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Phoebe Palmer Knapp

1839 - 1908 Person Name: Mrs. Jos. F. Knapp Composer of "[Jesus Christus geht vorbei]" in Evangeliums-Lieder 1 und 2 (Gospel Hymns) As a young girl Phoebe Palmer Knapp (b. New York, NY, 1839; d. Poland Springs, ME, 1908) displayed great musical talent; she composed and sang children’s song at an early age. The daughter of the Methodist evangelist Walter C. Palmer, she was married to John Fairfield Knapp at the age of sixteen. Her husband was a founder of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and after his death, she shared her considerable inherited wealth with various charitable organizations. She composed over five hundred gospel songs, of which the tunes for “Blessed Assurance” and “Open the Gates of the Temple” are still popular today. Bert Polman

J. Denham Smith

1817 - 1889 Author of "Jesus Christus geht vorbei" in Evangeliums-Lieder 1 und 2 (Gospel Hymns) Smith, Joseph Denham, was born at Romsey, Hants, circa 1816. After studying for some time in the Dublin Theological Institute, he entered the Congregational Ministry in 1840. In 1849 he became Pastor of the Congregational Church at Kingstown, near Dublin, and in 1863 began a series of services at Merrion Hall, Dublin, and subsequently at other places. His Evangelistic work in England and Ireland is well known. In connection therewith he has published a large number of tracts, pamphlets, and small books. One of these, Times of Refreshing illustrated in the Present Revival of Religion, 1860, included several of his hymns which were sung during that time at his special services at Kingstown. He also published Seven Hymns for the Present Time, circa 1870-6; and The New Times of Refreshing. Hymns for General and Special Use. Compiled by J. Denham Smith. London: J. E. Hawkins, n.d. In this collection his signed hymns are 36 in all, and deal with the subjects usually associated with what are known as "Gospel Hymns." There are several also in The Enlarged London Hymn Book, 1873. His hymn "Just as Thou art—how wondrous fair" (1860) is in Spurgeon's Our Own Hymn Book, 1866, and "Yes, we part, but not for ever "(Parting), in several minor collections. Mr. Smith's hymns have not been incorporated into the leading hymnals of Great Britain or America. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)