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Lowell Mason

1792 - 1872 Composer of "[The radiant morn hath passed away]" in Select Songs No. 2 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.

H. Matthias Hansen

Composer of "HOUR OF PRAYER" in The Concordia Hymnal

George Lomas

1834 - 1884 Person Name: G. Lomas Composer of "SOUTHPORT" in The Chapel Hymnal Born: 1834, Birch Hall, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Died: 1884, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. A student of William Sterndale Bennett and Charles Steggall, Lomas received his BMus degree from New College, Oxford. He played the organ at Didsbury Parish Church, and at Emmanuel Church, Barlow Moor, Manchester (1858-84). Music: CHAMOUNI ST. PAUL'S COLLEGE SURSUM CORDA http://www.hymntime.com/tch/bio/l/o/m/lomas_g.htm ============= George Lomas was born in England and was a volunteer organist for twenty-five years before becoming a professional musician. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in music at age forty-five, only five years before his death. The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion, 1993

Lindsay B. Longacre

1870 - 1952 Composer of "THE RADIANT MORN" in The Riverdale Hymn Book Lindsay Bartholomew Longacre was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on January 26, 1870, the son of Orleans and Rachel (Bartholomew) Longacre. Longacre wanted to become a musician, but pursuant to his father’s wishes, he attended the Columbia University School of Mines and was graduated from there with a degree in mining engineering in 1892. Following a call to the ministry, he attended Drew Theological Seminary, where he received a B.D. degree in 1896, and was subsequently ordained a minister in the Methodist Church that same year. From 1896-1910, Rev. Longacre served several small churches in the New York Conference. These included Glenville, St. Luck, Madison Avenue (later called Christ Methodist after a move to a new location), Fifty-Sixth Street Church, Morris Heights, and Woodlawn Heights. His pastorate at Madison Avenue Church was as the Assistant Pastor to Andrew Longacre, his uncle. In 1910, Dr. Longacre was appointed head of the Department of Old Testament Literature and Religion of the Iliff School of Theology. He held that position for 32 years. On several occasions during his tenure at Iliff, Dr. Longacre also acted as president of the school. He authored four books, a number of articles, and church school curriculum. His books are: A Prophet of the Spirit: A Sketch of the Character and Work of Jeremiah (1917 and 1922); Amos, Prophet of a New Order (1921; translated into Burmese in 1939); Deuteronomy, A Prophetic Lawbook (1924); and The Old Testament: Its Form and Purpose (1945). He was invited to submit three articles to the Abingdon Bible Commentary(1929). These articles are entitled “The Bible as Literature,” Numbers,” and “Joshua.” Dr. Longacre also held membership in the National Association of Biblical Instructors and the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis. During his tenure at Iliff, Dr. Longacre was involved in a controversy known as the “fundamentalist-modernist controversy.” This controversy, which reached its height in the 1920s, grew out of reactions to the liberal approach that the school had taken toward religion and education. These reactions, from both inside and outside the Methodist Church, were in response to the school’s use of higher criticism in the teaching of Biblical studies. While at Iliff, Dr. Longacre also taught courses in preaching, worship, and hymnology. He had nurtured his love for music as an avocation, and wrote many hymns and songs. Some of these hymns were published in The Riverdale Hymn Book (1912), The Methodist Hymnal (1935), The Hymnal (Evangelical and Reformed Church) (1941), and The Story of Our Hymns: The Handbook to the Hymnal of the Evangelical and Reformed Church (1952). He believed that great hymns were “God-centered.” In addition to composing music, he wrote explanatory notes for various Denver Symphony programs, and had a special love for opera. He also held membership in the Hymn Society of America, the American Guild of Organists, and the Quill Club of New York. In his courses on worship, Dr. Longacre expected no loess that excellence from his students in planning and leading services. He felt that worship should be be “truly theocentric.” Because of his interests in music and worship, he served on the Commission on Ritual and Orders of Worship of the Methodist Church from 1940-44. The Commission produced a new Book of Worship for Church and Home. Dr. Longacre contributed introductory sentences to accompany selected readings in two sections: “Scriptures for Reading and Meditation” and “Daily Readings and Prayers for a Month.” Dr. Longacre retired from Iliff in 1942. He and Florence Biggart Longacre, his second wife of six years, then made a brief move to California. (His first wife, Arabella Hyland Longacre, had passed away in 1930.) After returning to Denver, he played a leading role in the 1944 University of Denver production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. It was his first acting experience. That same year, the Longacre’s returned to New York City to pursue his interest in music and the arts through the cultural activities of the city. From 1947-1952, Dr. Longacre served as the Assistant Pastor to the Rev. Ralph W. Sockman of Christ Methodist Church. Dr. Lindsay B. Longacre died at the age of 82 years on September 18, 1952, after a long and distinguished career of service to the church and humanity. © 2002. Marshall Eidson http://www.iliff.edu/research/archives/longacre/bio.htm

J. B. Herbert

1852 - 1927 Composer of "[The radiant morn hath passed away]" in Glory Songs

John Hullah

1812 - 1884 Composer of "HULLAH" in Gloria Deo Born: June 27, 1812, Worcester, England. Died: February 21, 1884, London, England.

Robert N. Quaile

1867 - 1937 Person Name: Robert N Quaile Composer of "OLDBRIDGE" in The A.M.E. Zion Hymnal Son of a Methodist pastor, Quaile was educated at Wesley College in Dublin. He went into business in Mallow and pursued music as a hobby. Three of his tunes appeared in the 1910 English Methodist Sunday School Hymnal. Ten years later, he lost all his possessions in the 1920 Irish uprising. —The Cyber Hymnal™

Herbert Stephen Irons

1834 - 1905 Person Name: H. S. Irons, b. 1834 Composer of "ST. CORENTIN" in Church Hymns Born: January 19, 1834, Canterbury, Kent, England. Died: June 29, 1905, Nottingham, England. Irons was a nephew of the brothers Stephen & George Elvey. He became a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under T. E. Jones. After studying music under Stephen Elvey at Oxford, he was appointed organist at St. Columba’s College, a large public school at Rathfarnham, near Dublin, Ireland. He stayed there only a few months before being offered the position of organist at Southwell Minister. From Southwell, he went to Chester as assistant organist to Frederic Gunton. Three years later, he accepted an appointment at St. Andrew’s Church, Nottingham, where he remained until his death. --www.hymntime.com/tch

William Sterndale Bennett

1816 - 1875 Person Name: W. S. Bennett Composer of "[The radiant morn hath passed away]" in The Westminster Abbey Hymn-Book William Sterndale Bennett, born in Sheffield, England, April 13, 1816, died in London, Feb. 1, 1875. His father, an organist, died when he was three years old, and his education was cared for by his grandfather. At the age of eight (1824) he entered the choir of King's College Chapel at Cambridge, where his grandfather lived, and in 1826 was sent to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. Here he studied composition under Lucas and Dr. Crotch, and pianoforte, first under W. H. Holmes, and then under Cipriani Potter. His first composition of note was his D minor pianoforte concerto, op. 1, written in 1832 and played by himself at the prize concert at the Academy in 1833. Mendelssohn was present and greatly encouraged the young composer. In 1836 the firm of Broadwood offered to pay his expenses for a year's study in Leipsic; here he came under the influence of Mendelssohn and Schumann, both of whom held his talent in high esteem. He came back to London after the specified year, but returned to Leipsic for another year's study in 1840. In 1843 he began to give successful chamber concerts in London, and in 1844 married Mary Anne Wood, daughter of a captain in the Navy. In 1849 he founded the London Bach Society, one of the results of which was the first performance in England of the Matthew Passion, April 6, 1854. In 1853 he was offered the conductorship of the Leipsic Gewandhaus concerts, and in 1856 he was elected to the chair of musical professor at the University of Cambridge, and shortly afterwards received the degree of Mus. Doc. In 1856 he was also made permanent conductor of the Philharmonic Society, a post which he resigned ten years later to become principal of the Royal academy of Music. In 11867 he received the Cambridge degree of M.A. and a salary of 100 pounds was joined to his professorship. In 1870 the University of Oxford conferred upon him the honorary dgree of D.C.L. He was knighted in 1871, and a scholarship was founded at the Royal academy of Music out of subscriptions to a public testimonial to him in St. James's Hall in 1872. He died after a short illness, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Bennett has been called the first English composer of individual genius since Purcell; he certainly was the first English composer who go any real recognition in Germany. He has generally been considered as a follower and imitator of Mendelssohn, although the best English critics deny this. Yet he may truly be said to have held more by Mendelssohn than by Schumann. His compositions are noteworthy for an easy grace, refinement, and elaborate perfection of style. Cyclopedia of Music and Musicians by John Denison Camplin, Jr. and William Foster Apthorp (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1888) https://archive.org/details/cyclopediaofmusi01cham/mode/2up

J. Barmby

1822 - 1897 Composer of "SUNSET" in Life-Time Hymns Barmby was a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, and Vicar of Pittington, Durham. His works include: Plays for Young People, with T. Rogers (London: Simpkin, Marshall & Company, 1880) © The Cyber Hymnal™ (www.hymntime.com/tch)