PhD degree in English (University of Virginia) and taught English from 1970-1979 at the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia. As an Episcopal priest (MDiv, 1981, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennesee) he served several congregations in Virginia, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. From 1996-2009 he served as the Executive Director of The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. Carl Daw began to write hymns as a consultant member of the Text committee for The Hymnal 1982, and his many texts often appeared first in several small collections, including A Year of Grace: Hymns for the Church Year (1990); To Sing God’s Praise (1992), New Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs (1996), Gathered for Worship (2006). Other publications include A Hymntune Psalter (2 volumes, 1988-1989) and Breaking the Word: Essays on the Liturgical Dimensions of Preaching (1994, for which he served as editor and contributed two essays. In 2002 a collection of 25 of his hymns in Japanese was published by the United Church of Christ in Japan. He wrote Glory to God: A Companion (2016) for the 2013 hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Emily Brink

John Marriott

1780 - 1825 Topics: Epiphany 4 Year B; Epiphany 3 Year C Author of "God, Whose Almighty Word" in Voices United Marriott, John, M.A, son of E. Marriott, D.D., Rector of Cottesbach, near Lutterworth, was born at Cottesbach, in 1780, and educated at Rugby, and Christ Church, Oxford. He was the second of two who obtained honours in the schools in 1802, the first year in which there was a public examination for honours at Oxford. He was also Student of Christ Church, and for about two years a private tutor in the family of the Duke of Buccleuch. The Duke presented him to the Rectory of Church Lawford, Warwickshire. This he retained to his death, although his wife's health compelled him to reside in Devonshire, where he was successively curate of St. Lawrence and other parishes in Exeter, and of Broadclyst, near Exeter, where he died March 31, 1825. His published works include a volume of Sermons which he issued in 1818, and a posthumous volume of Sermons, published by his sons in 1838. His hymns were never published by himself, nor in book form by any one. A few appeared in print during his lifetime, but without his permission. These include:— 1. A saint? 0 would that I could claim. Holiness desired. "Written off almost at the moment, on hearing the name applied in a scornful way at a party, about 1813." It was printed in The Friendly Visitor, 1834. 2. Thou, Whose Almighty word. Missions. Written, his son says, "about 1813." It was printed in The Friendly Visitor, July, 1825, in 4 st. of 11., with the Title "Missionary Hymn," and without signature. This text differs only in two or three words from the original as supplied by the author's son to Dr. Rogers and published by him in his Lyra Brittanica, 1867, p. 395. Two texts are known which are received as original, the first the undoubted text in Lyra Brittanica, and the second that given by Lord Selborne from the Collection of Dr. Baffles, Congregational Minister of Liverpool. 3. When Christ our human form did bear. Christ's love of Children. “Written in 1816 for the Parochial Schools, Upottery, Devon." -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================= Marriott, J. , p. 715, i., No. 1, is in the Fuller-Maitland Hymns for Private Devotion, 1827. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Harriet Auber

1773 - 1862 Topics: Our Lord Jesus Christ His Manifestation to the Gentiles (Epiphany) Author of "Bright was the Guidng Star that led" in Augsburg Songs for Sunday Schools and other services Auber, Harriet, daughter of Mr. James Auber, b. in London, Oct. 4, 1773. During the greater part of her quiet and secluded life she resided at Broxbourne and Hoddesdon, Herts, and died at the latter place on the 20th Jan., 1862. Miss Auber wrote devotional and other poetry, but only a portion of the former was published in her Spirit of the Psalms, in 1829. This collection is mainly her work, and from it some useful versions of the Psalms have been taken and included in modern hymn-books, about 20 appearing in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866. Miss Auber's name is widely known, but it is principally through her exquisite lyric, "Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed," and the Epiphany hymn, "Bright was the guiding star that led." (For criticism of her work, see English Psalters, §. 17.) In addition to these and other hymns by Miss Auber, which are annotated under their respective first lines, the following are also in C. V., but principally in America:— 1. Arise, ye people, and adore. Easter. 2. As Thy chosen people, Lord. Ps. lxciii. 3. Can guilty man indeed believe? Ps. xciv. 4. Delightful is the task to sing. Ps. cxlvii. 5. Father of Spirits, Nature's God. Ps. cxxxi. 6. Hail, gracious Source of every good. Ps. Ixv. 7. Hasten, Lord, the glorious time. Ps. lxxii. 8. Jehovah reigns, O earth, rejoice. Ps. xccii. 9. Join, all ye servants of the Lord. H. Scriptures. 10. Jesus, Lord, to Thee we sing. Ps. cx. 11. O all ye lands, rejoice in God. Ps. lxvi. 12. O God our Strength, to Thee the song. Ps. lIxxxi. 13. O praise our great and gracious Lord. Ps. lxxviii. 14. On thy church, O power divine. Ps. lxvii. 15. Sweet is the work, O Lord. Sunday. 16. That Thou, O Lord, art ever nigh. Ps. lxxv. 17. The Lord, Who hath redeemed our souls. Ps. xxxi. 18. When all bespeaks a Father's love. Ps. set. 19. When dangers press and fears invade. Ps. lxii. 20. Who, O Lord, when life is o'er. Ps. xv. 21. Whom have we Lord, in heaven, but Thee. Ps. lxxiii. 22. Wide, ye heavenly gates, unfold. Ascension. 23. With hearts in love abounding. Ps. xlv. 24. With joy we hail the sacred day. Sunday. 25. Vainly through the night the ranger. Ps. cxvii. All these psalm-versions and hymns are from her Spirit of the Psalms, London, 1829. - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ========================= Auber, Harriet, p. 90, ii. The following versions of psalms from her Spirit of the Psalms, 1829, are also in common use:- 1. Great God, wert Thou extreme to mark. Ps. cxxx. "Thy servants in the temple watched," begins with stanza ii. of this. 2. How blest are they who daily prove. Ps. xli. 3. How blest the children of the Lord. Altered from Ps. cxii. 4. Jehovah, great and awful name. Part of Ps. Ixxviii. 5. 0 Thou Whom heaven's bright host revere. Ps. Ixxxiv. 6. Praise the Lord, our mighty King. Ps. cxxxv. 7. Spirit of peace, Who as a [celestial] Dove. Ps. cxxxiii. 8. Thou by Whose strength the mountains stand. Ps. Ixv. 9. To heaven our longing eyes we raise. Ps. cxxi. 10. Vainly through night's weary hours. Ps. cxxvii. Sometimes "Vainly through the night the ranger." 11. While all the golden harps above. Easter. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) See also in:Hymn Writers of the Church