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Ralph Vaughan Williams

1872 - 1958 Person Name: Ralph Vaughan Williams, 1872-1958 Harmonizer of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 Through his composing, conducting, collecting, editing, and teaching, Ralph Vaughan Williams (b. Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, England, October 12, 1872; d. Westminster, London, England, August 26, 1958) became the chief figure in the realm of English music and church music in the first half of the twentieth century. His education included instruction at the Royal College of Music in London and Trinity College, Cambridge, as well as additional studies in Berlin and Paris. During World War I he served in the army medical corps in France. Vaughan Williams taught music at the Royal College of Music (1920-1940), conducted the Bach Choir in London (1920-1927), and directed the Leith Hill Music Festival in Dorking (1905-1953). A major influence in his life was the English folk song. A knowledgeable collector of folk songs, he was also a member of the Folksong Society and a supporter of the English Folk Dance Society. Vaughan Williams wrote various articles and books, including National Music (1935), and composed numerous arrangements of folk songs; many of his compositions show the impact of folk rhythms and melodic modes. His original compositions cover nearly all musical genres, from orchestral symphonies and concertos to choral works, from songs to operas, and from chamber music to music for films. Vaughan Williams's church music includes anthems; choral-orchestral works, such as Magnificat (1932), Dona Nobis Pacem (1936), and Hodie (1953); and hymn tune settings for organ. But most important to the history of hymnody, he was music editor of the most influential British hymnal at the beginning of the twentieth century, The English Hymnal (1906), and coeditor (with Martin Shaw) of Songs of Praise (1925, 1931) and the Oxford Book of Carols (1928). Bert Polman

Pope Gregory I

540 - 604 Person Name: Gregory the Great Author (attr.) of "Father, We Praise Thee" in The Presbyterian Hymnal Gregory I., St., Pope. Surnamed The Great. Was born at Rome about A.D. 540. His family was distinguished not only for its rank and social consideration, but for its piety and good works. His father, Gordianus, said to have been the grandson of Pope Felix II. or III., was a man of senatorial rank and great wealth; whilst his mother, Silvia, and her sisters-in-law, Tarsilla and Aemiliana, attained the distinction of canonization. Gregory made the best use of his advantages in circumstances and surroundings, so far as his education went. "A saint among saints," he was considered second to none in Rome in grammar, rhetoric, and logic. In early life, before his father's death, he became a member of the Senate; and soon after he was thirty and accordingly, when his father died, he devoted the whole of the large fortune that he inherited to religious uses. He founded no less than six monasteries in Sicily, as well as one on the site of his own house at Rome, to which latter he retired himself in the capacity of a Benedictine monk, in 575. In 577 the then Pope, Benedict I, made him one of the seven Cardinal Deacons who presided over the seven principal divisions of Rome. The following year Benedict's successor, Pelagius II, sent him on an embassy of congratulation to the new emperor Tiberius, at Constantinople. After six years' residence at Constantinople he returned to Rome. It was during this residence at Rome, before he was called upon to succeed Pelagius in the Papal chair, that his interest was excited in the evangelization of Britain by seeing some beautiful children, natives of that country, exposed for sale in the slave-market there ("non Angli, sed Angeli"). He volunteered to head a mission to convert the British, and, having obtained the Pope's sanction for the enterprise, had got three days' journey on his way to Britain when he was peremptorily recalled by Pelagius, at the earnest demand of the Roman people. In 590 he became Pope himself, and, as is well known, carried out his benevolent purpose towards Britain by the mission of St. Augustine, 596. His Papacy, upon which he entered with genuine reluctance, and only after he had taken every step in his power to be relieved from the office, lasted until 604, when he died at the early age of fifty-five. His Pontificate was distinguished by his zeal, ability, and address in the administration of his temporal and spiritual kingdom alike, and his missionaries found their way into all parts of the known world. In Lombardy he destroyed Arianism; in Africa he greatly weakened the Donatists; in Spain he converted the monarch, Reccared: while he made his influence felt even in the remote region of Ireland, where, till his day, the native Church had not acknowledged any allegiance to the See of Rome. He advised rather than dictated to other bishops, and strongly opposed the assumption of the title of "Universal Patriarch" by John the Faster of Constantinople, on the ground that the title had been declined by the Pope himself at the Council of Chalcedon, and declared his pride in being called the “Servant of God's Servants." He exhibited entire toleration for Jews and heretics, and his disapproval of slavery by manumitting all his own slaves. The one grave blot upon his otherwise upright and virtuous character was his gross flattery in congratulating Phocas on his accession to the throne as emperor in 601, a position the latter had secured with the assistance of the imperial army in which he was a centurion, by the murder of his predecessor Mauricius (whose six sons had been slaughtered before their father's eyes), and that of the empress Constantina and her three daughters. Gregory's great learning won for him the distinction of being ranked as one of the four Latin doctors, and exhibited itself in many works of value, the most important of which are his Moralium Libri xxxv., and his two books of homilies on Ezekiel and the Gospels. His influence was also great as a preacher and many of his sermons are still extant, and form indeed no inconsiderable portion of his works that have come down to us. But he is most famous, perhaps, for the services he rendered to the liturgy and music of the Church, whereby he gained for himself the title of Magister Caeremoniarum. His Sacramentary, in which he gave its definite form to the Sacrifice of the Mass, and his Antiphonary, a collection which he made of chants old and new, as well as a school called Orplianotrophium, which he established at Rome for the cultivation of church singing, prove his interest in such subjects, and his success in his efforts to render the public worship of his day worthy of Him to Whom it was addressed. The Gregorian Tones, or chants, with which we are still familiar after a lapse of twelve centuries, we owe to his anxiety to supersede the more melodious and flowing style of church music which is popularly attributed to St. Ambrose, by the severer and more solemn monotone which is their characteristic. The contributions of St. Gregory to our stores of Latin hymns are not numerous, nor are the few generally attributed to him quite certainly proved to be his. But few as they are, and by whomsoever written, they are most of them still used in the services of the Church. In character they are well wedded to the grave and solemn music which St. Gregory himself is supposed to have written for them. The Benedictine editors credit St. Gregory with 8 hymns, viz. (1) “Primo dierum omnium;" (2) "Nocte surgentes vigilemus;" (3) "Ecce jam noctis tenuatur tunbra;" (4) “Clarum decus jejunii;" (5) "Audi benigne conditor;" (6) "Magno salutis gaudio;" (7) “Rex Christe factor omnium;" (8) "Lucis Creator Optime." Daniel in his vol. i. assigns him three others. (9) “Ecce tempus idoneum;" (10) "Summi largitor praemii;" (11) "Noctis tempus jam praeterit." For translations of these hymns see under their respective first lines. (For an elaborate account of St. Gregory, see Smith and Wace's Dictionary of Christian Biography.) [Rev. Digby S. Wrangham, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) =================== Gregory I., St., Pope, p. 469, i. We have been unable to discover any grounds which justified the Benedictine editors and Daniel in printing certain hymns (see p. 470, i.) as by St. Gregory. Modern scholars agree in denying him a place among hymnwriters; e.g., Mr. F. H. Dudden, in his Gregory the Great (London, 1905, vol. i.,p. 276), says "The Gregorian authorship of these compositions [the hymns printed by the Benedictine editors] however cannot be maintained... Gregory contributed ... nothing at all to the sacred music and poetry of the Roman Church." [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Percy Dearmer

1867 - 1936 Translator of "Father, We Praise Thee" in The Presbyterian Hymnal Dearmer, Percy, M.A., son of Thomas Dearmer, was born in London, Feb. 27, 1867, and educated at Westminster School and at Christ Church, Oxford (B.A. 1890, M.A. 1896). He was ordained D. 1891, P. 1892, and has been since 1901 Vicar of S. Mary the Virgin, Primrose Hill, London. He has been Secretary of the London Branch of the Christian Social Union since 1891, and is the author of The Parson's Handbook, 1st edition, 1899, and other works. He was one of the compilers of the English Hymnal, 1906, acting as Secretary and Editor, and contributed to it ten translations (38, 95, 150, 160, 165, 180, 215, 237, 352, 628) and portions of two others (242, 329), with the following originals:— 1. A brighter dawn is breaking. Easter. Suggested by the Aurora lucis, p. 95, but practically original. 2. Father, Who on man dost shower. Temperance. 3. God, we thank Thee, not in vain. Burial. 4. Holy God, we offer here. Holy Communion. 5. Jesu, good above all other. For Children. 6. Lord, the wind and sea obey Thee. For those at Sea. 7. The winter's sleep was long and deep. St. Philip and St. James. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Catherine Winkworth

1827 - 1878 Person Name: Catherine Winkworth, 1829 - 1878 Translator of "Now God be with us, for the night is closing" in The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches Catherine Winkworth (b. Holborn, London, England, 1827; d. Monnetier, Savoy, France, 1878) is well known for her English translations of German hymns; her translations were polished and yet remained close to the original. Educated initially by her mother, she lived with relatives in Dresden, Germany, in 1845, where she acquired her knowledge of German and interest in German hymnody. After residing near Manchester until 1862, she moved to Clifton, near Bristol. A pioneer in promoting women's rights, Winkworth put much of her energy into the encouragement of higher education for women. She translated a large number of German hymn texts from hymnals owned by a friend, Baron Bunsen. Though often altered, these translations continue to be used in many modern hymnals. Her work was published in two series of Lyra Germanica (1855, 1858) and in The Chorale Book for England (1863), which included the appropriate German tune with each text as provided by Sterndale Bennett and Otto Goldschmidt. Winkworth also translated biographies of German Christians who promoted ministries to the poor and sick and compiled a handbook of biographies of German hymn authors, Christian Singers of Germany (1869). Bert Polman ======================== Winkworth, Catherine, daughter of Henry Winkworth, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was born in London, Sep. 13, 1829. Most of her early life was spent in the neighbourhood of Manchester. Subsequently she removed with the family to Clifton, near Bristol. She died suddenly of heart disease, at Monnetier, in Savoy, in July, 1878. Miss Winkworth published:— Translations from the German of the Life of Pastor Fliedner, the Founder of the Sisterhood of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserworth, 1861; and of the Life of Amelia Sieveking, 1863. Her sympathy with practical efforts for the benefit of women, and with a pure devotional life, as seen in these translations, received from her the most practical illustration possible in the deep and active interest which she took in educational work in connection with the Clifton Association for the Higher Education of Women, and kindred societies there and elsewhere. Our interest, however, is mainly centred in her hymnological work as embodied in her:— (1) Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 1855. (2) Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858. (3) The Chorale Book for England (containing translations from the German, together with music), 1863; and (4) her charming biographical work, the Christian Singers of Germany, 1869. In a sympathetic article on Miss Winkworth in the Inquirer of July 20, 1878, Dr. Martineau says:— "The translations contained in these volumes are invariably faithful, and for the most part both terse and delicate; and an admirable art is applied to the management of complex and difficult versification. They have not quite the fire of John Wesley's versions of Moravian hymns, or the wonderful fusion and reproduction of thought which may be found in Coleridge. But if less flowing they are more conscientious than either, and attain a result as poetical as severe exactitude admits, being only a little short of ‘native music'" Dr. Percival, then Principal of Clifton College, also wrote concerning her (in the Bristol Times and Mirror), in July, 1878:— "She was a person of remarkable intellectual and social gifts, and very unusual attainments; but what specially distinguished her was her combination of rare ability and great knowledge with a certain tender and sympathetic refinement which constitutes the special charm of the true womanly character." Dr. Martineau (as above) says her religious life afforded "a happy example of the piety which the Church of England discipline may implant.....The fast hold she retained of her discipleship of Christ was no example of ‘feminine simplicity,' carrying on the childish mind into maturer years, but the clear allegiance of a firm mind, familiar with the pretensions of non-Christian schools, well able to test them, and undiverted by them from her first love." Miss Winkworth, although not the earliest of modern translators from the German into English, is certainly the foremost in rank and popularity. Her translations are the most widely used of any from that language, and have had more to do with the modern revival of the English use of German hymns than the versions of any other writer. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ============================ See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

Anonymous

Composer of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in The Cyber 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.

Fred Pratt Green

1903 - 2000 Author of "Christ Is the World's Light" in The United Methodist Hymnal The name of the Rev. F. Pratt Green is one of the best-known of the contemporary school of hymnwriters in the British Isles. His name and writings appear in practically every new hymnal and "hymn supplement" wherever English is spoken and sung. And now they are appearing in American hymnals, poetry magazines, and anthologies. Mr. Green was born in Liverpool, England, in 1903. Ordained in the British Methodist ministry, he has been pastor and district superintendent in Brighton and York, and now served in Norwich. There he continued to write new hymns "that fill the gap between the hymns of the first part of this century and the 'far-out' compositions that have crowded into some churches in the last decade or more." --Seven New Hymns of Hope , 1971. Used by permission.

John J. Overholt

1918 - 2000 Alterer of "Lord of Our Life and God of Our Salvation" in The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 John J. Overholt was born to an Amish family of limited means in the state of Ohio in 1918. As a child he was soon introduced to his father's personal collection of gospel songs and hymns, which was to have a marked influence on his later life. With his twin brother Joe, he early was exposed to the Amish-Mennonite tradition hymn-singing and praising worship. An early career in Christian service led to a two-year period of relief work in the country of Poland following World War II. During that interim he began to gather many European songs and hymns as a personal hobby, not realizing that these selections would become invaluable to The Christian Hymnary which was begun in 1960 and completed twelve years later in 1972, with a compilation of 1000 songs, hymns and chorales. (The largest Menn. hymnal). A second hymnal was begun simultaneously in the German language entitled Erweckungs Lieder Nr.1 which was brought to completion in 1986. This hymnal has a total of 200 selections with a small addendum of English hymns. Mr. Overholt married in 1965 to an accomplished soprano Vera Marie Sommers, who was not to be outdone by her husband's creativity and compiled a hymnal of 156 selections entitled Be Glad and Sing, directed to children and youth and first printed in 1986. During this later career of hymn publishing, Mr. Overholt also found time for Gospel team work throughout Europe. At this writing he is preparing for a 5th consecutive tour which he arranges and guides. The countries visited will be Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Poland, USSR and Romania. Mr. Overholt was called to the Christian ministry in 1957 and resides at Sarasota, Florida where he is co-minister of a Beachy Amish-Mennonite Church. Five children were born to this family and all enjoy worship in song. --Letter from Hannah Joanna Overholt to Mary Louise VanDyke, 10 October 1990, DNAH Archives. Photo enclosed.

David Evans

1874 - 1948 Harmonizer of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in The Presbyterian Hymnal David Evans (b. Resolven, Glamorganshire, Wales, 1874; d. Rosllannerchrugog, Denbighshire, Wales, 1948) was an important leader in Welsh church music. Educated at Arnold College, Swansea, and at University College, Cardiff, he received a doctorate in music from Oxford University. His longest professional post was as professor of music at University College in Cardiff (1903-1939), where he organized a large music department. He was also a well-known and respected judge at Welsh hymn-singing festivals and a composer of many orchestral and choral works, anthems, service music, and hymn tunes. Bert Polman

Healey Willan

1880 - 1968 Arranger (Faux Bourdon) of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches Healey Willan (b. Balham, London, England, October 12, 1880; d. Toronto, Ontario, February 16, 1968), theory teacher, composer and organist, was born into an Anglo-Catholic family in England and served several churches in the London area, becoming known especially for his adaptations of Gregorian chant to be able to be sung in English translation. In 1913 he moved to Canada where he led the theory department and was organist at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He also was organist at St. Paul’s, Canada’s largest Anglican church, and after 1921 at the smaller Church of St. Mary Magdalene. By invitation, he composed an anthem for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, a singular honor for one not residing in England. Emily Brink

Fred Kaan

1929 - 2009 Author of "Lord of the Living" in The Presbyterian Hymnal Fred Kaan Hymn writer. His hymns include both original work and translations. He sought to address issues of peace and justice. He was born in Haarlem in the Netherlands in July 1929. He was baptised in St Bavo Cathedral but his family did not attend church regularly. He lived through the Nazi occupation, saw three of his grandparents die of starvation, and witnessed his parents deep involvement in the resistance movement. They took in a number of refugees. He became a pacifist and began attending church in his teens. Having become interested in British Congregationalism (later to become the United Reformed Church) through a friendship, he was attended Western College in Bristol. He was ordained in 1955 at the Windsor Road Congregational Church in Barry, Glamorgan. In 1963 he was called to be minister of the Pilgrim Church in Plymouth. It was in this congregation that he began to write hymns. The first edition of Pilgrim Praise was published in 1968, going into second and third editions in 1972 and 1975. He continued writing many more hymns throughout his life. Dianne Shapiro, from obituary written by Keith Forecast in Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/fred-kaan-minister-and-celebrated-hymn-writer-1809481.html)

Erik Routley

1917 - 1982 Person Name: Erik Routley, 1917-1982 Arranger of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in Worship and Rejoice

Timothy Dudley-Smith

1926 - 2024 Author of "Christ High-Ascended" in The Worshiping Church Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) Educated at Pembroke College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Dudley-Smith has served the Church of England since his ordination in 1950. He has occupied a number of church positions, including parish priest in the diocese of Southwark (1953-1962), archdeacon of Norwich (1973-1981), and bishop of Thetford, Norfolk, from 1981 until his retirement in 1992. He also edited a Christian magazine, Crusade, which was founded after Billy Graham's 1955 London crusade. Dudley-Smith began writing comic verse while a student at Cambridge; he did not begin to write hymns until the 1960s. Many of his several hundred hymn texts have been collected in Lift Every Heart: Collected Hymns 1961-1983 (1984), Songs of Deliverance: Thirty-six New Hymns (1988), and A Voice of Singing (1993). The writer of Christian Literature and the Church (1963), Someone Who Beckons (1978), and Praying with the English Hymn Writers (1989), Dudley-Smith has also served on various editorial committees, including the committee that published Psalm Praise (1973). Bert Polman

James Quinn

1919 - 2010 Person Name: James Quinn (b. 1919) Author of "Psalm 100" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) James Quinn (b. Glasgow, Scotland, April 21, 1919; d. Edinburgh, Scotland, April 8, 2010) was a Roman Catholic Jesuit priest who was ordained in 1950. As a consultant for the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, sparked by Vatican II, he has exerted influence far beyond his native Scotland. A collection of his hymn texts is available from Selah Publishing company. Sing a New Creation

Sylvia G. Dunstan

1955 - 1993 Person Name: Sylvia G. Dunstan (1955-1993) Author of "O Laughing Light, O first-born of creation" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) After a brief, arduous battle with liver cancer, Canadian Sylvia Dunstan died in 1993 at the age of 38. For thirteen years, Dunstan had served the United Church of Canada as a parish minister and prison chaplain. She is remembered by those who knew her for her passion for those in need, her gift of writing, and her love of liturgy. Sing! A New Creation

Carl P. Daw Jr.

b. 1944 Person Name: Carl P. Daw, Jr. Author of "Splendor and Honor" in Catholic Book of Worship III 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

Juan Bautista Cabrera Ivars

1837 - 1916 Person Name: Juan Bautista Cabrera, 1837-1916 Author of "Un Nombre Existe" in Himnario Metodista Juan Bautista Cabrera Ivars was born in Benisa, Spain, April 23, 1837. He attended seminary in Valencia, studying Hebrew and Greek, and was ordained as a priest. He fled to Gibraltar in 1863 due to religious persecution where he abandoned Catholicism. He worked as a teacher and as a translator. One of the works he translated was E.H. Brown's work on the thirty-nine articles of the Anglican Church, which was his introduction to Protestantism. He was a leader of a Spanish Reformed Church in Gibraltar. He continued as a leader in this church when he returned to Spain after the government of Isabel II fell, but continued to face legal difficulties. He then organized the Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church and was consecrated as bishop in 1894. He recognized the influence of music and literature on evangelism which led him to write and translate hymns. Dianne Shapiro, from Real Academia de la Historia (https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/39825/juan-bautista-cabrera-ivars) and Himnos Cristanos (https://www.himnos-cristianos.com/biografia-juan-bautista-cabrera/) (accessed 7/30/2021)

Rabanus Maurus

776 - 856 Author (attributed to) of "Christ, The Fair Glory" in The Hymn Book of the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada Rabanus Maurus (c. 776-856) or Hrabanus Magnentius Maurus, was born of noble parents at Mainz, and educated at Fulda and Tours under Alcuin, who is reputed to have given him the surname, Maurus, after the saint of that name. In 803, he became director of the school at the Benedictine Abbey at Fulda. He was ordained priest in 814, spending the following years in a pilgrimage to Palestine. In 822, he became Abbott at Fulda, retiring in 842. In 847, he became archbishop of Mainz. He died at Winkel on the Rhine, February 4, 856. This distinguished Carolingian poet-theologian wrote extensive biblical commentaries, the Encyclopaedic De Universo, De Institutione Clericorum, and other works which circulated widely during the Middle Ages. Some of his poems, with English translations, are in Helen Waddell's Mediaeval Latin Lyrics. He is the author of: O Come, Creator Spirit, come Christ, the fair glory of the holy angels Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest Creator Spirit, by whose aid --The Hymnal 1940 Companion, New York: The Church Pension Fund (1949) =========================== Hrabanus (Rabanus) Maurus, son of one Ruthard, was born probably at Mainz, about 776. At an early age he was sent to the Monastery of Fulda to receive a religious education. In 801 he was ordained Deacon, and the following year he went to the monastic school of St. Martin at Tours to study under Alcuin, a celebrated teacher of that time, who gave to Hrabanus the name of Maurus to which Hrabanus added Magnentius. On his return to Fulda in 804 he became the head of the school connected with the Monastery. Towards him Ratgar the abbot showed great unkindness, which arose mainly from the fact that Ratgar demanded the students to build additions to the monastery, whilst Hrabanus required them at the same time for study. Hrabanus had to retire for a season, but Ratgar's deposition by Ludwig the Pious, in 817, opened up the way for his return, and the reopening of the school In the meantime, in 814, he had been raised to the Priesthood. Egil, who succeeded Ratgar as abbot, died in 822, and Hrabanus was appointed in his stead. This post he held for some time, until driven forth by some of the community. In 847, on the death of Archbishop Otgar, Ludwig the younger, with whom Hrabanus had sided in his demand for German independence as against the imperialism of his elder brother Lothar, rewarded him with the Archbishopric of Mainz, then the metropolitan see of Germany. He held this appointment to his death on Feb. 4, 856. He was buried first in St. Alban's, Mainz, and then, during the early days of the Reformation, in St. Maurice, Halle, possibly because of the opposition he is known to have made to the doctrine of Transubstantiation. With German historians Hrabanus is regarded as the father of the modern system of education in that country. His prose works were somewhat numerous, but the hymns with which his name is associated are few. We have the "Christe sanctorum decus Angelorum”; “Tibi Christe, splendor Patris”; and the "Veni Creator Spiritus”; but recent research convinces us that the ascription in each case is very doubtful; and none are received as by Hrabanus in Professor Dümmler's edition of the Carmina of Hrabanus in the Poetae Latini aevi Carolini, vol. ii. 1884. Dümmler omits them even from the "hymns of uncertain origin." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix I (1907) ======================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabanus_Maurus

Matthäus Apelles von Löwenstern

1594 - 1648 Person Name: Matthäus A. von Löwenstern (1594-1648) Author of "Lord of Our Life and God of Our Salvation" in The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 Löwenstern, Matthäus Apelles von, was born April 20, 1594, at Neustadt, in the principality of Oppeln, Silesia, where his father was a saddler. He early distinguished himself by his musical abilities, was appointed in 1625, by Duke Heinrich Wenzel of Münsterberg, as his music director and treasurer at Bernstadt: in 1626, director of the princely school at Bernstadt; and in 1631 Rath and Secretary and also Director of finance. Thereafter he entered the service of the Emperors Ferdinand II. (d. 1637), and Ferdinand III. as Rath, and was ennobled by the latter. Fi¬nally he became Staatsrath at Oels to Duke Carl Friedrich of Münsterberg, and died at Breslau, April 11, 1648 (Koch, iii. 57-60 ; Allgemeine Deutsche Biog. xix. 318, &c). Lowenstern's hymns, thirty in all, are of very varied worth, many being written in imitation of antique verse forms, and on the mottoes of the princes under whom he had served. In the original editions they were accompanied with melodies by himself. When or where they were first published (cir. 1644) is not clear. They were bound up with the Breslau Kirchen und Haus-Music, 1644, and there bear the title: Symbola oder Gedenck-Sprüche IIIirer FFFürstl. GGGn. Hn. Carl Friedrikis Hertzogs zu Münsterberg .... dann auch anderer Erlauchter Fiirstlicher Personen. Zusanibt noch etlichen absondtrs beygesetzten Geistlichen Oden. Gestellet durch M. A. v. L. Three of these hymns have been translated:— i. Christe, du Beistand deiner Kreuzgemeine. [In time of War.] 164-4, No. xvii., in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, entitled "Sapphic Ode. For spiritual and temporal peace." Included in many later collections, and as No. 215 in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851. It was a favourite hymn of Niebuhr, and also of Bunsen, who included it in his Versuch , 1833, and concluded with it the preface to his Bibelwerk. The translations in common use are:— 1. Lord of our life, and God of our Salvation. Contributed by Philip Pusey to A. R. Reinagle's Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Oxford, 1840, p. 132, in 5 stanzas. It is rather founded on the German than a translation, stanzas i., ii. on stanzas i.; iii.-v. on ii.-iv. The tune to which it was set was marked by Bunsen as an "old Latin melody," and so the Pusey hymn has sometimes been erroneously called a tr. from a Latin hymn of the 8th century. From Reinagle it passed into the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, and has been repeated in Hymns Ancient & Modern, Sarum Hymnal, Hymnary, Church Hymns; and in America in the Evangelical Hymnal, N. Y., 1880, Laudes Domini, 1884, and others. 2. Blest aid of Thine afflicted congregation. In full, by A. T. Russell, as No. 99 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book, 1848. 3. Christ, Thou the champion of the band who own. A good and full translation by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 1st Ser., 855, p. 105; repeated in Schaff's Christ in Song, 1869, and the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. In the 2nd ed. of her Lyra Germanica, 1856, it begins, "Christ, Thou the champion of that war-worn host." 4. 0 Christ, the leader of that war-worn host. A good and full tr., based on Miss Winkworth, by W. Mercer in his Church Psalm & Hymn Book, 1857, No. 279 (Oxford ed., No. 391), and repeated in the American Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858. From the version of 1858 Mr. Windle seems to have altered the form in his Collection, No. 268. ii. Nun preiset alle. [Missions.] 1644, No. xii., in 5 st. of 6 1., entitled " Alcaic Ode." A fine hymn of Praise. In the Unverfälschter Liedersegen 1851, No. 717. The translation in common use is:-— Now let us loudly. In full, by Miss Winkworth in her Chorale Book for England , 1863, No. 177, set to Lowenstern's original melody. iii. Wenn ich in Angst und Noth. [Cross and Consolation .] 1644, No. viii., in 7 stanzas of 7 lines, entitled "The 121st Psalm." It is a fine version as a hymn of consolation in times of trouble. In the Berlin Geistlicher Lieder Schatz, ed. 1863, No. 984. The translations in common use are:— 1. When in distress and woe I lift. A good translation, omitting stanza v., by H. J. Buckoll, in his Hymns from German, 1842, p. 19, repeated in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book 1848. 2. When anguish'd and perplexed. A good translation, omitting stanzas v., vi., by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 70. In her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 142, altered and set to the original melody by Lowenstern. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Charles H. Webb

b. 1933 Person Name: Charles H. Webb Composer (descant) of "CHRISTE SANCTORUM" in The United Methodist Hymnal Music Supplement

Petrus Herbert

1530 - 1571 Author of "Now God be with us, for the night is closing" in The Hymnary for use in Baptist churches Herbert, Petrus, seems to have been a native of or resident at Fulnek in Moravia. He was ordained priest of the Brethren's Unity in 1562, became a member of the Select Council in 1567, and was latterly Consenior of the Unity. By the Unity he was entrusted with many important missions. He was sent as a deputy to confer with Calvin: and again in 1562 to arrange with Duke Christoph of Württemberg for the education at Tübingen of young men from the Bohemian Brethren. He was also one of the deputies sent to Vienna to present the revised form of the Brethren's Confession of Faith to the Emperor Maximilian II. in 1564, and in 1566 to present their new German Hymn Book. He died at Eibenschütz in 1571 (Koch, ii. 414, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, xiii. 263-264, &c.). Herbert was one of the principal compilers of the enlarged edition of the Brethren's German Hymn Book published in 1566 as their Kirchengeseng, and contributed to it some 90 hymns. In the ed. of 1639 there are 104 hymns marked as his. His hymns are distinguished by simplicity and beauty of style. A number are translations from the Bohemian. His hymns translated into English include:— i. Die Nacht ist kommen drin wir ruhen sollen. [Evening] Written probably under the pressure of persecution and oppression. In the G. 2?., 1566, as above, in 5 stanzas of 7 lines (the last stanza being a versification of the Lord's Prayer), and thence in Wackernagel, iv. p. 442, and the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 515. In J. H. Schein's Cantiona, 1627, it appears as No. 99, with an additional stanza not by Herbert, which reads— Denn wir kein besser Zuflucht konnen haben, ,Als zu dir, 0 Herr, in dem Himmel droben, Du veriest keinen, gibst Acht auff die deinen. Die dich recht meyuen," This stanza is included as stanza v. in the version in Bunsen's Versuch, 1833, No. 43. Translated as:— 1. The night is come, wherein at last we rest, in full from Bunsen by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 77, repeated as No. 105 in R. Minton Taylor's Collection, 1872. 2. Now God be with us, for the night is closing, a good translation from Bunsen, in the original metre, by Miss Winkworth, as No. 170 in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, and repeated in her Christian Singers of Germany, 1869, p. 139. This version has been included in various recent collections, though generally abridged or altered, as in the Hymnary, 1872; Thring's Collection, 1882; and in America in the Evangelical Hymnal, N. Y., 1880, &c. In Laudes Domini, N.Y., 1884, it is in two parts (Nos. 209-210), the second beginning, "Father, Thy name be praised, Thy kingdom given." This is stanza vi. with an added doxology, as in the Hymnary, 1872. Other translations are:— (1) "The night comes apace," as No. 293 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) “Lo! evening's shades to sleep invite," by H. J. Buckoll, 1842, p. 64. ii. 0 Christenmensch, merk wie sichs halt. [Faith] 1566, as above, in 18 stanzas of 4 lines, repeated in Wackernagel, iv. p. 433. In Bunsen's Versuch , 1833, No. 390 Allgemeine Gesang-Buch, 1846, No. 130), the hymn begins with stanza iii. altered to "Der Glaub’ ist ein lebend'ge Kraft," and consists of stanzas iii., viii., xi., xii., xvi., xviii. Bunsen calls it "a noble confession of the true Christian faith." Translated as:— Faith is a living power from heaven. A good translation from Bunsen by Miss Winkworth in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd ser., 1858, p. 160, and thence in her Chorale Book for England, 1863. It is repeated, more or less altered and abridged, in Kennedy, 1863; and in America in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 1874, Baptist Service of Song, 1871, &c. ii. Hymns not in English common use:— iii. Des Herren Wort bleibt in Ewigkeit. [Holy Scripture.] 1566, as above, in 25 stanzas, and in Wackernagel, iv. p. 432. Translated as "God's holy Word, which ne’er shall cease," by J. Swertner, as No. 3 in the Moravian Hymn Book1789 (1849, No. 2). iv. Fürchtet Gott, 0 lieben Leut. [Martyrs.] 1566, as above, in 13 stanzas, and in Wackernagel, iv. p. 429. The translations are, (i.) "O love God, ye people dear," as No. 267 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) "O exalt and praise the Lord" (from the version in the Brüder Gesang-Buch1778, beginning "Liebet Gott"), as No. 871 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1886, No. 1306). v. Lasst uns mit Lust und Freud aus Olauben singen. [Eternal Life.] A fine hymn on the Joys of Heaven. 1566, as above, in 12 stanzas, and in Wackernagel, iv. p. 447. Translated as "In faith we sing this song of thank-fulness," by Mrs. Bevan, 1858, p. 34. vi. 0 höchster Trost, heiliger Geist [Whitsuntide.] 1566, as above, in 13 stanzas, and Wackernagel, iv. p. 407. The translations are, (1) "O highest comfort, Holy Ghost," as No. 262 in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. (2) "O Comforter, God Holy Ghost," as No. 203 in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789 (1849, No. 265). Besides the above a number of hymns by Herbert (all of which appeared in the Kirchengeseng, 1566, and are included in Wackernagel’s vol. iv.) were translated in pt. i. of the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754. The numbers in the 1754 are 166, 259, 263, 264, 265, 266, 274, 277, 281, 287, and 294. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology

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