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William Henry Monk

1823 - 1889 Person Name: W. H. Monk Hymnal Number: 14 Composer of "[Abide with me! Fast falls the eventide]" in Childhood Songs William H. Monk (b. Brompton, London, England, 1823; d. London, 1889) is best known for his music editing of Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861, 1868; 1875, and 1889 editions). He also adapted music from plainsong and added accompaniments for Introits for Use Throughout the Year, a book issued with that famous hymnal. Beginning in his teenage years, Monk held a number of musical positions. He became choirmaster at King's College in London in 1847 and was organist and choirmaster at St. Matthias, Stoke Newington, from 1852 to 1889, where he was influenced by the Oxford Movement. At St. Matthias, Monk also began daily choral services with the choir leading the congregation in music chosen according to the church year, including psalms chanted to plainsong. He composed over fifty hymn tunes and edited The Scottish Hymnal (1872 edition) and Wordsworth's Hymns for the Holy Year (1862) as well as the periodical Parish Choir (1840-1851). Bert Polman

Mary Lundie Duncan

1814 - 1840 Hymnal Number: 16 Author of "Sylvester" in Childhood Songs Duncan, Mary, née Lundie, daughter of the Rev. Robert Lundie, Parish Minister of Kelso, and Mary Grey Lundie Duncan, was born at Kelso, April 26, 1814. On July 11, 1836, she was married to the William Wallace Duncan, the son of Rev. Henry Duncan, D.D., founder of the Savings Bank movement and minister in Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. In the end of December, 1839, she took a chill, which resulted in a fever and died on Jan. 5, 1840. Her hymns, mostly written for her children between July and December, 1839, appeared, in 1841, in her Memoir, by her mother, and were issued separately, in 1842, as Rhymes for my Children, to the number of 23. The best known are, "Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me," and "My Saviour, be Thou near me." Dianne Shapiro, from John Julian "Dictionary of Hymnology" and email from Prof. Charles W. Munn (biographer of Henry Duncan)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756 - 1791 Person Name: Mozart Hymnal Number: 98 Composer of "[O send forth the Bible more precious than gold]" in Childhood Songs Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Austria 1756-1791. Born at Salzburg, Austria, the son of Leopold Mozart, a minor composer and violinist, and youngest of seven children, he showed amazing ability on violin and keyboard from earliest childhood, even starting to compose music at age four when his father would play a piece and Mozart would play it exactly as did his father. At five, he composed some of his own music, which he played to his father, who wrote it down. When Mozart was eight, he wrote his first symphony, probably transcribed by his father. In his early years his father was his only teacher, teaching his children languages and academic subjects, as well as fundamentals of their strict Catholic faith. Some of his early compositions came as a surprise to his father, who eventually gave up composing himself when he realized how talented his son was. His family made several European journeys and he and his sister, Nanneri, performed as child prodigies, at the court of Prince-elector Maximillian II of Bavaria in Munich, and at the Imperial Courts in Vienna and Prague. A long concert tour followed, for 3.5 years, taking the family to courts in Munich, Mannheim, Paris, London, Dover, The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Mechelen, and again to Paris, and back home via Zurich, Donaueschingen, and Munich. During these trips Mozart met many musicians, acquainting himself with the works of other composers. He met Johann Christian Bach in London in 1764. Family trips were challenging, and travel conditions were primitive. They had to wait for invitations and reimbursements from nobility, and they endured long, near-fatal illnesses far from home. First Leopold (1764) got sick, then both children (1765). They traveled again to Vienna in 1767 and stayed there over a year. After a year back in Salzburg, Leopold and Wolfgang went to Italy (1769-1771), Leopold wished to display his son’s abilities as a performer and maturing composer. In Bologna, Italy, Wolfgang was accepted as a member of the famous Academia Filamonica. In Rome he heard Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere twice in performance. Back in the Sistine Chapel, Mozart wrote the whole performance out from memory, thus producing the first unauthorized copy of this closely guarded property of the Vatican. In the next few years Mozart wrote several operas performed with success in Italy, but his father’s hopes of securing a professional appointment for his son were not realized. At age 17 he was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court, but grew restless and traveled in search of a better position. After returning to Salzburg, Mozart was employed as a court musician by the ruler of Salzburg, Prince Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. This gave Mozart ample opportunity to develop relationships with other musicians and his admirers, resulting in his development of new symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, masses, serenades, and some minor operas. In 1775 he wrote his only violin concertos, five in all. Again, he was discontent with work in Salzburg and traveled to find more opportunity to write operas. He and his father again visited Munich and Vienna, but neither visit was successful with the exception of his opera ‘La finta giardiniera’ in Munich. In 1777 he resigned his Salzburg position and went to Augsburg, Mannheim, Paris, and Munich again. In Mannheim he met and fell in love with Aloysia Weber, one of four daughters of a musical family. He could find no real employment there and left for Paris in 1778. He might have had a position as organist at Versailles, but he was not interested in that. He fell into debt and started pawning valuables. During these events his mother died. Meanwhile his father was still trying to find him a position in Salzburg. After checking out several other European cities and Munich, he again encountered Aloysia, but she was no longer interested in him, so he returned to Salzburg, having written another symphony, concerto, and piano sonata, and took the new appointment his father had found. However, he was still in discontent. Visiting Vienna in 1781, he was dismissed from his Salzburg position. He wrote another opera, ‘Idomeneo’, in 1781, that was successful in Munich. Two months later he was summoned to Vienna, where his employer, Archbishop Colloredo, wanted him around due to his notoriety. Mozart wished to meet the emperor and perform for him, and finally got that opportunity. It resulted in a part-time position and substantial commissions. Colloredo became a nemesis to Mozart’s career, finally releasing Mozart from his employ with a literal kick in the pants, much against his father’s wishes. However, he was now independent. Mozart then decided to settle in Vienna as a free lance performer and composer. He lived with the Fridolin Weber family, who had moved from Mannheim to Vienna. Fridolin, the father, had died, and they were taking in lodgers to make ends meet. His career there went well, and he performed as a pianist before the Emperor, establishing himself as the finest keyboard player in Vienna. He wrote another opera in 1782, again achieving success. Mozart had now become a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period and was known throughout Europe. Aloysia was now married to actor, Joseph Lange, and Mozart’s interest shifted to her sister, Constanze. In 1782 he married Constanze Weber Mozart Nissen. The marriage started out with a brief separation, and there was a problem getting Mozart’s father’s permission, which finally came. They had six children, but only two survived infancy: Carl and Franz. He lived in Vienna and achieved some notoriety, composing many of his best-known symphonies, concertos, and operas. In 1782-83 he became intimately acquainted with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Friederic Handel, as his friend, Gottfried van Swieten, owned many manuscripts of the Baroque masters, which Mozart studied intently. He altered his style of composition as a result. That year Mozart and his wife visited his father and sister, and he composed a liturgical piece, a Mass, with a singing part for his wife. He also met Joseph Hadyn in Vienna in 1784 and they became friends. They even played together in a string quartet from time to time. Mozart wrote six quartets dedicated to Hadyn. In 1785 Hadyn told Leopold Mozart, “Your son is the greatest composer known to me by person and repute, he has taste, and what is more, the greatest skill in composition”. Over the next several years Mozart booked several piano concertos in various places as a sole performer to delighted audiences, making substantial remuneration for his work. He and his wife then adopted a more luxurious lifestyle. They moved to an expensive apartment and he bought a fine fortepiano and billiard table. They sent their son, Karl, to an expensive boarding school and also kept servants. In 1784 Mozart became a Freemason and even composed Masonic music. Over the next several years he did little operatic writing and focused on his career as a piano soloist and writer of concertos. He again began operatic collaboration in 1785, creating ‘The marriage of Figaro’, then ‘Don Giovanni’ in 1787. That year his father died. Also that year he obtained a steady post under Emperor Joseph II as his chamber composer. This was part-time employment that was important when hard times arrived. However, Joseph aimed at keeping Mozart from leaving Vienna for better work. The Austrio-Turkish War made life difficult for musicians, and his aristocracy support had declined. He moved to save on expenses, but that did not help much, and he was reduced to borrowing funds from his friends, and pleading for loans. During this period he produced his last three symphonies. In 1789 he then set up on a journey to Leipzig, Dresden, and Berlin hoping to improve his fortunes. In 1790 he was highly productive, producing concertos, an opera, ‘The magic flute’, a series of string quintets, a motet, and an (unfinished) Requiem. Finances began to improve and he begin paying back his debts. Public reaction to his works also brought him great satisfaction. In 1791, while in Prague for the premiere of his opera, ‘La clemenza di Tito’, he fell ill. He continued professional functions for a short time, but had to go home and be nursed by his wife over the next couple of months. He died at Vienna, Austria, at the age of 35, a small thin man with undistinguishing characteristics. He was buried in a modest grave, having had a small funeral. Beethoven composed his early works in the shadow of Mozart, and Joseph Hadyn wrote “posterity will not see such a talent (as Mozart) again in 100 years”. 600+ works. Side note: Mozart enjoyed billiards, dancing, and had a pet canary, a starling, a dog, and a horse for recreational riding. He liked off-color humor. He wore elegant clothing when performing and had a modest tenor voice. John Perry

Robert Jackson

1840 - 1914 Person Name: R. Jackson Hymnal Number: 23b Composer of "[God make my life a little light]" in Childhood Songs After receiving his musical training at the Royal Academy of Music, Robert Jackson (b, Oldham, Lancashire, England, 1840; d. Oldham, 1914) worked briefly as organist at St. Mark's Church, Grosvenor Square, in London. But he spent most of his life as organist at St. Peter's Church in Oldham (1868-1914), where his father had previously been organist for forty-eight years. A composer of hymn tunes, Jackson was also the conductor of the Oldham Music Society and Werneth Vocal Society. Bert Polman

M. E. Thalheimer

Person Name: Miss Elsie Thalheimer Hymnal Number: 59 Author of "Thou Art My Shepherd" in Childhood Songs

Charles F. Gounod

1818 - 1893 Person Name: Gounod Hymnal Number: 116 Composer of "[Welcome hour of gladness]" in Childhood Songs Charles F. Gounod (b. Paris, France, 1818; d. St. Cloud, France, 1893) was taught initially by his pianist mother. Later he studied at the Paris Conservatory, won the "Grand Prix de Rome" in 1839, and continued his musical training in Vienna, Berlin, and Leipzig. Though probably most famous for his opera Faust (1859) and other instrumental music (including his Meditation sur le Prelude de Bach, to which someone added the Ave Maria text for soprano solo), Gounod also composed church music-four Masses, three Requiems, and a Magnificat. His smaller works for church use were published as Chants Sacres. When he lived in England (1870-1875), Gounod became familiar with British cathedral music and served as conductor of what later became the Royal Choral Society. Bert Polman

Richard Farrant

1525 - 1580 Person Name: R. Farrant Hymnal Number: C1 Composer of "[Christ is risen from the dead]" in Childhood Songs Like many composers of his day, the early years of Richard Farrant’s (c.1525- November 30, 1580) life are not well documented. The first acknowledgment of him is in a list of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1552. It is assumed from that list that his birth was around 1525. Although, that cannot be accurately determined. During his life he was able to establish himself as a successful composer, develop the English drama considerably, founded the first Blackfriar Theatre, and be the first to write verse-anthems. He married Anne Bower, daughter of Richard Bower who was Master of the Chapel Royal choristers at the time. With Anne he conceived ten children, one of whom was also named, Richard. As a member of the Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, Farrant was active in ceremonies surrounding the royal family. He began his work with the Chapel Royal around 1550 under the reign of Edward VI. Fortunately, for Farrant, this is a time that saw huge developments in Latin Church Music. Composers like William Byrd and Christopher Tye were busy expanding and elaborating on the Church Music of the day. In Farrant's twelve years with the Chapel Royal, he was able to participate in funerals for Edward VI and Mary I, and coronations for Mary I and Elizabeth I. After his work there, he took up a post as organist at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. For Farrant, the post at at Windsor became a permanent one that he retained for the rest of his life. Along with this, he also acquired the position of Master of the Chapel Royal choristers in November of 1569. Having the choirs of both of these institutions at his disposal gave him an outlet to showcase all of his compositions and plays. In fact, every winter he was able to produce a play for the Queen herself. These positions also allowed him to move back to London in 1576 and begin a public theater of sorts where he rehearsed some of his choir music openly. It was soon after, in 1580, that he passed away, having left his house to his wife. Unlike many composers of his day that stuck to only music composition, Farrant also wrote many plays. One of his most important contributions to drama in England is of course the creation of the first Blackfriars Theatre. This eventually became one of the most important places in London for drama to develop during the Renaissance. Farrant is also one of the earliest and most well known composers that began to mix the two mediums of music and drama. It was this uncommon mixture that allowed him to begin to develop the composition style of 'verse.' This becomes prominent in a lot of his pieces including the anthems "When as we sat in Babylon" and "Call to remembrance" and "Hide not thou thy face." --en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Matilda Betham-Edwards

1836 - 1919 Person Name: Matilda Betham Edwards Hymnal Number: 23b Author of "God, Make My Life a Little Light" in Childhood Songs Born: March 4, 1836, Westerfield (near Ipswich), England. Died: January 4, 1919, Hastings, Sussex, England. [Matilda Betham Edwards (1836-1919)] Daughter of Edward Edwards, and cousin of Egyptologist Amelia B. Edwards, Matilda was educated in Ipswich and Peckham, and traveled extensively, especially in Germany and France. Her works include: The White House by the Sea, 1857 Dr. Jacob, 1864 Kitty, 1869 Poems, 1885 Lord of the Harvest, 1899 --www.hymntime.com/tch ============================== Edwards, Matilda Barbara Betham (Betham-Edwards), daughter of Edward Edwards, and cousin of Amelia B. Edwards, the Egyptologist, was born at Westerfield, near Ipswich, March 4, 1836. Miss Edwards is well known as the author of Kitty, The Sylvesters, and other stories. Her Poems were published in 1885. Her hymn for Children's Services, "God make my life a little light," in the Congregational Church Hymnal, 1887, first appeared in Good Words, 1873, p. 393, together with another hymn for children, "The little birds now seek their rest" (Evening). Several of her religious pieces have passed into devotional and other works. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Ernst Moritz Arndt

1769 - 1860 Person Name: E. N. Arndt Hymnal Number: 62 Author of "Christmas Hymn" in Childhood Songs Arndt, Ernst Moritz, son of Ludwig Nicolaus Arndt, estate manager for Count Putbus, in the island of Rugen, was b. at Schoritz in Rugen, Dec. 26, 1769. After studying at the Universities of Greifswald and Jena, where he completed his theological course under Paulus, he preached for two years as a candidate, but in 1798 abandoned theology. After a pedestrian tour through South Germany, Hungary, Northern Italy, France, and Belgium, he became, at Easter 1800, lecturer at the University of Greifswald, and in 1805 professor of history there. But in 1806, lamenting over the tyranny of France, he wrote his fiery Gent der Zeit (pt. ii. 1809, iii. 1813, iv. 1818) which awakened the patriotism of his countrymen, but drew on him the hatred of Napoleon, so that he had to flee to Sweden, and was not able to return to Greifswald till 1810. He again left Greifswald in 1812, and found a home with Baron v. Stein at St. Petersburg. After various wanderings, daring which he wrote many pamphlets inciting his countrymen, as none else could, to deeds of valour, and composed his well-known songs (all of date 1813), " Der Gott, der Eisen wachsen Hess. O du Deutschland, ich muss marscbieren. Was blasen die Trompeten? Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland ?" which were said to have done more to inspire the troops than a victory wou, he settled for some time at Cologne as editor of a patriotic newspaper. In 1818 he was appointed professor of history in the newly-founded University of Bonn, Being accused by the Conservative leaders then in power of teaching Republicanism, he was, in 1820, unjustly deposed (though his salary was continued to him), and was not restored till the accession of Friedrich Wilhelm IV. to the throne of Prussia in 1840. In token of respect he was elected Rector of the University 1840-1841, and lectured as professor till 1854. He continued his tranquil life at Bonn, varied by delusive hopes of better things from the Revolutionary periods of 1848 and 1859, till after having passed his ninety-first birthday (when he received some three hundred messages of congratulation which he personally answered) he departed (o the Heavenly Fatherland, Jan. 29,1860.A man of learning, a true patriot, a distinguished poet, and a man greatly revered and beloved of the people, he was a worthy modern representative of the "old Arndt," author of the True Christianity; a man of deep religious feeling, and a true-hearted and earnest witness for the Evangelical Faith. By his well-known Von dem Wort und von dem Kirchenliede, Bonn, 1819, he was one of the prime movers in the reaction which has now rescued most of the German lands from the incubus of xviii. cent. Rationalistic hymn-books. To this pamphlet he annexed 33 hymns, his best known. Of the remaining 50 some 37 appeared in his Geistliche Lieder, Berlin, 1855, and the rest in the Frankfurt, 1818, and later editions of his Gedichte—the so-called complete edition of which, pub. at Berlin 1860, contains 427 secular and sacred pieces, ranging from 1787 to 1859, with a preface dated in Christmas week 1859. (Koch, vii. 140-148; Allg. Deutsche Biog., i. 540-548.)The following 14 hymns by him have been tr. into English :— i. Der heil'ge Christ ist kommen. [Christmas] 1st pub. in 1818, vol. i. p. 319, and tr. as "The blessed Christ is coming," by C. T Astley, 1860, p. 24, in 4 st. of 8 1. ii. Dich Geiat der Wahrheit, Oeist der Kraft. [Whitsuntide.] A Prayer to the Holy Spirit. 1st pub. 1819 (No. 32), "as above, in 8 st. of 4 1. Tr. by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 67, "O Spirit, Thou of love and might." iii, Die Welt thut ihre Augen zu. [Child's Evening Hymn.] 1st pub. 1818 (vol. i. p. 265), as above, in 4 st. of 8 1. Tr. by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 109, " The busy world its eyes doth close." iv. Es lebt ein Geist, durch welchen alles lebt. [The Spirit of God.] 1st pub. 1818 (vol. i. p. 281) as above in 5 st. of 4 1., and tr. as:— " There is a Spirit—universal Source," by C. T. Astley, 1860, p. 14. v. Gegangen ist dat Sonnenlicht. [Evening.] Written in 1813, and 1st pub. 1818 (vol. ii. p. 230) as above, in 5 st. of 8 1., entitled: " The traveller's evening hymn." Tr. as (1) " The sunlight has departed," by Dr. Maguire, 1883, p. 49; (2) "The fields and woods all silence keep," by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 112. vi. Geht nun hin und grabt mein Grab. [Burial of the Dead.] Written in 1818, and 1st pub. 1819 (No. 19) as above in 9 st. of 6 1., and included in Bunsen's Versuch, 1833, and since in many other collections, e.g. Unv. L. S. 1851, No. 815. It is the most popular of his hymns and was sung at his own funeral at Bonn, Feb. 1, 1860 (Koch, vii. 147). The trs. in C. U. are :— (1) Go and dig my grave today! A good and full tr. in the 1st Series, 1855, of Miss Winkworth's Lyra Ger., p. 241 (ed. 1856, p. 243), and repeated as No. 188 in her C. B.for England, 1863. In Schaffs Christ in Song, ed. 1879, p. 536. (2) Weary now of wandering here. A tr. of st. i., iv., vi., ix., signed "F. C. C.," as No. 280, in Dr. Pagenstecher's Coll.. 1864. Other trs. are: (1) “Go! and let my grave be made," by Miss Cox, 1841, p. 83 (1861, p. 83); (2) “Prepare me now my narrow bed," by Lady Eleanor Fortescue, 1843 (1847, p. 26); (3) "Go now, my friends, and dig my grave," by Dr. G. Walker, 1860, p. 109; (4) " Now go forth and dig my grave," by A. M. Jeaffreson, in Golden Hours, 1873, p. 52. vii. Oott, deine Kindlein treten. [Children.] 1st pub. 1818 (vol. i. p. 275) as above, in 5 st. of 4 1. It is tr. as " Oh, gracious God ! Thy children come before Thee," by C. T. Astley, 1860, p. 38. viii. Ich weiss, woran ich glaube. [The Rock of Salvation.] Written in 1818, and 1st pub. 1819 (No. 28) as above in 6 st. of 8 1. In Knapp's Ev. L. S., 1837, No. 1396 (ed. 1865, No. 1348), it begins "Ich weiss, an wen ich glaube” The trs. in C. U. are:— (1) I know in Whom I put my trust. A good tr. of st. i., iv.-vi. of Knapp's text in the 2nd Series, 1858, of Miss Winkworth's Lyra Ger., p. 162. Included as No. 1170 in Kennedy, 1863, and recently in Schaff’s Christ in Song, ed. 1879, p. 426, and Lib. of Rel. Poetry, ed. 1883, p. 670. (2) I know Whom I believe in, a tr. from Knapp, omitting st. ii., iii-, as No. 288 in the Ohio Luth. Hymnal, 1880. ix. Xann ich beten, 1st in Nothen. [The Power of Prayer.] Written in 1818, and 1st pub. 1819 (No. 29) ns above in 8 st. of 7 1., and tr. " When I can pray, Without delay," by C. T. Astley, 1860, p. 10. x. Und klingst du immer Liebe wieder. [The Love of Christ.] 1st pub. 1855, as above, p. 57, in 5 st. of 6 1. Tr. by J. Kelly, 1885, p. 34, “ And dost thou always love proclaim." xi. Und willst du gar verzagen. [Trust in God.] Written in 1854, and 1st pub. as above, 1855, p. 81, in 6 st. of 81. It is tr. as " And art thou nigh despairing," in the Family Treasury, 1877, p. 110. xii. Was ist die Macht, was ist die Kraft. [Holy Scripture.] Written in 1818, and 1st pub. 1819 (No. 30) as above in 6 st. of 6 1., and included in Hofer's Pilgerharfe, Basel, 1863, No. 31. Tr. (1) "What is the Christian's power and might ?" by R. Massie, in the British Herald, April, 1865, p. 61. (2) " What is the Christian soldier's might, What is," by R. Massie in the Day of Rest, 1878, vol. viii. p. 335. xiii. Wenn aus dem Dunkeln ich mich sehne. [Hope in God.] Written in 1818, and 1st pub. 1819 (No. 18) as above, in 7 st. of 6 1. Included, omitting st. ii., as No. 2401 in Knapp's Ev. L. S. 1837 (ed. 1865, No. 2128). Tr. as " When in the depths of night I'm sighing," in the British Herald, Aug. 1866, p. 312, repeated as No. 410, in Reid's Praise Bk., 1872. xiv. Wer hat den Sand gezahlt, welcher ixn Wasser haust. [The Almighty God.] 1st pub. 1818 (i. p. 297) and included in 1819 (No. 6) as above, in 4 st. of 8 1. Tr. as " Who can on the seashore," in Dr. Dwlcken's Golden Harp, 1864, p. 32. There is also a free tr. in the Unitarian Hys. for Children, Glasgow, 1855, No. 28, beginning :—" Who has counted the leaves that fall?” - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ===================== Arndt, E. M., p. 80, No. 10. "Und klingst du" was written in 1836, and first published in his Gedichte, 1840, p. 570. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Lowry

Person Name: J. C. Lowry Hymnal Number: 89 Arranger of "[Oh, what can you tell, little pebble, little pebble]" in Childhood Songs Various sources suggest his full name may have been Joseph C. Lowry, and/or that the spelling of his surname may properly have been Lowery.