FRANCES (McGranahan)

Composer: James McGranahan

James McGranahan USA 1840-1907. Born at West Fallowfield, PA, uncle of Hugh McGranahan, and son of a farmer, he farmed during boyhood. Due to his love of music his father let him attend singing school, where he learned to play the bass viol. At age 19 he organized his first singing class and soon became a popular teacher in his area of the state. He became a noted musician and hymns composer. His father was reluctant to let him pursue this career, but he soon made enough money doing it that he was able to hire a replacement farmhand to help his father while he studied music. His father, a wise man, soon realized how his son was being used by God to win souls through his music. He entered the Normal Music School at Genesco, NY, under… Go to person page >

Better known for his gospel songs than his hymn tunes, James McGranahan (PHH 99) wrote FRANCES in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Copyrighted in 1901 by McGranahan, the tune was set to this text in the 1912 Psalter and in every edition of the Psalter Hymnal.

FRANCES is a rousing tune with strong ascending figures and a rhythmic drive that produces two very long musical lines. Sing in harmony; use bright organ registration and crisp articulation to support this energetic melody.

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook