Person Results

Switch back to the old search page.Advanced Search

Showing 1 - 49 of 49Results Per Page: 10 20 50

Charles Wesley

1707 - 1788 Person Name: Charles Wesley (1707-1788) Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:13 Alterer of "Lo, he comes with clouds descending" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepened, and he became one of the first band of "Oxford Methodists." In 1735 he went with his brother John to Georgia, as secretary to General Oglethorpe, having before he set out received Deacon's and Priest's Orders on two successive Sundays. His stay in Georgia was very short; he returned to England in 1736, and in 1737 came under the influence of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians, especially of that remarkable man who had so large a share in moulding John Wesley's career, Peter Bonier, and also of a Mr. Bray, a brazier in Little Britain. On Whitsunday, 1737, [sic. 1738] he "found rest to his soul," and in 1738 he became curate to his friend, Mr. Stonehouse, Vicar of Islington, but the opposition of the churchwardens was so great that the Vicar consented that he "should preach in his church no more." Henceforth his work was identified with that of his brother John, and he became an indefatigable itinerant and field preacher. On April 8, 1749, he married Miss Sarah Gwynne. His marriage, unlike that of his brother John, was a most happy one; his wife was accustomed to accompany him on his evangelistic journeys, which were as frequent as ever until the year 1756," when he ceased to itinerate, and mainly devoted himself to the care of the Societies in London and Bristol. Bristol was his headquarters until 1771, when he removed with his family to London, and, besides attending to the Societies, devoted himself much, as he had done in his youth, to the spiritual care of prisoners in Newgate. He had long been troubled about the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and strongly disapproved of his brother John's "ordinations." Wesley-like, he expressed his disapproval in the most outspoken fashion, but, as in the case of Samuel at an earlier period, the differences between the brothers never led to a breach of friendship. He died in London, March 29, 1788, and was buried in Marylebone churchyard. His brother John was deeply grieved because he would not consent to be interred in the burial-ground of the City Road Chapel, where he had prepared a grave for himself, but Charles said, "I have lived, and I die, in the Communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church." Eight clergymen of the Church of England bore his pall. He had a large family, four of whom survived him; three sons, who all became distinguished in the musical world, and one daughter, who inherited some of her father's poetical genius. The widow and orphans were treated with the greatest kindness and generosity by John Wesley. As a hymn-writer Charles Wesley was unique. He is said to have written no less than 6500 hymns, and though, of course, in so vast a number some are of unequal merit, it is perfectly marvellous how many there are which rise to the highest degree of excellence. His feelings on every occasion of importance, whether private or public, found their best expression in a hymn. His own conversion, his own marriage, the earthquake panic, the rumours of an invasion from France, the defeat of Prince Charles Edward at Culloden, the Gordon riots, every Festival of the Christian Church, every doctrine of the Christian Faith, striking scenes in Scripture history, striking scenes which came within his own view, the deaths of friends as they passed away, one by one, before him, all furnished occasions for the exercise of his divine gift. Nor must we forget his hymns for little children, a branch of sacred poetry in which the mantle of Dr. Watts seems to have fallen upon him. It would be simply impossible within our space to enumerate even those of the hymns which have become really classical. The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley; for hymns, which are really good in every respect, flowed from his pen in quick succession, and death alone stopped the course of the perennial stream. It has been the common practice, however for a hundred years or more to ascribe all translations from the German to John Wesley, as he only of the two brothers knew that language; and to assign to Charles Wesley all the original hymns except such as are traceable to John Wesley through his Journals and other works. The list of 482 original hymns by John and Charles Wesley listed in this Dictionary of Hymnology have formed an important part of Methodist hymnody and show the enormous influence of the Wesleys on the English hymnody of the nineteenth century. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================== Charles Wesley, the son of Samuel Wesley, was born at Epworth, Dec. 18, 1707. He was educated at Westminster School and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated M.A. In 1735, he took Orders and immediately proceeded with his brother John to Georgia, both being employed as missionaries of the S.P.G. He returned to England in 1736. For many years he engaged with his brother in preaching the Gospel. He died March 29, 1788. To Charles Wesley has been justly assigned the appellation of the "Bard of Methodism." His prominence in hymn writing may be judged from the fact that in the "Wesleyan Hymn Book," 623 of the 770 hymns were written by him; and he published more than thirty poetical works, written either by himself alone, or in conjunction with his brother. The number of his separate hymns is at least five thousand. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872.

John Fawcett

1740 - 1817 Person Name: John Fawcett, 1740-1817 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Author of "Blest be the tie that binds" in The Hymnal An orphan at the age of twelve, John Fawcett (b. Lidget Green, Yorkshire, England, 1740; d. Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, 1817) became apprenticed to a tailor and was largely self-educated. He was converted by the preaching of George Whitefield at the age of sixteen and began preaching soon thereafter. In 1765 Fawcett was called to a small, poor, Baptist country church in Wainsgate, Yorkshire. Seven years later he received a call from the large and influential Carter's Lane Church in London, England. Fawcett accepted the call and preached his farewell sermon. The day of departure came, and his family's belongings were loaded on carts, but the distraught congregation begged him to stay. In Singers and Songs of the Church (1869), Josiah Miller tells the story associated with this text: This favorite hymn is said to have been written in 1772, to commemorate the determination of its author to remain with his attached people at Wainsgate. The farewell sermon was preached, the wagons were loaded, when love and tears prevailed, and Dr. Fawcett sacrificed the attraction of a London pulpit to the affection of his poor but devoted flock. Fawcett continued to serve in Wainsgate and in the nearby village of Hebden Bridge for the remainder of his active ministry. Bert Polman =============== Fawcett, John, D.D., was born Jan. 6, 1739 or 1740, at Lidget Green, near Bradford, Yorks. Converted at the age of sixteen under the ministry of G. Whitefield, he at first joined the Methodists, but three years later united with the Baptist Church at Bradford. Having begun to preach he was, in 1765, ordained Baptist minister at Wainsgate, near Hebden Bridge, Yorks. In 1772 he was invited to London, to succeed the celebrated Dr. J. Gill, as pastor of Carter's Lane; the invitation had been formally accepted, the farewell sermon at Wainsgate had been preached and the wagons loaded with his goods for removal, when the love and tears of his attached people prevailed and he decided to remain. In 1777 a new chapel was built for him at Hebden Bridge, and about the same time he opened a school at Brearley Hall, his place of residence. In 1793 he was invited to become President of the Baptist Academy at Bristol, but declined. In 1811 he received from America the degree of D.D., and died in 1817, at the age of 78. Dr. Fawcett was the author of a number of prose works on Practical Religion, several of which attained a large circulation. His poetical publications are:— (1) Poetic Essays, 1767; (2) The Christian's Humble Plea, a Poem, in answer to Dr. Priestley against the Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1772; (3) Three hymns, in the Gospel Magazine, 1777; (4) The Death of Eumenio, a Divine Poem, 1779; (5) Another poem, suggested by the decease of a friend, The Reign of Death, 1780; and (6) Hymns adapted to the circumstances of Public Worship and Private Devotion, Leeds, G. Wright & Son. 1782. They are 166 in number, and were mostly composed to be sung after sermons by the author. Whilst not attaining a high degree of excellence as poetry, they are "eminently spiritual and practical," and a number of them are found in all the Baptist and Congregational hymn-books that have appeared during the last 100 years. The best known of these are, “Infinite excellence is Thine;" "How precious is the Book divine;" "Thus far my God hath led me on;" "Religion is the chief concern;" "Blest be the tie that binds;" “I my Ebenezer raise;" and "Praise to Thee, Thou great Creator." These hymns, together with others by Fawcett, are annotated under their respective first lines. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] In addition the following hymns, also by Fawcett, but of less importance, are in common use: 1. Behold the sin-atoning Lamb. Passiontide. No. 60 of his Hymns, 1782, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines. In several hymnals in Great Britain and America. 2. I my Ebenezer raise. Birthday. No. 102 of his Hymns, in 10 stanzas of 4 lines. Usually given in an abbreviated form. 3. Infinite excellence is Thine. Jesus the Desire of Nations. No. 42 of his Hymns, in 12 stanzas of 4 lines. In several hymn-books in Great Britain and America in an abridged form. 4. Jesus, the heavenly Lover, gave. Redemption in Christ. No. 10 of his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines, and headed, "The marriage between Christ and the Soul." In Snepp's Songs of Grace & Glory, 1872, it reads, “Jesus, the heavenly Bridegroom, gave," and stanza v. is omitted. 5. Lord, hast Thou made me know Thy ways? Perseverance. No. 122 of his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 8 stanza of 4 lines. In the Baptist Hymnal, 1879, No. 451, stanzas iv.-vii. are omitted. 6. 0 God, my Helper, ever near. New Year. No. 108 of his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines. The New Congregational Hymn Book, 1859-69 omits st. vi. 7. 0, my soul, what means this sadness? Sorrow turned to Joy. No. 111 of his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 5 stanzas of 6 lines, and based upon the words, "Why art Thou cast down, O my soul?" &c. It is in common use in America, and usually with the omission of stanza ii. as in Dr. Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, 1872. 8. Sinners, the voice of God regard. Invitation to Repentance. No. 63 of his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines on Isaiah lv. 7, "Let the wicked forsake his way," &c. It is in common use in America, but usually in an abbreviated form. 9. Thy presence, gracious God, afford. Before Sermon. No 165 in his Hymns, &c., in 4 stanzas of 4 lines, and a chorus of two lines. In Dr. Hatfield's Church Hymnbook, 1872, No. 126, the chorus is omitted. Fawcett has another hymn on the same subject (No. 79) and beginning, "Thy blessing, gracious God, afford," but this is not in common use. 10. Thy way, 0 God, is in the sea. Imperfect Knowledge of God. No. 66 in his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines on 1 Corinthians xiii. 9, "We know in part," &c. It is in several American collections, usually abbreviated, and sometimes as, "Thy way, O Lord, is in the sea." In this form it is in The Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858, &c. 11. With humble heart and tongue. Prayer for Guidance in Youth. No. 86 in his Hymns, &c., 1782, in 7 stanzas of 4 lines on Psalms cxix. 9. "Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way." It is No. 954 in the Baptist Psalms and Hymns, 1858-80. About 20 of Fawcett's hymns are thus still in common use. Two hymns which have been ascribed to him from time to time, but concerning which there are some doubts, are fully annotated under their respective first lines. These are," Humble souls that seek salvation," and "Lord, dismiss us with Thy blessing." -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Hans G. Nägeli

1773 - 1836 Person Name: Johann G. Nägeli, 1773-1836 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Arranged from of "DENNIS" in Hymns of the Saints Johann G. Nageli (b. Wetzikon, near Zurich, Switzerland, 1773; d. Wetzikon, 1836) was an influential music educator who lectured throughout Germany and France. Influenced by Johann Pestalozzi, he published his theories of music education in Gangbildungslehre (1810), a book that made a strong impact on Lowell Mason. Nageli composed mainly" choral works, including settings of Goethe's poetry. He received his early instruction from his father, then in Zurich, where he concentrated on the music of. S. Bach. In Zurich, he also established a lending library and a publishing house, which published first editions of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and music by Bach, Handel, and Frescobaldi. Bert Polman

Lowell Mason

1792 - 1872 Person Name: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 Arranger of "DENNIS" in Hymns of the Saints Dr. Lowell Mason (the degree was conferred by the University of New York) is justly called the father of American church music; and by his labors were founded the germinating principles of national musical intelligence and knowledge, which afforded a soil upon which all higher musical culture has been founded. To him we owe some of our best ideas in religious church music, elementary musical education, music in the schools, the popularization of classical chorus singing, and the art of teaching music upon the Inductive or Pestalozzian plan. More than that, we owe him no small share of the respect which the profession of music enjoys at the present time as contrasted with the contempt in which it was held a century or more ago. In fact, the entire art of music, as now understood and practiced in America, has derived advantage from the work of this great man. Lowell Mason was born in Medfield, Mass., January 8, 1792. From childhood he had manifested an intense love for music, and had devoted all his spare time and effort to improving himself according to such opportunities as were available to him. At the age of twenty he found himself filling a clerkship in a banking house in Savannah, Ga. Here he lost no opportunity of gratifying his passion for musical advancement, and was fortunate to meet for the first time a thoroughly qualified instructor, in the person of F. L. Abel. Applying his spare hours assiduously to the cultivation of the pursuit to which his passion inclined him, he soon acquired a proficiency that enabled him to enter the field of original composition, and his first work of this kind was embodied in the compilation of a collection of church music, which contained many of his own compositions. The manuscript was offered unavailingly to publishers in Philadelphia and in Boston. Fortunately for our musical advancement it finally secured the attention of the Boston Handel and Haydn Society, and by its committee was submitted to Dr. G. K. Jackson, the severest critic in Boston. Dr. Jackson approved most heartily of the work, and added a few of his own compositions to it. Thus enlarged, it was finally published in 1822 as The Handel and Haydn Society Collection of Church Music. Mason's name was omitted from the publication at his own request, which he thus explains, "I was then a bank officer in Savannah, and did not wish to be known as a musical man, as I had not the least thought of ever making music a profession." President Winchester, of the Handel and Haydn Society, sold the copyright for the young man. Mr. Mason went back to Savannah with probably $500 in his pocket as the preliminary result of his Boston visit. The book soon sprang into universal popularity, being at once adopted by the singing schools of New England, and through this means entering into the church choirs, to whom it opened up a higher field of harmonic beauty. Its career of success ran through some seventeen editions. On realizing this success, Mason determined to accept an invitation to come to Boston and enter upon a musical career. This was in 1826. He was made an honorary member of the Handel and Haydn Society, but declined to accept this, and entered the ranks as an active member. He had been invited to come to Boston by President Winchester and other musical friends and was guaranteed an income of $2,000 a year. He was also appointed, by the influence of these friends, director of music at the Hanover, Green, and Park Street churches, to alternate six months with each congregation. Finally he made a permanent arrangement with the Bowdoin Street Church, and gave up the guarantee, but again friendly influence stepped in and procured for him the position of teller at the American Bank. In 1827 Lowell Mason became president and conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society. It was the beginning of a career that was to win for him as has been already stated the title of "The Father of American Church Music." Although this may seem rather a bold claim it is not too much under the circumstances. Mr. Mason might have been in the average ranks of musicianship had he lived in Europe; in America he was well in advance of his surroundings. It was not too high praise (in spite of Mason's very simple style) when Dr. Jackson wrote of his song collection: "It is much the best book I have seen published in this country, and I do not hesitate to give it my most decided approbation," or that the great contrapuntist, Hauptmann, should say the harmonies of the tunes were dignified and churchlike and that the counterpoint was good, plain, singable and melodious. Charles C. Perkins gives a few of the reasons why Lowell Mason was the very man to lead American music as it then existed. He says, "First and foremost, he was not so very much superior to the members as to be unreasonably impatient at their shortcomings. Second, he was a born teacher, who, by hard work, had fitted himself to give instruction in singing. Third, he was one of themselves, a plain, self-made man, who could understand them and be understood of them." The personality of Dr. Mason was of great use to the art and appreciation of music in this country. He was of strong mind, dignified manners, sensitive, yet sweet and engaging. Prof. Horace Mann, one of the great educators of that day, said he would walk fifty miles to see and hear Mr. Mason teach if he could not otherwise have that advantage. Dr. Mason visited a number of the music schools in Europe, studied their methods, and incorporated the best things in his own work. He founded the Boston Academy of Music. The aim of this institution was to reach the masses and introduce music into the public schools. Dr. Mason resided in Boston from 1826 to 1851, when he removed to New York. Not only Boston benefited directly by this enthusiastic teacher's instruction, but he was constantly traveling to other societies in distant cities and helping their work. He had a notable class at North Reading, Mass., and he went in his later years as far as Rochester, where he trained a chorus of five hundred voices, many of them teachers, and some of them coming long distances to study under him. Before 1810 he had developed his idea of "Teachers' Conventions," and, as in these he had representatives from different states, he made musical missionaries for almost the entire country. He left behind him no less than fifty volumes of musical collections, instruction books, and manuals. As a composer of solid, enduring church music. Dr. Mason was one of the most successful this country has introduced. He was a deeply pious man, and was a communicant of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Mason in 1817 married Miss Abigail Gregory, of Leesborough, Mass. The family consisted of four sons, Daniel Gregory, Lowell, William and Henry. The two former founded the publishing house of Mason Bros., dissolved by the death of the former in 1869. Lowell and Henry were the founders of the great organ manufacturer of Mason & Hamlin. Dr. William Mason was one of the most eminent musicians that America has yet produced. Dr. Lowell Mason died at "Silverspring," a beautiful residence on the side of Orange Mountain, New Jersey, August 11, 1872, bequeathing his great musical library, much of which had been collected abroad, to Yale College. --Hall, J. H. (c1914). Biography of Gospel Song and Hymn Writers. New York: Fleming H. Revell Company.

E. Prentiss

1818 - 1878 Person Name: Elizabeth Prentiss Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Author of "More love to Thee, O Christ" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Elizabeth Payson Prentiss USA 1818-1878. Born at Portland, ME, 5th child of Congregationalist minister, Edward Payson. He died of tuberculosis in 1827, and the family moved to New York City in 1831. That year she professed faith in Christ and joined the Bleeker Street Presbyterian Church. She possessed keen abilities, including sympathy and perceptiveness. She began writing stories and poems, and contributed her works to “The youth’s companion”, a New England religious periodical. In 1838 she opened a small girls’ school in her home and took up a Sabbath-school class as well. Two years later, she moved to Richmond, VA, to be a department head at a girls’ boarding school. In 1845 she married George Lewis Prentiss, a brother of her close friend, Anna Prentiss Stearns. The Prentisses settled in New Bedford, MA, where George became pastor of South Trinitarian Church. In 1851 George became pastor of Mercer St Presbyterian Church in New York City. After a happy period in life, by 1852 she had lost two of her three children, one as a newborn, one at age four. However, she went on to have three more healthy children, despite her poor health. She wrote her first book of stories, published in 1853. In 1856 she penned her famous hymn lyrics (noted below) after she nearly lost her daughter, Minnie, to an illness. After George resigned from his church due to failing health, the family went abroad for a couple of years. In 1860 they returned to NY, where George resumed his pastorate and held a chair at Union Theological Seminary. She published her most popular book, “Stepping heavenward” in 1869, furnishing it in installments to ‘Chicago Advance’. The family evenually settled in Dorset, VT, where she died. After her death, her husband published “The life and letters of Elizabeth Prentiss” in 1882. The family children were: Annie, Eddy, Bessie, Minnie, George, and Henry. John Perry ================ Prentiss, Elizabeth, née Payson, youngest daughter of Dr. Edward Payson, was born at Portland, Maine, Oct. 26, 1818; married to George Lewis Prentiss, D.D., then at Bedford, Massachusetts, April, 1845; and died at Dorset, Vermont, Aug. 13, 1878. Her Life and Letters by her husband appeared some time after. Dr. Prentiss removed from Bedford to New York in 1851, and was appointed Professor of Pastoral Theology at Union Seminary, New York, 1873. Mrs. Prentiss's works include The Flower of the Family; Stepping Heavenward, 1869; and Religious Poems, 1873. Of her hymns the two following are most widely known:— 1. As on a vast eternal shore Thanksgiving. Contributed to Schaff's Christ in Song, 1869. 2. More love to Thee, 0 Christ. More Love to Christ desired. Written in 1869, and first printed on a fly-sheet; then in Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, N. Y., 1872. [Rev. F. M. Bird, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

John Cennick

1718 - 1755 Person Name: John Cennick (1718-1755) Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:13 Author of "Lo, he comes with clouds descending" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) John Cennick was born at Reading, Berkshire, in the year 1717. He became acquainted with Wesley and Whitefield, and preached in the Methodist connection. On the separation of Wesley and Whitefield he joined the latter. In 1745, he attached himself to the Moravians, and made a tour in Germany to fully acquaint himself with the Moravian doctrines. He afterwards ministered in Dublin, and in the north of Ireland. He died in London, in 1755, and was buried in the Moravian Cemetery, Chelsea. He was the author of many hymns, some of which are to be found in every collection. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A. 1872. ======================= Cennick, John, a prolific and successful hymnwriter, was descended from a family of Quakers, but brought up in the Church of England. He assisted J. Wesley and then G. Whitefield in their labours for a time, and then passed over to, and died as a minister of, the Moravian Church. Born at Reading, Dec. 12, 1718, he was for some time a land surveyor at Reading, but becoming acquainted with the Wesleys in 1739, he was appointed by J. Wesley as a teacher of a school for colliers' children at Kingswood in the following year. This was followed by his becoming a lay preacher, but in 1740 he parted from the Wesleys on doctrinal grounds. He assisted Whitefield until 1745, when he joined the Mora¬vians, and was ordained deacon, in London, in 1749. His duties led him twice to Germany and also to the North of Ireland. He died in London, July 4, 1755. In addition to a few prose works, and some sermons, he published:— (1) Sacred Hymns, for the Children of God in the Days of their Pilgrimage, Lond., J. Lewis, n.d. (2nd ed. Lond., B. Milles, 1741), Pts. ii., iii., 1742; (2) Sacred Hymns for the Use of Religious Societies, &c, Bristol, F. Farley, 1743; (3) A Collection of Sacred Hymns, &c, Dublin, S. Powell, 3rd ed., 1749; (4) Hymns to the honour of Jesus Christ, composed for such Little Children as desire to be saved. Dublin, S. Powell, 1754. Additional hymns from his manuscripts were published by his son-in-law, the Rev. J. Swertner, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1789, of which he was the editor. There are also 16 of his hymns in his Sermons, 2 vols., 1753-4, some being old hymns rewritten, and others new. Many of Cennick's hymns are widely known, as, "Lo, He cometh, countless trumpets;" “Brethren, let us join to bless;" "Jesus, my all, to heaven is gone;" "Children of the heavenly King;" "Ere I sleep, for every favour;" "We sing to Thee, Thou Son of God;" and the Graces: " Be present at our table, Lord;" and "We thank Thee, Lord;" &c. Some of the stanzas of his hymns are very fine, but the hymns taken as a whole are most unequal. Some excellent centos might be compiled from his various works. His religious experiences were given as a preface to his Sacred Hymns, 1741. In addition to the hymns named, and others annotated under their first lines, the following are in common use:— 1. Be with me [us] Lord, where'er I [we] go. Divine Protection. [1741.] 2. Cast thy burden on the Lord. Submission. [1743.] 3. Not unto us, but Thee alone. Praise to Jesus. [1743.] 4. Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb. Priesthood of Christ. [1743.] 5. We sing to Thee, Thou Son of God. Praise to Jesus. [1743.] 6. When, 0 dear Jesus, when shall I? Sunday Evening. [1743.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Joseph Swain

1761 - 1796 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "How Sweet, How Heavenly" in Church Hymnal, Mennonite Swain, Joseph, was born at Birmingham in 1761, and after being apprenticed to an engraver, removed to London. After a time he became a decided Christian, and being of an emotional poetic temperament, began to give expression to his new thoughts and feelings in hymns. In 1783 he was baptized by the Rev. Dr. Rippon, and in 1791 became minister of a Baptist congregation in East Street, Walworth. After a short but popular and very useful ministry, he died April 16, 1796 Swain published the following:— (1) A Collection of Poems on Several Occasions, London, 1781; (2) Redemption, a Poem in five Books, London, 1789; (3) Experimental Essays on Divine Subjects, London, 1791; (4) Walworth Hymns, by J. Swain, Pastor of the Baptist Church Meeting there, London, 1792, 129 hymns; with a Supplement, 1794, 192 hymns; (5) A Pocket Companion and Directory, London, 1794. In addition to a limited number of Swain's hymns, annotated under their respective first lines, the following, from his Walworth Hymns1792, and the 2nd ed., 1796, are also in common use:— 1. Brethren, while we sojourn here. Mutual Encouragement. 2. Children of the King of grace. Holy Baptism. 3. Christ the Lord will come again. Second Advent. 4. Come, ye souls, by sin afflicted. The Yoke of Christ. 5. How sweet, how heavenly is the sight. Communion of Saints. 6. In expectation sweet. Second Advent. 7. Lift up your heads, ye gates. Ascension. 8. Love is the sweetest bud that blows. A Flower an Emblem of Christ. 9. 0 how the thought that I shall know. Heaven Anticipated. Sometimes it begins with st. ii., "For ever to behold Him shine". 10. On earth the song begins. Heaven Anticipated. 11. On the wings of faith upspringing. Passiontide. 12. Pilgrims we are to Canaan bound. Pilgrimage of Life. 13. Praise ye the Lord, the eternal King. Divinity of Christ. 14. Praise your Redeemer, praise His Name. Praise for Redemption. 15. 'Tis heaven begun below. Heaven Anticipated. 16. What is it for a saint to die? Death and Burial. 17. What must [will] it be to dwell above? Heaven Anticipated. 18. When firm I [we] stand on Zion's hill. Confidence. Sometimes as "I stand on Zion's mount," in American collections. 19. Who can forbear to sing? Praise of Jesus. From his Redemption, a Poem in Five Books, 1791, the following hymns are also in common use:-- 20. 0 Thou in whose presence my soul takes delight. In Affliction. 21. Ye daughters of Zion, declare, have you see? Comfort in Affliction. Of these hymns the most widely known are Nos. 1, 5, 6, and 20. We may add that several of Swain's hymns appeared in The Theological Miscellany, 1784-1789. [Rev. W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

William B. Bradbury

1816 - 1868 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Composer of "BROWN" in Church Hymnal, Mennonite William Bachelder Bradbury USA 1816-1868. Born at York, ME, he was raised on his father's farm, with rainy days spent in a shoe-shop, the custom in those days. He loved music and spent spare hours practicing any music he could find. In 1830 the family moved to Boston, where he first saw and heard an organ and piano, and other instruments. He became an organist at 15. He attended Dr. Lowell Mason's singing classes, and later sang in the Bowdoin Street church choir. Dr. Mason became a good friend. He made $100/yr playing the organ, and was still in Dr. Mason's choir. Dr. Mason gave him a chance to teach singing in Machias, ME, which he accepted. He returned to Boston the following year to marry Adra Esther Fessenden in 1838, then relocated to Saint John, New Brunswick. Where his efforts were not much appreciated, so he returned to Boston. He was offered charge of music and organ at the First Baptist Church of Brooklyn. That led to similar work at the Baptist Tabernacle, New York City, where he also started a singing class. That started singing schools in various parts of the city, and eventually resulted in music festivals, held at the Broadway Tabernacle, a prominent city event. He conducted a 1000 children choir there, which resulted in music being taught as regular study in public schools of the city. He began writing music and publishing it. In 1847 he went with his wife to Europe to study with some of the music masters in London and also Germany. He attended Mendelssohn funeral while there. He went to Switzerland before returning to the states, and upon returning, commenced teaching, conducting conventions, composing, and editing music books. In 1851, with his brother, Edward, he began manufacturring Bradbury pianos, which became popular. Also, he had a small office in one of his warehouses in New York and often went there to spend time in private devotions. As a professor, he edited 59 books of sacred and secular music, much of which he wrote. He attended the Presbyterian church in Bloomfield, NJ, for many years later in life. He contracted tuberculosis the last two years of his life. John Perry

Kurt Kaiser

1934 - 2018 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Pass It On" in Hymns of Faith Kurt Kaiser was born December 17, 1934, in Chicago. He attended American Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University. He moved to Waco, Texas in 1959 in order to join Word Music, where he later worked as vice president and director of music. He arranged and produced several albums. He composed more than 300 songs, and with Ralph Carmichael developed Christian youth musicals. He was a longtime member of the Seventh & James Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. He later helped start Dayspring Baptist Church in Waco. He was an acclaimed pianist who accompanied George Beverly Shea at Billy Graham crusades. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and was elected to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He died November 12, 2018, in Waco. Dianne Shapiro, from obituary in "Baptist Standard" (https://www.baptiststandard.com/news/obituaries/obituary-kurt-kaiser/) and "Gospel Music Hall of Fame" (http://gospelmusichalloffame.org/kurt-kaiser/) accessed 2-8-2019

Timothy Dudley-Smith

1926 - 2024 Person Name: Timothy Dudley-Smith, 1926- Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Author of "Not for Tongues of Heaven's Angels" in Common Praise (1998) 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

Steven R. Janco

b. 1961 Person Name: Steven R. Janco, b. 1961 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:13 Composer of "[Saints of God come to his/her aid]" in Gather Comprehensive

Claudia Foltz

Person Name: Claudia Foltz, SNJM Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Christians, Let Us Love One Another" in Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.)

A. Nigro

Person Name: Armand Nigro, SJ, b. 1928 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Christians, Let Us Love One Another" in Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.)

Randall Keith DeBruyn

b. 1947 Person Name: Randall DeBruyn, b. 1947 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Arranger of "PICARDY" in Glory and Praise (3rd. ed.)

Otis Skillings

1935 - 2004 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Por los Lazos del Santo Amor" in Himnario Bautista A widely respected musician, arranger, composer, orchestra conductor, concert pianist, workshop clinician, and lecturer, his music has been featured at the world conventions of many denominations and his songs appear in many leading hymnals. --Daniel Mahraun (from lillenas.com)

Marjorie Caudill

b. 1908 Person Name: Marjorie J. de Caudill Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Translator of "Por los Lazos del Santo Amor" in Himnario Bautista In addition to translating hymns, Marjorie J. de Caudill was the author of Cantos para coros de niños, nº 1. De Caudill’s husband was a Baptist missionary in Cuba for almost four decades. Translations-- A Jésus Prefiero Alabanzas a Nuestro Dios Amigo del Hogar ¿Cuántos Pueden? La Escalera de Jacob Lo Debes Compartir Maravilloso Es el Nombre de Jésus Me Condujo el Salvador Por los Lazos del Santo Amor Todas Tus Ansias y Tu Pesar Tu Cruz Levanta y Ven Tas Mí Tuya Es la Gloria Un Eterno y Grande Amor Ven Hoy al Salvador Villancico de la Estrella Yo Te Siguiré --www.hymntime.com/tch

W. Howard Doane

1832 - 1915 Person Name: W. H. Doane Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Composer of "MORE LOVE TO THEE" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise An industrialist and philanthropist, William H. Doane (b. Preston, CT, 1832; d. South Orange, NJ, 1915), was also a staunch supporter of evangelistic campaigns and a prolific writer of hymn tunes. He was head of a large woodworking machinery plant in Cincinnati and a civic leader in that city. He showed his devotion to the church by supporting the work of the evangelistic team of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey and by endowing Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and Denison University in Granville, Ohio. An amateur composer, Doane wrote over twenty-two hundred hymn and gospel song tunes, and he edited over forty songbooks. Bert Polman ============ Doane, William Howard, p. 304, he was born Feb. 3, 1832. His first Sunday School hymn-book was Sabbath Gems published in 1861. He has composed about 1000 tunes, songs, anthems, &c. He has written but few hymns. Of these "No one knows but Jesus," "Precious Saviour, dearest Friend," and "Saviour, like a bird to Thee," are noted in Burrage's Baptist Hymn Writers. 1888, p. 557. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) =================== Doane, W. H. (William Howard), born in Preston, Connecticut, 1831, and educated for the musical profession by eminent American and German masters. He has had for years the superintendence of a large Baptist Sunday School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he resides. Although not a hymnwriter, the wonderful success which has attended his musical setting of numerous American hymns, and the number of his musical editions of hymnbooks for Sunday Schools and evangelistic purposes, bring him within the sphere of hymnological literature. Amongst his collections we have:— (1) Silver Spray, 1868; (2) Pure Gold, 1877; (3) Royal Diadem, 1873; (4) Welcome Tidings, 1877; (5) Brightest and Best, 1875; (6) Fountain of Song; (7) Songs of Devotion, 1870; (8) Temple Anthems, &c. His most popular melodies include "Near the Cross," "Safe in the Arms of Jesus," "Pass me Not," "More Love to Thee," "Rescue the Perishing," "Tell me the Old, Old Story," &c. - John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Henry Thomas Smart

1813 - 1879 Person Name: Henry Smart Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Composer of "DESIRE" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise 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

John Hampden Gurney

1802 - 1862 Person Name: J. Hampden Gurney Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Author of "Lord, as to Thy dear cross we flee" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Gurney, John Hampden, M.A., eldest son of Sir John Gurney, a Baron of the Exchequer, was born in Serjeants’ Inn, London, Aug. 15, 1802, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1824. On taking Holy Orders he became Curate of Lutterworth (1827-1844), and subsequently Rector of St. Mary's, Marylebone, and Prebendary of St. Paul's Cathedral. He died in London, March 8, 1862. The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and other religious societies had his cordial sympathy, and received his active support. His publications include several small volumes in prose, and the following:— (1) Church Psalmody; Hints for the improvement of a Collection of Hymns published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1853; (2) A Collection of Hymns for Public Worship. Lutterworth, 1838. This contains 300 hymns, and is known as his Lutterworth Collection; (3) Psalms and Hymns for Public Worship, selected for some of the Churches of Marylebone. London, 1851. This collection of 300 hymns and psalm versions is known as his Marylebone Collection. The Preface is signed by "Charles Baring," "Thomas Garnier," and "John Hampden Gurney," but the work was practically done by Gurney. To the Lutterworth Collection 1838, he contributed :— 1. Earth to earth, and dust to dust. Burial. 2. Great King of nations, hear our prayer. Fast Day. 3. Lord, as to Thy dear Cross we flee. Lent. 4. Lord, at Thy word the constant sun. Harvest. 5. Saviour, what wealth was Thine. Passiontide. 6. Soon to the dust we speed. Heaven anticipated. 7. Thou God of mercy and of might. Good Friday. 8. Thou plenteous source of light and love. Advent. 9. Thou Who of old didst raise. Ascension. 10. Through centuries of sin and woe. For Peace. 11. We praise Thee, everlasting God. Te Deum. These hymns were all signed "J. H. G.," and Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 11, were repeated in the Marylebone Collection, 1851; and to these were added:— 12. Fair waved the golden corn. Child's Hymn. 13. How vast the debt we owe. Offertory. 14. Lord of the Harvest, Thee we hail. Harvest. This is No. 4 above rewritten. 15. Lord, we lift our eyes above. Love of Christ. In addition to these we are specially indebted to Gurney for, "We saw Thee not when Thou didst come" (q.v.), and "Yes, God is good," &c. (q.v.). Several of the above-named hymns are in extensive use in Great Britain and America. The most popular are annotated under their respective first lines. -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

George Augustus Löhr

1821 - 1897 Person Name: G. A. Löhr Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Composer of "ST. FRANCES" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Born: April 1821, Warwick, Warwickshire, England (source: 1881 census). Died: August 1897, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. Buried: Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester, England. Löhr was a chorister at Magdalen College, Oxford, and went on to attend the Universities of Leipzig & Munich. He worked for a while as assistant to Zachariah Buck at Norwich Cathedral, then moved to Leicester in 1845, to play the organ at St. Margaret’s church, a position he held for four decades. He also taught music, organized music festivals, and, in 1856, founded the Leicester Amateur Harmonic Society. As of 1881, he was a professor of music in Leicester. Music: ST. FRANCES http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/l/o/h/lohr_ga.htm ================= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Augustus_L%C3%B6hr

Samuel Sebastian Wesley

1810 - 1876 Person Name: S. S. Wesley, 18101-876 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:6 Composer of "HEREFORD" in Common Praise Samuel Sebastian Wesley (b. London, England, 1810; d. Gloucester, England, 1876) was an English organist and composer. The grandson of Charles Wesley, he was born in London, and sang in the choir of the Chapel Royal as a boy. He learned composition and organ from his father, Samuel, completed a doctorate in music at Oxford, and composed for piano, organ, and choir. He was organist at Hereford Cathedral (1832-1835), Exeter Cathedral (1835-1842), Leeds Parish Church (1842-1849), Winchester Cathedral (1849-1865), and Gloucester Cathedral (1865-1876). Wesley strove to improve the standards of church music and the status of church musicians; his observations and plans for reform were published as A Few Words on Cathedral Music and the Music System of the Church (1849). He was the musical editor of Charles Kemble's A Selection of Psalms and Hymns (1864) and of the Wellburn Appendix of Original Hymns and Tunes (1875) but is best known as the compiler of The European Psalmist (1872), in which some 130 of the 733 hymn tunes were written by him. Bert Polman

John Wesley Work

1873 - 1925 Person Name: John W. Work, Jr., 1872-1925 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Adapter of "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (Dios, yo quiero ser cristiano de corazón)" in Santo, Santo, Santo John W. Work, Jr. (b. Nashville, TN, 1872; d. Nashville, 1925), is well known for his pioneering studies of African American folk music and for his leadership in the performance of spirituals. He studied music at Fisk University in Nashville and classics at Harvard and then taught Latin, Greek, and history at Fisk from 1898 to 1923. Director of the Jubilee Singers at Fisk, Work also sang tenor in the Fisk Jubilee Quartet, which toured the country after 1909 and made commercial recordings. He was president of Roger Williams University in Nashville during the last two years of his life. Work and his brother Frederick Jerome Work (1879-1942) were devoted to collecting, arranging, and publishing African American slave songs and spirituals. They published two collections: New Jubilee Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers (1901) and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907). Bert Polman

Frederick J. Work

1871 - 1925 Person Name: Frederick J. Work, 1879-1942 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Adapter of "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (Dios, yo quiero ser cristiano de corazón)" in Santo, Santo, Santo

Arnoldo Canclini

1926 - 2014 Person Name: Arnoldo Canclini, b. 1926 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Translator of "Lord, I Want to Be a Christian (Dios, yo quiero ser cristiano de corazón)" in Santo, Santo, Santo

Joseph Mainzer

1801 - 1851 Person Name: Joseph Mainzer, 1801-1851 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Composer of "MAINZER" in Singing the Faith Abbe Joseph Mainzer, b. Trier, 1807; d. Mancehster, 1851 Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal, ====================== Born: October 21, 1801, Trier, Germany. Died: November 10, 1851, Higher Broughton (near Manchester), England. Mainzer was educated at the Maîtrise of Trier Cathedral. Having studied engineering, he worked in mines at Saarbrücken, but was ordained in 1826 and after a few years became an abbé. He left Germany in 1833 for political reasons, settling in Brussels, then Paris, and Britain in 1839, living first in Edinburgh, then, after 1847, in Manchester. He published the Musical Times and Singing Circular. Novello took over the publication in 1844, renaming it the Musical Times. Sources: Pratt, p. 622 http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/m/a/i/mainzer_j.htm ===================== http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Mainzer,_Joseph_(DNB00)

Mrs. T. D. Crewdson

1808 - 1863 Person Name: Jane Crewdson Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Author of "There is no sorrow, Lord, too light" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Crewdson, Jane, née Fox, daughter of George Fox, of Perraw, Cornwall, was born at Perraw, October, 1809; married to Thomas Crewdson, of Manchester, 1836; and died at Summerlands, near Manchester, Sept. 14, 1863. During a long illness Mrs. Crewdson composed her works published as:— (1) Lays of the Reformation, 1860. (2) A Little While, and Other Poems (posthumous), 1864. (3) The Singer of Eisenach, n.d.; and (4) Aunt Jane's Verses for Children, 1851. 2nd ed. 1855, 3rd 1871. From these works nearly a dozen of her hymns have come into common use. The best known are, "O for the peace which floweth as a river," and "There is no sorrow, Lord, too light." In addition to these and others which are annotated under their respective first lines, there are the following in various collections: 1. Give to the Lord thy heart. 1864. Offertory. 2. How tenderly Thy hand is laid . 1864. Resignation. 3. Looking unto Jesus. 1864. Jesus All in All. 4. Lord, we know that Thou art near us. 1864. Resignation. 5. 0 Saviour, I have naught to plead. 1864. During Sickness. These plaintive lines were written a short time before her death. 6. 0 Thou whose bounty fills my cup. 1860. Peace. 7. The followers of the Son of God. 1864. The Daily Cross. 8. Though gloom may veil our troubled skies. 1864. Resignation. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ====================== Crewdson, Jane, p. 268, ii. The following additional hymns by Mrs. Crewdson have recently come into common use through The Baptist Church Hymnal, 1900:— 1. For the sunshine and the rain. Harvest. 2. O Fount of grace that runneth o'er. Public Worship. 3. There is an unsearchable joy. Joy in God. 4. When I come with troubled heart. Prayer. These hymns are all from her A Little While, and Other Poems, 1864. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907) =================== Crewdson, Jane, née Fox, p. 269, i. From her A Little While, and Other Poems, 1864, are:— 1. I've found a joy in sorrow. Power of Faith. 2. One touch from Thee, the Healer of diseases. Christ the Healer. 3. Tis not the Cross I have to bear. Faith desired . --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Benjamin H. Kennedy

1804 - 1889 Person Name: B. H. Kennedy Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Author of "There is no sorrow, Lord, too light" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Kennedy, Benjamin Hall, D.D., son of the Rev. Raun Kennedy, sometime Incumbent of St. Paul's, Birmingham, and editor of A Church of England Psalm-Book, &c, 1821 (12th ed. 1848), was born at Summer Hill, near Birmingham, Nov. 6, 1804, and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham; Shrewsbury School; and St. John's College, Cambridge. He graduated B.A. in 1827 (First Class Classical Tripos and First Chancellor's Medallist). He was Fellow of his College 1828-36; Head Master of Shrewsbury School, 1836-66; and Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Cambridge and Canon of Ely , 1867. Dr. Kennedy took Holy Orders in 1829, and was for some time Prebendaiy in Lichfield Cathedral and Rector of West Felton, Salop. He was elected Hon. Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge, in 1880. Besides his Public School Latin Grammar, Palaestra Latina, Palaestra Stili Latini, &c, his editions of some of the Classics, and University Sermons, Dr. Kennedy published the following:— (1) The Psalter, or the Psalms of David, in English Verse. By a Member of the University of Cambridge, 1860; (2) Hymnologia Christiana, or Psalms & Hymns Selected and Arranged in the Order of the Christian Seasons (quoted in this Dictionary as Kennedy), 1863. i. From these two works many psalms and hymns have passed into other collections. The following versions of the Psalms first appeared in The Psalter, 1860, and again in the Hymnologia Christiana 1863. In many instances they have undergone considerable alteration in the latter work, and those of great length are broken into parts:— 1. All ye people, come and clap, &c. Ps. xlvii. 2. Arise, 0 Lord, with healing rod. Ps. x. 3. As pants the hind for cooling streams. Ps. xlii. 4. As Thy mercy lasts for ever. Ps. cix. 5. Be merciful to me, 0 God. Ps. lvii. 6. Be Thou my Judge, and I will strive. Ps. xvii. 7. Bless ye the Lord, His solemn praise record. Ps. cxxxiv. 8. Bow down Thine ear, and hear my cry. Ps. lxxxvi. 9. Come, ye children, list to me. Ps. xxxiv. 10. Ever, O my God and King. Ps. cxlv. 11. Ever will I bless the Lord. Ps. xxxiv. 12. Every king shall bow before Him. Ps. lxxii. 13. Full oft my chafing thoughts, &c. Ps. lxxiii. 14. God, avert the deadly blow. Ps. lix. 15. God, in Judah's homes is known. Ps. lxxvi. 16. God of my righteousness. Ps. iv. 17. Hear Thou my prayer, O Lord. Ps. cxliii. 18. Help us, O Lord, the good decay. Ps. xii. 19. How blest are they who flee, &c. Ps. cxix. 20. How blest the man, who fears to stray. Ps. i. 21. How blest the man whose errors, &c. Ps. xxxii. 22. How good it is to praise the Lord. Ps. xcii. 23. How long art silent, Lord? how long. Ps. xxxv. 24. How long forgotten, Lord, by Thee. Ps. xiii. 25. How long wilt Thou conceal Thy face. Ps. lxxxix. 26. I lift mine eyes unto the hills. Ps. cxxi. 27. I love the Lord, for He is nigh. Ps. cxvi. 28. I muse upon Thine ancient praise. Ps. lxxvii. 29. I praise Thee, Lord, who o'er my foes. Ps. xxx. 30. I trod the path of life, my strength. Ps. cii. 31. In trouble to the Lord I prayed. Ps. cxx. 32. Jehovah reigns, arrayed in light. Ps. xciii. 33. Judge me, O God; maintain my cause. Ps. xliii. 34. Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry. Ps. cii. 35. Lord, I am not lofty-minded. Ps. cxxxi. 36. Lord, I lift my soul to Thee. Ps. xxv. 37. Lord, my Rock. I cry to Thee. Ps. xxviii. 38. Lord, save me from the foeman's wrath. Ps. cxl. 39. Lord, Thou wilt guard with faithful love. Ps. xxxvii. 40. Lord, Thy love and truth I praise. Ps. ci. 41. My God, my God, to Thee I cry, Ah! why hast Thou, &c. Ps. xxii. 42. My heart is fain, O God, my heart. Ps. cviii. 43. My portion is the living Lord. Ps. cxix. 44. My Saviour is the living Lord. Ps. xi. 45. My Shepherd is the Lord, no care. Ps. xxiii. 46. My trust is in Thy holy Name. Ps. lxxi. 47. My voice to God ascends on high. Ps. lxxvii. 48. Not in envy, not in anger. Ps. xxxvii. 49. Not in Thy fury, Lord, reprove. Ps. xxxviii. 50. O grant us, God of love. Ps. lxvii. 51. O God, be merciful to me. Ps. li. 52. 0 God of hosts, a vine. Ps. lxxx. 53. 0 God, subdue the power of sin. Ps. vii. 54. O Lord, in Thine accepted day. Ps. lxix. 55. 0 Lord our King, how bright Thy fame. Ps. viii. 56. O Lord, the God of my salvation. Ps. lxxxviii. 57. 0 praise ye the Lord, Praise Him in His shrine. Ps. cl. 58. O rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord. Ps. xxxiii. 59. Oft, as to scatter kings. Ps. lxviii. 60. Out of the depths to Thee I cry. Ps. cxxx. 61. Praise, O my soul, the Lord and all. Ps. ciii. 62. Praise, 0 my soul, the Lord; how great. Ps. civ. 63. Praise the Lord, for good is He. Ps. cxxxvi. 64. Praise the Lord, for it is wise. Ps. cxlvii. 65. Praise the Lord from heaven on high. Ps. cxlviii. 66. Praise the Lord, His people; raise. Ps. cxlvi. 67. Praise ye the Lord, all nations. Ps. cxvii. 68. Praise ye the Lord, for good is He. Ps. cxviii. 69. Praise ye the Lord, for very good. Ps. cvii. 70. Praised be the Lord, my Rock of might. Ps. cxliv. 71. Save me, O God, the dangerous, &c. Ps. lxix. 72. Save me through Thy name, 0 God. Ps. liv. 73. Seek we Jehovah's house, they said. Ps. cxxii. 74. Sing a new song unto the Lord. Ps. xcvi. 75. Sing the Lord, ye sons of heaven. Ps. xxix. 76. Sing unto the Lord with mirth. Ps. c. 77. Take note, O Lord, of all my fears. Ps. lvi. 78. The heavens declare Thy wondrous fame. Ps. lxxxix. 79. The heavens, O God, Thy glory tell. Ps. xxx. 80. The king, 0 Lord, with hymns of praise. Ps. xxi. 81. The life of man is like the grass. Ps. ciii. 82. The Lord in thy distressful day. Ps. xx. 83. The Lord is King; glad earth, and ye. Ps. xcvii. 84. There is no God, so saith the fool. Ps. xiv. 85. Thou searchest all my secret ways. Ps. cxxxix. 86. To Thee I call. O Lord, be swift. Ps. cxli. 87. 'Twas dream-like, when the Lord's decree. Ps. cxxvi. 88. Unless the Lord with us had wrought. Ps. cxxiv. 89. Unto my feet a lantern shines Thy word. Ps. cxix. 90. Unto the Lord I make my moan. Ps. cxlii. 91. We sat and wept by Babel's stream. Ps. cxxxvii. 92. When Israel came from Egypt's strand. Ps. cxiv. 93. When through the dismal waste. Ps. lxviii. 94. Who rules his life by God's behest. Ps. cxxviii. 95. Whoe'er his secret home has made. Ps. xci. 96. With weary care brought low. Ps. lxix. 97. With my whole heart I will praise Thee. Ps. cxxxviii. 98. Within Thy tabernacle, Lord. Ps. xv. 99. Ye Judges of the earth, be still. Ps. lxxxii. ii. The following also appeared in The Psalter, 1860, and again in Hymnologia Christiana 1863, mostly altered, and based upon the corresponding Psalms by George Sandys (q.v.), published in his Paraphrase upon the Psalms of David, 1636:— 100. Blest he whose timely mercies heed. Ps. xli. 101. Hide not, 0 Lord, Thy cheering face. Ps. xl. 102. I waited for a gentle word. Ps. xl. 103. Israel of God, be Christ your Guide. Ps. cxv. 104. Who in the Lord securely lay. Ps. cxxv. iii. To the Rev. A. T. Russell's Psalms & Hymns, 1851, Dr. Kennedy was indebted to a limited extent in preparing his Psalter, 1860. In his Preface he says, p. viii.," Mr. Russell's metres, and occasionally his words, have been adopted in the following Psalms: 2, 24, 39, 45, 46, 50, 84, 85, 90, 110, 111, 113." Of these the following, sometimes with alterations of the 1860 text, were given in the

A. J. Abbey

1825 - 1887 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:10-12 Composer of "COOLING" in The Presbyterian Book of Praise Alonzo Judson Abbey, USA 1825-1887 Professor Abbey was a music teacher, collector, writer-composer, tune book compiler and sacred music publisher. George F Root often edited his published works. John Perry

W. Pennefather

1816 - 1873 Person Name: William Pennefather, 1816-1873 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Author of "Jesus, stand among us" in The Hymnal Pennefather, William, B.A., son of Richard Pennefather, Baron of the Irish Court of Exchequer, was born in Merrion Square, Dublin, Feb. 5, 1816. He resided for a time for educational purposes at Wesbury College, near Bristol, and then at Levans Parsonage, near Kendal, Westmoreland. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, in Feb. 1832, and graduated B.A. in 1840. Taking Holy Orders in 1841, he became curate of Ballymacugh, diocese of Kilmore. In July, 1844, he was preferred to the Vicarage of Mellifont, near Drogheda. In 1848 he removed to England, where he held successively the Incumbency of Trinity Church, Walton, Aylesbury, 1848; of Christ Church, Barnet, 1852; and of St. Jude's, Mildmay Park, 1864. He died April 30, 1873. His great work at Barnet and at Mildmay—-the Conferences began at the former and continued at the latter place-—the large religious and charitable organizations which he instituted and superintended, are matters of history. Full details are given of the rise and progress of these and his other works in his Life and Letters, 1878. His hymns were written mainly for the Barnet and Mildmay "Conferences," and were published sometimes as leaflets, and again, as for the Conference of 1872, as Hymns Original and Selected, By W. P. In this pamphlet there are 25 of his compositions. In the latter part of 1873 his Original Hymns and Thoughts in Verse were published posthumously. This work contains 71 pieces, but few of which are dated. Of these the following are given in a few hymn-books:— 1. And may I really tread. Divine Worship. 2. Help us, 0 Lord, to praise! Praise. 3. How shall we praise Thy name. Christian Communion. From this “0 for ten thousand harps," is taken. 4. Jesus, in Thy blest name. Church Conferences. 5. Jesus, stand among us. Divine Worship. 6. My blessed Jesus, Thou hast taught. Self Consecration. 7. 0 God of glorious majesty. For Retreats or Quiet Days. 8. 0 haste Thy coming kingdom. The Second Advent desired. 9. 0 holy, holy Father. Divine Worship. 10. 0 Lord, with one accord. Divine Worship. 11. 0 Saviour! we adore Thee. Jesus the Faithful One. 12. Once more with chastened joy. Divine Worship. 13. Praise God, ye seraphs bright. Praise. 14. Thousands and thousands stand. Communion of Saints. 15. Yon shining shore is nearer. Heaven Anticipated. Mr. Pennefather's hymns possess much beauty and earnest simplicity; are rich in evangelical sentiment and doctrine; and are much more musical than is usual with lyrics of their class -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Friedrich Filitz

1804 - 1876 Person Name: F. Filitz, 1804-1876 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 Composer of "CASWALL" in The Hymnal Friedrich Filitz PhD Germany 1804-1876. Born at Arnstadt. Thuringia, he was a German composer and musicologist. He collected church music. He also studied philosophy. In 1833 he worked in Berlin as a music critic and at other employment. He was also a music historian. With Ludwig Erck, he published a collection of 15th & 17th Century chorales in 1845. He moved to Munich and published a chorale book in 1847. His legacy of vauable church music was donated to the Bavarian State Library, where it has made many forgotten works available once again. He died in Bonn, Germany. John Perry

Eliza S. Alderson

1818 - 1889 Person Name: Eliza S. Alderson, 1818-1889 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us" in Christian Worship Alderson, Eliza Sibbald, née Dykes, granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Dykes, of Hull, and sister of the Rev. Dr. Dykes, born in 1818, and married, in 1850, to the Rev. W. T. Alderson, some time chaplain to the West Riding House of Correction, Wakefield. Mrs. Alderson is the author of the following hymns, the first of which is likely to attain a commanding position:— 1. And now, beloved Lord, Thy soul resigning. [Passiontide.] A hymn of more than usual merit, in 6 stanzas of 4 lines, written in 1868 at the request of Dr. Dykes. In 1875, stanzas i., ii., v. and vi., were given in the revised edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern, No. 121, with a special tune Commendation by Dr. Dykes. The full original text is restored in Thring's Collection, 1882, No. 170. 2. Lord of glory, Who hast bought us. [Almsgiving.] Written in 1864, in 5 stanzas of 8 lines, and published in the Appendix to Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1868, No. 372, and repeated in the revised edition 1875, No. 367, Mrs. Alderson says, "It was the very strong feeling that a tithe of our income was a solemn debt to God and His poor, which inspired it." Dr. Dykes’s tune "Charitas" was composed for this hymn. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ===================== Alderson, Eliza S., p. 38, i. She was born Aug. 16, 1818, and died at Kirkthorpe, Yorkshire, Mar. 18, 1889. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Rowland Hugh Prichard

1811 - 1887 Person Name: Rowland H. Prichard, 1811-1887 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Composer of "HYFRYDOL" in Christian Worship 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

Michael Joncas

b. 1951 Person Name: Michael Joncas, 1951- Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Composer of "COMFORT" in Common Praise (1998)

Carl P. Daw Jr.

b. 1944 Person Name: Carl P. Daw, Jr. (1944-) Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Author of "Restore in Us, O God" in Common Praise (1998) 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

James Hopkirk

1908 - 1972 Person Name: James Hopkirk (1908-1972) Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Composer of "BELLWOODS" in Common Praise (1998)

Margaret Douroux

b. 1941 Person Name: Margaret J. Douroux, b. 1941 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9 Author of "What Shall I Render" in This Far By Faith

Bob Moore

b. 1962 Person Name: Bob Moore, b. 1962 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:8 Composer of "ST. JOHN'S" in RitualSong

John L. Bell

b. 1949 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "We Will Take What You Offer" in More Voices John Bell (b. 1949) was born in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, intending to be a music teacher when he felt the call to the ministry. But in frustration with his classes, he did volunteer work in a deprived neighborhood in London for a time and also served for two years as an associate pastor at the English Reformed Church in Amsterdam. After graduating he worked for five years as a youth pastor for the Church of Scotland, serving a large region that included about 500 churches. He then took a similar position with the Iona Community, and with his colleague Graham Maule, began to broaden the youth ministry to focus on renewal of the church’s worship. His approach soon turned to composing songs within the identifiable traditions of hymnody that began to address concerns missing from the current Scottish hymnal: "I discovered that seldom did our hymns represent the plight of poor people to God. There was nothing that dealt with unemployment, nothing that dealt with living in a multicultural society and feeling disenfranchised. There was nothing about child abuse…,that reflected concern for the developing world, nothing that helped see ourselves as brothers and sisters to those who are suffering from poverty or persecution." [from an interview in Reformed Worship (March 1993)] That concern not only led to writing many songs, but increasingly to introducing them internationally in many conferences, while also gathering songs from around the world. He was convener for the fourth edition of the Church of Scotland’s Church Hymnary (2005), a very different collection from the previous 1973 edition. His books, The Singing Thing and The Singing Thing Too, as well as the many collections of songs and worship resources produced by John Bell—some together with other members of the Iona Community’s “Wild Goose Resource Group,” —are available in North America from GIA Publications. Emily Brink

Arthur G. Clyde

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Author of "Keep Awake, Be Always Ready" in The New Century Hymnal

Christopher Webber

b. 1932 Person Name: Christopher L. Webber Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-12 Author of "How Can We Thank Our God" in Singing the New Testament

F. Richard Garland

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Author of "The Promise of the Lord" in Discipleship Ministries Collection The Reverend F. Richard Garland is a retired United Methodist pastor. He and his wife, Catherine Sprigg, a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, live in North Kingstown, RI. Dick was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and is a lifelong Methodist. A graduate of Garrett Theological Seminary, he interned in Chicago and then served churches in Indiana, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. He continues to preach on occasion, provide coverage in emergency pastoral situations, and write a monthly essay, "From Where I Sit" for the newsletter of the North Kingstown UMC. He has been a contributor to The Upper Room. Dick is a lifelong hiker who still climbs in the mountains of New Hampshire. At home, he spends a great deal of time in his flower gardens. He has sung with the Rhode Island Civic Chorale and Orchestra and is a member of the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts. Dick wrote his first hymn, a children's song, in a seminary music class with Austin C. Lovelace, and he has written poetry for many years. He began writing hymns for use in his churches about twenty years ago, but did not submit them for publication until 2006, after being encouraged to do so by a classmate and friend. Many of his texts are inspired by the seasons of the church year, particularly Christmas and Easter, and by Scriptures from the Lectionary. In April of 2007, an appeal from a clergy colleague for a memorial hymn in response to the shootings at Virginia Tech University resulted in the creation of his hymn, In Grief and Aching Sorrow, set to the tune, Passion Chorale by J.S. Bach. Once, his pastor, frustrated in trying to find enough hymns to go with the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:25-37, asked him to write a new hymn for a service. The result was his hymn, "When We Would Neighbor Be." On a dare from a colleague, he revealed a whimsical side by writing a hymn for Groundhog Day, "Praise the Lord for Woodland Creatures." His hymn, "I Have a Dream," was written to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the address by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has written a series of texts based on the selections from the Letters to the Ephesians and to the Philippians found in the New Revised Common Lectionary. F. Richard Garland

Sarah Poulton Kalley

1825 - 1907 Person Name: Sarah P. Kalley, 1825-1907 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Author of "Beloved Jesus, Shepherd" in When Breaks the Dawn Born in Nottingaham, England in 1825. Married Scottish physician and missionary Robert Reid Kalley. Together they went to Brazil. She wrote many hymns and was instrumental in organizing Salmos e Hinos the first Brazilian evangelical hymnal in the Portuguese language, first used at Igreja Evangélica Fluminense in 1861.

João Wilson Faustini

1931 - 2023 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Translator of "Beloved Jesus, Shepherd" in When Breaks the Dawn b. 1931, Bariri, São Paulo, Brazil. Presbyterian pastor, choir director, organist, singer, composer, translator, arranger and publisher of largest collection of Sacred Music in the Portuguese language. From 1982 to 1996 - Pastor at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Newark, NJ St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Newark is the oldest Brazilian Presbyterian Church in the USA. Retired on December 31, 1996. After Rev. Faustini was a Minister of Music at Second Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth.

Rae E. Whitney

1927 - 2023 Person Name: Rae E. Whitney, b. 1927 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Versifier of "Beloved Jesus, Shepherd" in When Breaks the Dawn Rae E. Whitney, 96, of Scottsbluff died Thursday, November 16, 2023, at the Residency in Scottsbluff. Her memorial service will be held 10:00 A.M. Monday, November 27, 2023, at St. Francis Episcopal Church with Reverend Erin Rath officiating. Interment of her ashes will follow at West Lawn Cemetery in Gering. Memorials may be made to the Lied Scottsbluff Public Library or to the church. Rae was born at Chippenham, Wiltshire, England May 21, 1927, the only daughter of Alice Martha “Pat” Davis and Arthur James Phillips. Educated at Chippenham Grammar School and the University of Bristol, she received her B.A. (Englis Honors) degree in 1948 and Certificate of Education in 1949. She was lady President of Bristol University Branch of the Student Christian Movement 1947-48. Rae taught in secondary schools in Bicester, Oxfordshire in Wotton-under-edge, Gloucestershire and in London. During this time, she also served as a lay preacher in various village chapels. She had a life-long concern for the greater understanding between churches, and from 1958-60 she lived at St. Basil’s House in London as a resident Secretary of the Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius, working both with Eastern Orthodox Churches and those of the west. In June of 1960, on a coach tour of Italy, heading for the Passion Play in Oberammergau, Austria Rae met the Rev Clyde E. Whitney, Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Scottsbluff, NE. They were married in Chippenham on December 31, 1960. Scottsbluff then became her home. The Whitneys started the local observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 1962 and during the mid-sixties worked to establish The Retreat House of the Transfiguration at Bayard. After Father Whitney’s retirement in 1969, they served the English-speaking congregation in Guatemala City, Central America for 12 months. From 1979-85 they were volunteer local coordinators for the American Bible Society. During his 23 years of retirement, when Clyde was called to serve various churches in Nebraska and Wyoming, Rae was licensed to help her husband as a lay reader and eucharistic minister. She was on the Board of Friends of the Scottsbluff Library for a long time and served on the Editorial Board of Bosom Buddies Network, Regional West Medical Center. She led several weekly Bible classes for many years. She was elected President of Church Women United, Scotts Bluff County 1967-68 and CWU State Vice President 1981-82. She became Diocesan State President of the Episcopal Church Women 1976-77 and served on the national Episcopal Church’s Women’s Triennial Committees 1973-79. She was appointed Worship Chairman for the 1979 Triennial Denver. Soon after her arrival here, Rae became interested in local history and in the 1980’s wrote “A Portrait of Dr. Georgia Arbuckle Fix”, which has been presented over fifty times in the region. Rae was also a free-lance writer of reviews, articles, and poems, but was most widely known for her hymn writing. Of her several hundred hymn texts, some have found their way into several denominational hymnals and supplements in the United States, Canada, Scotland, England, Hong Kong, and Australia. Four collections of her hymns have been published by Selah Publishing Co. Rae was a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church (formerly St. Andrew’s), YMCA, Friends of the Library, American Association of University Women, the Cooperative Ministries Council, Church Women United, Fraternity of Prayer for Christian Unity, Fellowship of St. Alban and St. Sergius and the Hymn Societies of the US, Canada, Great Britain, and Ireland. After the Whitneys moved to Northfield Villa, Gering in 1988, Rae soon became editor of the Villa’s newsletter. Clyde died April 22, 1992, and in 1993 Rae moved to the Residency in Scottsbluff and continued to edit the monthly newsletter for both retirement communities. Rae was preceded in death by her husband; parents; her young brother Kenneth and her special friend, Edward Doemland of Milwaukee, WI. She is survived by cousins in England and many valued friends, especially Eva Carne, of Ellensburg, WA and Jane Wisniewski, of Scottsbluff, NE. --Obituary

Philipp Nicolai

1556 - 1608 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Composer of "WACHET AUF" in The New Century Hymnal Philipp Nicolai (b. Mengeringhausen, Waldeck, Germany, 1556; d. Hamburg, Germany, 1608) lived an eventful life–he fled from the Spanish army, sparred with Roman Catholic and Calvinist opponents, and ministered to plague-stricken congregations. Educated at Wittenberg University, he was ordained a Lutheran pastor in 1583 in the city of Herdecke. However, he was soon at odds with the Roman Catholic town council, and when Spanish troops arrived to reestablish Roman dominance, Nicolai fled. In 1588 he became chief pastor at Altwildungen and court preacher to Countess Argaretha of Waldeck. During that time Nicolai battled with Calvinists, who disagreed with him about the theology of the real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper. These doctrinal controversies were renewed when he served the church in Unna, Westphalia. During his time as a pastor there, the plague struck twice, and Nicolai wrote both "How Bright Appears the Morning Star" and "Wake, Awake." Nicolai's last years were spent as Pastor of St. Katherine's Church in Hamburg. Bert Polman ===================== Nicolai, Philipp, D.D., son of Dieterich Nicolai, sometime Lutheran pastor at Herdecke, in Westphalia, and after 1552, at Mengeringhausen in Waldeck, was born at Mengeringhausen, August 10, 1556. (The father was son of Nicolaus Rafflenbol, of Rafflenbol, near Hagen, in Westphalia, and in later life had adopted the Latinised form Nicolai of his father's Christian name as his own surname.) In 1575 Nicolai entered the University of Erfurt, and in 1576 he went to Wittenberg. After completing his University course in 1579 (D.D. at Wittenberg July 4, 1594), he lived for some time at Volkliardinghausen, near Mengeringhausen, and frequently preached for his father. In August, 1583, he was appointed Lutheran preacher at Herdecke, but found many difficulties there, the members of the Town Council being Roman Catholics. After the invasion by the Spanish troops in April, 1586, his colleague re-introduced the Mass, and Nicolai resigned his post. In the end of 15S6 he was appointed diaconus at Niederwildungen, near Waldeck, and in 1587 he became pastor there. He then became, in Nov. 1588, chief pastor at Altwildungen, and also court preacher to the widowed Countess Margafetha of Waldeck, and tutor to her son, Count Wilhelm Ernst. Here he took an active part on the Lutheran side in the Sacramentarian controversy, and was, in Sept. 1592, inhibited from preaching by Count Franz of Waldeck, but the prohibition was soon removed, and in the Synod of 1593 held at Mengeringhausen, he found all the clergy of the principality of Waldeck willing to agree to the Formula of Concord. In October, 1596, he became pastor at Unna, in Westphalia, where he again became engaged in heated controversy with the Calvinists; passed through a frightful pestilence (see below); and then on Dec. 27, 1598, had to flee before the invasion of the Spaniards, and did not return till the end of April, 1599. Finally, in April 1601, he was elected chief pastor of St. Katherine's Church, at Hamburg, where he entered on his duties Aug. 6, 1601. On Oct. 22, 1608, he took part in the ordination of a colleague in the St. Katherine's Church, the diaconus Penshora, and returned home feeling unwell. A violent fever developed itself, under which he sank, and died Oct. 26, 1608 (D. Philipp Nicolai’s Leben und Lieder, by L. Curtze, 1859; Koch, ii. 324; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie xxiii. 607, &c). In Hamburg Nicolai was universally esteemed, was a most popular and influential preacher, and was regarded as a "pillar" of the Lutheran church. In his private life he seems to have been most lovable and estimable. Besides his fame as a preacher, his reputation rests mainly on his hymns. His printed works are mostly polemical, often very violent and acrid in tone, and such as the undoubted sincerity of his zeal to preserve pure and unadulterated Lutheranism may explain, but cannot be said to justify. Of his hymns only four seem to have been printed. Three of Nicolai's hymns were first published in his devotional work entitled Frewden-Spiegel dess ewigen Lebens, published at Frankfurt-am-Main, 1599 (see further below). The two noted here ("Wachet auf” and “Wie schon") rank as classical and epoch-making. The former is the last of the long series of Watchmen's Songs. The latter marks the transition from the objective churchly period to the more subjective and experimental period of German hymn writing; and begins the long series of Hymns of Love to Christ as the Bridegroom of the Soul, to which Franck and Scheffler contributed such beautiful examples. Both are also worthy of note for their unusual and perfect rhythms, and for their splendid melodies. They are:— i. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. Eternal Life. This beautiful hymn, one of the first rank, is founded on St. Matt. xxv. 1-13; Rev. xix. 6-9, and xxi. 21; 1 Cor. ii. 9; Ezek. iii. 17; and Is. lii. 8. It first appeared in the Appendix to his Frewden-Spiegel, 1599, in 3 st. of 10 1., entitled "Of the Voice at Midnight, and the Wise Virgins who meet their Heavenly Bridegroom. Matt. 25." Thence in Wackernagel v. p. 259, the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 690, and most German collections. It is a reversed acrostic, W. Z. G. for the Graf zu Waldeck, viz. his former pupil Count Wilhelm Ernst, who died at Tübingen Sept. 16, 1598, in his fifteenth year. It seems to have been written in 1597 at Unna, in Wesphalia, where Nicolai was then pastor; and during the terrible pestilence which raged there from July, 1597, to January, 1598, to which in July 300, in one week in August 170, and in all over 1300 fell victims. Nicolai's parsonage overlooked the churchyard, and there daily interments took place, often to the number of thirty. In these days of distress, when every household was in mourning, Nicolai's thoughts turned to Death, and thence to God in Heaven, and to the Eternal Fatherland. Jn the preface (dated Aug. 10, 1598) to his Frewden-Spiegel he says: "There seemed to me nothing more sweet, delightful and agreeable, than the contemplation of the noble, sublime doctrine of Eternal Life obtained through the Blood of Christ. This I allowed to dwell in my heart day and night, and searched the Scriptures as to what they revealed on this matter, read also the sweet treatise of the ancient doctor Saint Augustine [De Civitate Dei]. ..... Then day by day I wrote out my meditations, found myself, thank God! wonderfully well, comforted in heart, joyful in spirit, and truly content; gave to my manuscript the name and title of a Mirror of Joy, and took this so composed Frewden-Spiegel to leave behind me (if God should call me from this world) as the token of my peaceful, joyful, Christian departure, or (if God should spare me in health) to comfort other sufferers whom He should also visit with the pestilence .... Now has the gracious, holy God most mercifully preserved me amid the dying from the dreadful pestilence, and wonderfully spared me beyond all my thoughts and hopes, so that with the Prophet David I can say to Him "0 how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee," &c. The hymn composed under these circumstances (it may be stated that Curtze thinks both hymns were written in 1596, while Nicolai was still at Alt-Wildungen) soon became popular, and still retains its place, though often altered in the 3rd stanza. Probably the opening lines; "Wachet auf! ruft uns die Stimme Der Wachter sehr hoch auf der Zinne" are borrowed from one of the Wächter-Lieder, a form of lyric popular in the Middle Ages, introduced by Wolfram von Eschenbach. (See K. Goedeke's Deutsche Dichtung im Mittelalter, 1871, p. 918.) But while in the Songs the voice of the Watchman from his turret summons the workers of darkness to flee from discovery, with "Nicolai it is a summons to the children of light to awaken to their promised reward and full felicity. The melody appeared first along with the hymn, and is also apparently by Nicolai, though portions of it (e.g. 1. 1 by the Gregorian Fifth Tone) may have been suggested by earlier tunes. It has been called the King of Chorales, and by its majestic simplicity and dignity it well deserves the title. Since its use by Mendelssohn in his St. Paul it has become well known in England, and, in its original form, is given in Miss Winkworth's Chorale Book for England, 1863 (see below). Translations in common use:— 1. Sleepers wake, a voice is calling. This is an unrhymed translation of st. i. by W. Ball in his book of words to Mendelssohn's oratorio of St. Paul, 1836. This form is in Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, and others. In the South Place [London] Collection, 1873, it is a recast by A. J. Ellis, but opens with the same first line. In the Parish Hymn Book, 1875, a translation of st. ii., also unrhymed, is added. 2. "Wake ye holy maidens, wake ye. A good translation contributed by Philip Pusey to A. R. Reinagle's Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Oxford, 1840, p. 134. It was considerably altered, beginning "Wake, ye holy maidens, fearing" in the Salisbury Hymn Book, 1857, and this is repeated, with further alterations, in Kennedy, 1863, and the Sarum Hymnal, 1868. 3. Wake, arise! the call obeying. A good translation by A. T. Russell, as No. 110 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book 1848. 4. Wake, oh wake; around are flying. This is a recast, by A. T. Russell, not for the better, from his 1848 translation, as No. 268 in his Psalms & Hymns. 1851, st. iii. being omitted. Thence, unaltered, in the New Zealand Hymnal, 1872. 5. Wake, awake, for night is flying. A very good translation by Miss Winkworth, in her Lyra Germanica, 2nd Ser., 1858, p. 225, repeated in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 200, with st. ii., 11. 7, 8, rewritten. Included in the English Presbyterian Psalms & Hymns, 1867; Scottish Presbyterian Hymnal, 1876, &c.; and in America, in Laudes Domini, 1884, and others. In the Cantate Domino, Boston, U. S., 1859, it begins "Awake, awake, for night is flying." 6. Wake! the startling watch-cry pealeth. By Miss Cox, in Lyra Messianica, 1864, p. 4, and her Hymns from the German, 1864, p. 27; repeated in W. F. Stevenson's Hymns for Church and Home, 1873. The version in J. L. Porter's Collection, 1876, takes st. i., 11. 1-4 from Miss Cox. The rest is mainly from R. C. Singleton's translation in the Anglican Hymn Book, but borrows lines also from Miss Winkworth, and from the Hymnary text. 7. Wake! the watchman's voice is sounding. By R. C.Singleton. This is No. 259 in the Anglican Hymn Book, 1868, where it is marked as a "versification by R. C. Singleton, 1867." 8. Wake, awake, for night is flying. This is by Canon W. Cooke, in the Hymnary, 1871, and signed A. C. C. In the edition of 1872, 11. 7, 8 of st. ii. are recast, and the whole is marked as " based on E. A. Dayman." It is really a cento, four lines of the 1872 text (i., 1. 5; ii., 11. 7, 8; iii., 1. 9) being by Canon Cooke; and the rest being adapted from the versions of P. Pusey as altered in the Sarum Hymnal, of Miss Winkworth, of Miss Cox, and of R. C. Singleton. It may be regarded as a success, and as passed into the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Church Hymns, 1871; the 1874 Appendix to the New Congregational Hymn Book; Horder's Congregational Hymns, 1884, and others. 9. Wake, arise! the voice is calling. This is an anonymous translation in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. 10. Slumberers, wake, the Bridegroom cometh. A spirited version, based on Miss Winkworth (and with an original st. as iv.), by J. H. Hopkins in his Carols, Hymns & Songs, 3rd ed., 1882. p. 88, and dated 1866. Repeated in the Hymnal Companion (Reformed Episcopal) Philadelphia, U.S., 1885. Other translations are:— (1) “Awake, the voice is crying." In Lyra Davidica, 1108, p. 73. (2) "Awake! awake! the watchman calls." By Miss Fry, 1845, p. 33. (3) "Hark! the trump of God is sounding." By Dr. H. Mills, 1845 (1856, p. 269. This is from the altered form by F. G. Klopstock, in his Geistliche Lieder, 1758, p. 246, as further altered in Zollikofer's Gesang-Buch, 1766, No. 303, where it begins "Wachet auf! so ruft." (4) "Awake, arise, the voice gives warning." In the United Presbyterian Juvenile Missionary Magazine, 1857, p. 193; repeated in 1859, p. 171, beginning, “Awake, arise, it is the warning." (5) “Waken! From the tower it soundeth." By Mrs. Bevan, 1858, p. 1. (6) Up! awake! his summons hurried." By J. D.Burns, in the Family Treasury, 1860, p. 84, and his Memoir & Remains, 1869, p. 234. 11. Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn. Love to Christ. First published in theAppendix to his Frewden-Spiegel, 1599, in 7 stanzas of 10 lines entitled "A spiritual bridal song of the believing soul concerning Jesus Christ, her heavenly Bridegroom, founded on the 45th Psalm of the prophet David." Lauxmann, in Koch, viii. 271, thus gives an account of it as written during the Pestilence of 1597. He says Nicola was "One morning in great distress and tribulation in his quiet study. He rose in spirit from the distress and death which surrounded him to his Redeemer and Saviour, and while he clasped Him in ardent love there welled forth from the inmost depths of his heart this precious hymn of the Saviour's love and of the joys of Heaven. He was so entirely absorbed in this holy exaltation that he forgot all around him, even his midday meal, and allowed nothing to disturb him in his poetical labours till the hymn was completed "—-three hours after midday. As Nicolai was closely connected with Waldeck he formed with the initial letters of his stanzas the acrostic W. E. G. U. H. Z. W., viz. Wilhelm Ernst Graf Und Herr Zn Waldeck— his former pupil. The hymn has reminiscences of Eph. v., of Canticles, and of the Mediaeval Hymns to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It became at once a favourite in Germany, was reckoned indispensable at weddings, was often sung around death beds, &c. The original form is in Wackernagel v. p. 258, and the Unverfälschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 437; but this (as will be seen by comparing Miss Winkworth's version of 1869) is hardly suited for present day congregational use. In Bunsen's Versuch, 1833, No. 554, it is slightly altered. The form in Knapp's Evangelischer Lieder-Schatz, 1837, No. 2074 (1865, No. 1810) is a recast by Knapp made on Jan. 14, 1832, and published in his Christoterpe, 1833, p. 285, preceded by a recast of "Wachet auf!"; both being marked as “rewritten according to the requirements of our times." The popularity of the hymn was greatly aided by its beautiful chorale (named by Mr. Mercer, Frankfort), which has been called "The Queen of Chorales," and to which many city chimes in Germany were soon set. It was published with the hymn, and is probably an original tune by Nicolai, though portions may have been suggested by earlier melodies, especially by the "Resonet in laudibus," which is probably of the 14th cent. (Bäumker i., No. 48, cites it from the Obsequiale, Ingolstadt, 1570. In Alton's Congregational Psalmist named Arimathea). Translations in common use:— 1. How bright appears the Morning Star! This is a full and fairly close version by J. C. Jacobi, in his Psalter Germanica, 1722, p. 90 (1732, p. 162); repeated, with alterations, in the Moravian Hymn Book, 1754, pt. i., No. 317 (1886, No. 360). The versions of st. v., vii. beginning, "The Father from eternity," are included in Aids to the Service of Song, Edinburgh N.D., but since 1860. In 1855 Mercer gave in his The Church Psalter & Hymn Book., as No. 15, a hymn in 4 stanzas of 10 lines, of which five lines are exactly from Jacobi. St. i., l1. 1-3; ii., .11. 8, 9 ; iii., 11. 2, 3, 6 ; iv., 1. 10, are exactly; and i., 1. 9; ii., 11. 2, 3, 6, 10; iii., II. 1, 4, 5; iv., 11. 7, 9 are nearly from the Moravian Hymn Book, 1801. The interjected lines are by Mercer, but bear very slight resemblance either to Nicolai's original text, or to any version of the German that we have seen. In his 1859 edition he further recast it, leaving only the first line unaltered from Jacobi; and this form is in his Oxford edition, 1864, No. 121, in the Irish Church Hymnal, 1869 and 1873, and in the Hymnal Companion 1870 and 1876. In Kennedy, 1863, the text of 1859 is given with alterations, and begins "How brightly dawns the Morning Star;" and this form is in the People's Hymnal, 1867; Dale's English Hymn Book 1874, &c. 2. How graciously doth shine afar. By A. T. Russell, as No. 8 in the Dalston Hospital Hymn Book, 1848, and repeated in the Cheltenham College Hymn Book, No. 37. It is a free translation of st. i., vi., v. 3. How lovely shines the Morning Star! A good and full translation by Dr. H. Harbaugh (from the text in Dr. Schaff’s Deutsches Gesang-Buch, 1860), in the German Reformed Guardian, May, 1860, p. 157. Repeated in full in Schaff's Christ in Song, 1869, and abridged in Adams's Church Pastorals, Boston, U.S.A., 1864. 4. 0 Morning Star! how fair and bright. A somewhat free translation of st. i., iii., iv., vii., by Miss Winkworth, as No.149 in her Chorale Book for England, 1863. Repeated in the Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book, 1868; Ohio Lutheran Hymnal,1880, &c. 5. How brightly shines the Morning Star, In truth and mercy from afar. A translation of st. i., iii., iv., vii., by Miss Borthwick, as No. 239 in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864. 6. How brightly glows the Morning Star. In full, from Knapp's German recast, by M. W. Stryker, in his Hymns & Verses, 1883, p. 52; repeated, omitting st. ii., iv., in his Christian Chorals, 1885, No. 145. Other translations are:— (1) "How fairly shines the Morning Star." In Lyra Davidica, 1708, p. 40. (2) "As bright the star of morning gleams" (st. i.) By W. Bartholomew, in his book of words to Mendelssohn's oratorio of Christus, 1852, p. 11. (3) "How lovely now the Morning Star." By Miss Cox, 1864, p. 229. (4) "How beauteous shines the Morning Star." By Miss Burlingham, in the British Herald, Oct. 1865, p. 152, and Reid's Praise Book, 1872. (5) "0 Morning Star, how fair and bright." By MissWinkworth, 1869, p. 160. (6) "How bright appears our Morning Star." By J. H. Hopkins, in his Carols, Hymns and Songs, 3rd ed., 1882, p. 168, and dated 1866. There are also three hymns in common use, which have generally been regarded as translations from Nicolai. They are noted as follows:—i. "Behold how glorious is yon sky" (see p. 127, ii.). ii. "How beautiful the Morning Star". iii. "How brightly shines the Morning Star! What eye descries it from afar". [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Johann Sebastian Bach

1685 - 1750 Person Name: J. S. Bach Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Harmonizer of "WACHET AUF" in The New Century Hymnal Johann Sebastian Bach was born at Eisenach into a musical family and in a town steeped in Reformation history, he received early musical training from his father and older brother, and elementary education in the classical school Luther had earlier attended. Throughout his life he made extraordinary efforts to learn from other musicians. At 15 he walked to Lüneburg to work as a chorister and study at the convent school of St. Michael. From there he walked 30 miles to Hamburg to hear Johann Reinken, and 60 miles to Celle to become familiar with French composition and performance traditions. Once he obtained a month's leave from his job to hear Buxtehude, but stayed nearly four months. He arranged compositions from Vivaldi and other Italian masters. His own compositions spanned almost every musical form then known (Opera was the notable exception). In his own time, Bach was highly regarded as organist and teacher, his compositions being circulated as models of contrapuntal technique. Four of his children achieved careers as composers; Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Chopin are only a few of the best known of the musicians that confessed a major debt to Bach's work in their own musical development. Mendelssohn began re-introducing Bach's music into the concert repertoire, where it has come to attract admiration and even veneration for its own sake. After 20 years of successful work in several posts, Bach became cantor of the Thomas-schule in Leipzig, and remained there for the remaining 27 years of his life, concentrating on church music for the Lutheran service: over 200 cantatas, four passion settings, a Mass, and hundreds of chorale settings, harmonizations, preludes, and arrangements. He edited the tunes for Schemelli's Musicalisches Gesangbuch, contributing 16 original tunes. His choral harmonizations remain a staple for studies of composition and harmony. Additional melodies from his works have been adapted as hymn tunes. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Franklin L. Sheppard

1852 - 1930 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-12 Adapter of "TERRA BEATA" in Singing the New Testament Franklin L. Sheppard (b. Philadelphia, PA, 1852; d. Germantown, PA, 1930) arranged the tune for Babcock's text and published it in the Presbyterian church school hymnal Alleluia (1915), edited by Sheppard (Babcock and Sheppard were friends). After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Sheppard entered the family foundry business in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1875. He was organist at Zion Episcopal Church and later was an elder and music director of the Second Presbyterian Church in Baltimore. President of the Presbyterian Board of Publications, Sheppard also served on the committee that prepared the Presbyterian Hymnal of 1911. In the history of hymnody he is remembered primarily for arranging the tune TERRA BEATA for “This Is My Father's World.” Bert Polman

John Darwall

1732 - 1789 Person Name: John Darwall Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Composer of "DARWALL'S 148TH" in Discipleship Ministries Collection John Darwall (b. Haughton, Staffordshire, England, 1731; d. Walsall, Staffordshire, England, 1789) The son of a pastor, he attended Manchester Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford, England (1752-1756). He became the curate and later the vicar of St. Matthew's Parish Church in Walsall, where he remained until his death. Darwall was a poet and amateur musician. He composed a soprano tune and bass line for each of the 150 psalm versifications in the Tate and Brady New Version of the Psalms of David (l696). In an organ dedication speech in 1773 Darwall advocated singing the "Psalm tunes in quicker time than common [in order that] six verses might be sung in the same space of time that four generally are." Bert Polman

Fructuoso Vianna

1896 - 1976 Person Name: Fructuoso Vianna, 1896-1976 Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 3:12 Composer of "SÁBADO" in When Breaks the Dawn

Export as CSV

Go Ad-Free

User Links

User Links

Discover

Collections

Connect

Search

Collections

Discover