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James Russell Lowell

1819 - 1891 Author of "Once to every man and nation" in The Hymnal Lowell, James Russell, LL.D., was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 22, 1819; graduated at Harvard College, 1838, and was called to the Bar in 1840. Professor of Modern Languages and Literature (succeeding the Poet Longfellow) in Harvard, 1855; American Minister to Spain, also to England in 1881. He was editor of the Atlantic Monthly, from 1857 to 1862; and of the North American Review from 1863 to 1872. Professor Lowell is the most intellectual of American poets, and first of her art critics and humorists. He has written much admirable moral and sacred poetry, but no hymns. One piece, “Men, whose boast it is that ye" (Against Slavery), is part of an Anti-Slavery poem, and in its present form is found in Hymns of the Spirit, 1864. Part of this is given in Songs for the Sanctuary, N.Y., 1865, as "They are slaves who will not choose.” [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Thomas John Williams

1869 - 1944 Person Name: Thomas J. Williams, 1869-1944 Composer of "EBENEZER (TON-Y-BOTEL)" in Hymnal of the Church of God Although his primary vocation was in the insurance business, Thomas John Williams (b. Ynysmeudwy, Glamorganshire, Wales, 1869; d. Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, 1944) studied with David Evans at Cardiff and later was organist and choirmaster at Zion Chapel (1903-1913) and Calfaria Chapel (1913-1931), both in Llanelly. He composed a number of hymn tunes and a few anthems. Bert Polman

Henry Thomas Smart

1813 - 1879 Person Name: Henry Smart Composer of "BETHANY" in Worship and Song. (Rev. ed.) Henry Smart (b. Marylebone, London, England, 1813; d. Hampstead, London, 1879), a capable composer of church music who wrote some very fine hymn tunes (REGENT SQUARE, 354, is the best-known). Smart gave up a career in the legal profession for one in music. Although largely self taught, he became proficient in organ playing and composition, and he was a music teacher and critic. Organist in a number of London churches, including St. Luke's, Old Street (1844-1864), and St. Pancras (1864-1869), Smart was famous for his extemporizations and for his accompaniment of congregational singing. He became completely blind at the age of fifty-two, but his remarkable memory enabled him to continue playing the organ. Fascinated by organs as a youth, Smart designed organs for important places such as St. Andrew Hall in Glasgow and the Town Hall in Leeds. He composed an opera, oratorios, part-songs, some instrumental music, and many hymn tunes, as well as a large number of works for organ and choir. He edited the Choralebook (1858), the English Presbyterian Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1867), and the Scottish Presbyterian Hymnal (1875). Some of his hymn tunes were first published in Hymns Ancient and Modern (1861). Bert Polman

Arthur Sullivan

1842 - 1900 Person Name: Arthur S. Sullivan Composer of "LUX EOI" in The Hymnal of Praise Arthur Seymour Sullivan (b Lambeth, London. England. 1842; d. Westminster, London, 1900) was born of an Italian mother and an Irish father who was an army bandmaster and a professor of music. Sullivan entered the Chapel Royal as a chorister in 1854. He was elected as the first Mendelssohn scholar in 1856, when he began his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He also studied at the Leipzig Conservatory (1858-1861) and in 1866 was appointed professor of composition at the Royal Academy of Music. Early in his career Sullivan composed oratorios and music for some Shakespeare plays. However, he is best known for writing the music for lyrics by William S. Gilbert, which produced popular operettas such as H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1884), and Yeomen of the Guard (1888). These operettas satirized the court and everyday life in Victorian times. Although he composed some anthems, in the area of church music Sullivan is best remembered for his hymn tunes, written between 1867 and 1874 and published in The Hymnary (1872) and Church Hymns (1874), both of which he edited. He contributed hymns to A Hymnal Chiefly from The Book of Praise (1867) and to the Presbyterian collection Psalms and Hymns for Divine Worship (1867). A complete collection of his hymns and arrangements was published posthumously as Hymn Tunes by Arthur Sullivan (1902). Sullivan steadfastly refused to grant permission to those who wished to make hymn tunes from the popular melodies in his operettas. Bert Polman

Joseph Haydn

1732 - 1809 Person Name: Francis J. Haydn Composer of "[Once to ev'ry man and nation]" in Songs of Life Franz Joseph Haydn (b. Rohrau, Austria, 1732; d. Vienna, Austria, 1809) Haydn's life was relatively uneventful, but his artistic legacy was truly astounding. He began his musical career as a choirboy in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, spent some years in that city making a precarious living as a music teacher and composer, and then served as music director for the Esterhazy family from 1761 to 1790. Haydn became a most productive and widely respected composer of symphonies, chamber music, and piano sonatas. In his retirement years he took two extended tours to England, which resulted in his "London" symphonies and (because of G. F. Handel's influence) in oratorios. Haydn's church music includes six great Masses and a few original hymn tunes. Hymnal editors have also arranged hymn tunes from various themes in Haydn's music. Bert Polman

Rowland Hugh Prichard

1811 - 1887 Person Name: R. H. Prichard, 1811-87 Composer of "HYFRYDOL" in The English Hymnal Rowland H. Prichard (sometimes spelled Pritchard) (b. Graienyn, near Bala, Merionetshire, Wales, 1811; d. Holywell, Flintshire, Wales, 1887) was a textile worker and an amateur musician. He had a good singing voice and was appointed precentor in Graienyn. Many of his tunes were published in Welsh periodicals. In 1880 Prichard became a loom tender's assistant at the Welsh Flannel Manufacturing Company in Holywell. Bert Polman

Anonymous

Composer of "SANTOLIUS" in The Abingdon Hymnal In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries.

John Zundel

1815 - 1882 Composer of "BEECHER" in Baptist Hymnal 1991 John Zundel; b. 1815, near Stuttgart, Germany; organist in Brooklyn, N. Y., from 1847 to 1878; d. Cannstadt, Germany, 1882 Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, 1908

James Langran

1835 - 1909 Person Name: James Langran, 1835-1909 Composer of "DEERHURST" in The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada James Langran (b. St. Pancras, London, England, November 10, 1835; d. Tottenham, London, England, June 8, 1909) studied organ as a youth but did not receive his Bachelor of Music degree from Oxford until he was forty-nine years old. He had several organist positions–the longest was at St. Paul's Church, Tottenham, England, from 1870 to 1909. He also taught music at St. Katherine's Training College for Schoolmistresses (1878-1909). Music editor of theNew Mitre Hymnal　(1875), Langran composed around fifty hymn tunes and contributed several of them to early editions of Hymns Ancient and Modern. Bert Polman

J. W. Elliott

1833 - 1915 Person Name: J.W. Elliott Composer of "EUCHARISTICA" in The New Canadian Hymnal J.W. Elliott was a popular composer of the Victorian period, and is best known for his nursery rhyme music and for his work on hymnals in the 1870s. He was born James William Elliott, in Warwick, England, on February 13, 1833. As a child, he sang as a chorister in the Leamington Parish Church. In those days, choristers were given lessons in all facets of church music, including organ lessons, counterpoint studies, and more in exchange for providing an extraordinary level of service to their parish church (services throughout the week, all holidays, extra services, etc.). The result is that most choristers who completed their studies received an excellent music education, and James was no exception. After starting his career as an organist and choirmaster for a countryside church, his talent became obvious. He moved to London, where he assisted Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in editing Church Hymns. In addition, James worked for a music publisher. His compositions include two operettas, numerous anthems, service music, works for instruments including the very popular harmonium, and most particularly for Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs, his children’s music score that sets many of the Nursery Rhymes to delightful music. Several of his hymn tunes are still in use today in many hymnals, most notably his hymn tune “Day of Rest.” He was heavily involved in the preparation of the musical edition of Church Hymns in 1874, the Choral Service Book of 1892, and transcriptions of hymn tunes using harmonies different than the traditional ones found in hymnals. He died in St. Marylebone, London, on February 5, 1915. --www.nursery-songs.com/