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Isaac Watts

1674 - 1748 Person Name: Isaac Watts, 1719 Hymnal Number: 25 Author of "Joy to the World" in Christian Hymns Isaac Watts was the son of a schoolmaster, and was born in Southampton, July 17, 1674. He is said to have shown remarkable precocity in childhood, beginning the study of Latin, in his fourth year, and writing respectable verses at the age of seven. At the age of sixteen, he went to London to study in the Academy of the Rev. Thomas Rowe, an Independent minister. In 1698, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church, Berry St., London. In 1702, he became pastor. In 1712, he accepted an invitation to visit Sir Thomas Abney, at his residence of Abney Park, and at Sir Thomas' pressing request, made it his home for the remainder of his life. It was a residence most favourable for his health, and for the prosecution of his literary labours. He did not retire from ministerial duties, but preached as often as his delicate health would permit. The number of Watts' publications is very large. His collected works, first published in 1720, embrace sermons, treatises, poems and hymns. His "Horae Lyricae" was published in December, 1705. His "Hymns" appeared in July, 1707. The first hymn he is said to have composed for religious worship, is "Behold the glories of the Lamb," written at the age of twenty. It is as a writer of psalms and hymns that he is everywhere known. Some of his hymns were written to be sung after his sermons, giving expression to the meaning of the text upon which he had preached. Montgomery calls Watts "the greatest name among hymn-writers," and the honour can hardly be disputed. His published hymns number more than eight hundred. Watts died November 25, 1748, and was buried at Bunhill Fields. A monumental statue was erected in Southampton, his native place, and there is also a monument to his memory in the South Choir of Westminster Abbey. "Happy," says the great contemporary champion of Anglican orthodoxy, "will be that reader whose mind is disposed, by his verses or his prose, to imitate him in all but his non-conformity, to copy his benevolence to men, and his reverence to God." ("Memorials of Westminster Abbey," p. 325.) --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872. ================================= Watts, Isaac, D.D. The father of Dr. Watts was a respected Nonconformist, and at the birth of the child, and during its infancy, twice suffered imprisonment for his religious convictions. In his later years he kept a flourishing boarding school at Southampton. Isaac, the eldest of his nine children, was born in that town July 17, 1674. His taste for verse showed itself in early childhood. He was taught Greek, Latin, and Hebrew by Mr. Pinhorn, rector of All Saints, and headmaster of the Grammar School, in Southampton. The splendid promise of the boy induced a physician of the town and other friends to offer him an education at one of the Universities for eventual ordination in the Church of England: but this he refused; and entered a Nonconformist Academy at Stoke Newington in 1690, under the care of Mr. Thomas Rowe, the pastor of the Independent congregation at Girdlers' Hall. Of this congregation he became a member in 1693. Leaving the Academy at the age of twenty, he spent two years at home; and it was then that the bulk of the Hymns and Spiritual Songs (published 1707-9) were written, and sung from manuscripts in the Southampton Chapel. The hymn "Behold the glories of the Lamb" is said to have been the first he composed, and written as an attempt to raise the standard of praise. In answer to requests, others succeeded. The hymn "There is a land of pure delight" is said to have been suggested by the view across Southampton Water. The next six years of Watts's life were again spent at Stoke Newington, in the post of tutor to the son of an eminent Puritan, Sir John Hartopp; and to the intense study of these years must be traced the accumulation of the theological and philosophical materials which he published subsequently, and also the life-long enfeeblement of his constitution. Watts preached his first sermon when he was twenty-four years old. In the next three years he preached frequently; and in 1702 was ordained pastor of the eminent Independent congregation in Mark Lane, over which Caryl and Dr. John Owen had presided, and which numbered Mrs. Bendish, Cromwell's granddaughter, Charles Fleetwood, Charles Desborough, Sir John Hartopp, Lady Haversham, and other distinguished Independents among its members. In this year he removed to the house of Mr. Hollis in the Minories. His health began to fail in the following year, and Mr. Samuel Price was appointed as his assistant in the ministry. In 1712 a fever shattered his constitution, and Mr. Price was then appointed co-pastor of the congregation which had in the meantime removed to a new chapel in Bury Street. It was at this period that he became the guest of Sir Thomas Abney, under whose roof, and after his death (1722) that of his widow, he remained for the rest of his suffering life; residing for the longer portion of these thirty-six years principally at the beautiful country seat of Theobalds in Herts, and for the last thirteen years at Stoke Newington. His degree of D.D. was bestowed on him in 1728, unsolicited, by the University of Edinburgh. His infirmities increased on him up to the peaceful close of his sufferings, Nov. 25, 1748. He was buried in the Puritan restingplace at Bunhill Fields, but a monument was erected to him in Westminster Abbey. His learning and piety, gentleness and largeness of heart have earned him the title of the Melanchthon of his day. Among his friends, churchmen like Bishop Gibson are ranked with Nonconformists such as Doddridge. His theological as well as philosophical fame was considerable. His Speculations on the Human Nature of the Logos, as a contribution to the great controversy on the Holy Trinity, brought on him a charge of Arian opinions. His work on The Improvement of the Mind, published in 1741, is eulogised by Johnson. His Logic was still a valued textbook at Oxford within living memory. The World to Come, published in 1745, was once a favourite devotional work, parts of it being translated into several languages. His Catechisms, Scripture History (1732), as well as The Divine and Moral Songs (1715), were the most popular text-books for religious education fifty years ago. The Hymns and Spiritual Songs were published in 1707-9, though written earlier. The Horae Lyricae, which contains hymns interspersed among the poems, appeared in 1706-9. Some hymns were also appended at the close of the several Sermons preached in London, published in 1721-24. The Psalms were published in 1719. The earliest life of Watts is that by his friend Dr. Gibbons. Johnson has included him in his Lives of the Poets; and Southey has echoed Johnson's warm eulogy. The most interesting modern life is Isaac Watts: his Life and Writings, by E. Paxton Hood. [Rev. H. Leigh Bennett, M.A.] A large mass of Dr. Watts's hymns and paraphrases of the Psalms have no personal history beyond the date of their publication. These we have grouped together here and shall preface the list with the books from which they are taken. (l) Horae Lyricae. Poems chiefly of the Lyric kind. In Three Books Sacred: i.To Devotion and Piety; ii. To Virtue, Honour, and Friendship; iii. To the Memory of the Dead. By I. Watts, 1706. Second edition, 1709. (2) Hymns and Spiritual Songs. In Three Books: i. Collected from the Scriptures; ii. Composed on Divine Subjects; iii. Prepared for the Lord's Supper. By I. Watts, 1707. This contained in Bk i. 78 hymns; Bk. ii. 110; Bk. iii. 22, and 12 doxologies. In the 2nd edition published in 1709, Bk. i. was increased to 150; Bk. ii. to 170; Bk. iii. to 25 and 15 doxologies. (3) Divine and Moral Songs for the Use of Children. By I. Watts, London, 1715. (4) The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, And apply'd to the Christian State and Worship. By I. Watts. London: Printed by J. Clark, at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry, &c, 1719. (5) Sermons with hymns appended thereto, vol. i., 1721; ii., 1723; iii. 1727. In the 5th ed. of the Sermons the three volumes, in duodecimo, were reduced to two, in octavo. (6) Reliquiae Juveniles: Miscellaneous Thoughts in Prose and Verse, on Natural, Moral, and Divine Subjects; Written chiefly in Younger Years. By I. Watts, D.D., London, 1734. (7) Remnants of Time. London, 1736. 454 Hymns and Versions of the Psalms, in addition to the centos are all in common use at the present time. --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================================== Watts, I. , p. 1241, ii. Nearly 100 hymns, additional to those already annotated, are given in some minor hymn-books. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ================= Watts, I. , p. 1236, i. At the time of the publication of this Dictionary in 1892, every copy of the 1707 edition of Watts's Hymns and Spiritual Songs was supposed to have perished, and all notes thereon were based upon references which were found in magazines and old collections of hymns and versions of the Psalms. Recently three copies have been recovered, and by a careful examination of one of these we have been able to give some of the results in the revision of pp. 1-1597, and the rest we now subjoin. i. Hymns in the 1709 ed. of Hymns and Spiritual Songs which previously appeared in the 1707 edition of the same book, but are not so noted in the 1st ed. of this Dictionary:— On pp. 1237, L-1239, ii., Nos. 18, 33, 42, 43, 47, 48, 60, 56, 58, 59, 63, 75, 82, 83, 84, 85, 93, 96, 99, 102, 104, 105, 113, 115, 116, 123, 124, 134, 137, 139, 146, 147, 148, 149, 162, 166, 174, 180, 181, 182, 188, 190, 192, 193, 194, 195, 197, 200, 202. ii. Versions of the Psalms in his Psalms of David, 1719, which previously appeared in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707:— On pp. 1239, U.-1241, i., Nos. 241, 288, 304, 313, 314, 317, 410, 441. iii. Additional not noted in the revision:— 1. My soul, how lovely is the place; p. 1240, ii. 332. This version of Ps. lxiv. first appeared in the 1707 edition of Hymns & Spiritual Songs, as "Ye saints, how lovely is the place." 2. Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine; p. 1055, ii. In the 1707 edition of Hymns & Spiritual Songs, Bk. i., No. 35, and again in his Psalms of David, 1719. 3. Sing to the Lord with [cheerful] joyful voice, p. 1059, ii. This version of Ps. c. is No. 43 in the Hymns & Spiritual Songs, 1707, Bk. i., from which it passed into the Ps. of David, 1719. A careful collation of the earliest editions of Watts's Horae Lyricae shows that Nos. 1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, p. 1237, i., are in the 1706 ed., and that the rest were added in 1709. Of the remaining hymns, Nos. 91 appeared in his Sermons, vol. ii., 1723, and No. 196 in Sermons, vol. i., 1721. No. 199 was added after Watts's death. It must be noted also that the original title of what is usually known as Divine and Moral Songs was Divine Songs only. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907) =========== See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

Mark M. Jones

Hymnal Number: 319 Composer of "[I have heard of a land]" in Christian Hymns

James E. Hawes

1862 - 1933 Person Name: J. E. Hawes. By per. Hymnal Number: 114 Composer of "[The voice of the Saviour says "Come"]" in Christian Hymns James Edward Hawes was born in Vermillion County, IL, near Danville, on Aug. 18, 1862. While growing up, he was nicknamed “the preacher” because of his exceptional moral life. Evidently he became a well-known song leader among churches of Christ and Christian Churches in the latter part of the nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, as well as a preacher. Hawes formed an evangelistic team about 1885, after the example of Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey, with Jacob V. Updike (1850-1907). They met with great success before disbanding to become located ministers. According to The Christian Evangelist of Dec. 16, 1901, Hawes was located as minister with the Church of Christ in Greenwich, OH. Also, Hawes edited a hymnbook entitled The Gospel Invitation: Book of Songs and Hymns which was published in 1892 by Fillmore Brothers of Cincinnati, OH. He composed a 1900 tune for the hymn “Have You Not a Word for Jesus?” written in 1871 by Frances R. Havergal. While travelling to Columbus, OH, he died after being hit by a train near Upper Sandusky, in Wyandot County, OH, on Aug. 23, 1933, at the age of 71, and was buried at Ada in Hardin County, OH, where he had served as minister with the Church of Christ for over twenty years. http://hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com

P. P. Bliss

1838 - 1876 Person Name: P. P. B. Hymnal Number: 110 Author of "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning" in Christian Hymns Philip P. Bliss (b. Clearfield County, PA, 1838; d. Ashtabula, OH, 1876) left home as a young boy to make a living by working on farms and in lumber camps, all while trying to continue his schooling. He was converted at a revival meeting at age twelve. Bliss became an itinerant music teacher, making house calls on horseback during the winter, and during the summer attending the Normal Academy of Music in Genesco, New York. His first song was published in 1864, and in 1868 Dwight L. Moody advised him to become a singing evangelist. For the last two years of his life Bliss traveled with Major D. W. Whittle and led the music at revival meetings in the Midwest and Southern United States. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey published a popular series of hymn collections entitled Gospel Hymns. The first book of the series, Gospel Songs, was published in 1874. Bliss's tragic death at the age of thirty-eight happened near the end of 1876. Philip P. Bliss and his wife were traveling to Chicago to sing for the evangelistic services led by Daniel W. Whittle at Dwight L. Moody's Tabernacle. But a train wreck and fire en route claimed their lives. Bert Polman ================= Bliss, Philip, b. at Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1838. In 1864 he went to Chicago in the employ of Dr. George F. Root, the musician, where he was engaged in conducting musical Institutes, and in composing Sunday School melodies. Originally a Methodist, he became, about 1871, a choirman of the First Congregational Church, Chicago, and the Superintendent of its Sunday Schools. In 1874 he joined D. W. Whittle in evangelical work. To this cause he gave (although a poor man) the royalty of his Gospel Songs, which was worth some thirty thousand dollars. His death was sudden. It occurred in the railway disaster at Ashtabula, Ohio, Dec. 30, 1876. ... Some of his verses have obtained wide popularity in most English-speaking countries. The more widely known, and specially those which are found in collections in use in G. Britain, are in the following American works:— i. The Prize, 1870. 1. I should like to die. Death anticipated. This is one of his earliest compositions, and is unworthy of the position it holds. 2. Through the valley of the shadow I must go. Death anticipated. 3. Whosoever heareth, shout, shout the sound. Jesus the Way. Written during the winter of 1869-70 after hearing Mr. H. Moorhouse (from England) preach on St. John iii. 16. ii. The Charm, 1871. 4. Almost persuaded now to believe. Procrastination. This was suggested by the following passage in a sermon by the Rev. Mr. Brundnge, Bliss being present at its delivery:—" He who is almost persuaded is almost saved, but to be almost saved is to be entirely lost." 5. Ho! my comrades! see the signal. Faithfulness. 6. O! Jerusalem, the golden city, bright, &c. Heaven. 7. On what Foundation do [did] you build? Christ the Foundation. iii. The Song Tree, 1872. 8. Light in the darkness, sailor, day is at hand. Safety. This hymn, “The Life-Boat," has attained to great popularity. The incident upon which it is based, that of the rescue of a ship's crew by a life-boat, is given in detail by Mr. Sankey in his Sacred Songs, &c, No. 99 (large ed.). It is sometimes known by its refrain, "Pull for the shore," &c. iv. The Joy, 1873. 9. In me ye may have peace. Peace. 10. To die is gain. Death anticipated. v. Sunshine, 1873. 11. Down life's dark vale we wander. Death anticipated. 12. More holiness give me. For Holiness. 13. Only an armour-bearer. Soldiers of the Cross. 14. Standing by a purpose true. Faithfulness. 15. This loving Saviour stands patiently. Invitation. vi. Gospel Songs, 1874. 16. A long time I wandered. Peace and Joy. 17. Brightly beams our Father's mercy. Mercy. 18. Come, brethren, as we march along. Praise. 19. Free from the law, O happy condition. Redemption. 20. Have you on the Lord believed? Fullness of Grace. This hymn arose out of the following circumstances :—" A vast fortune was left in the hands of a minister for one of his poor parishioners. Fearing that it might be sqmandered if suddenly bestowed upon him, the wise minister sent him a little at a time, with a note saying, “This is thine; use it wisely; there is more to follow.” Hence also the refrain ‘More to follow,’ by which the hymn is known." 21. How much owest thou? Divine Claims. 22. I know not the hour when my Lord will come. Death anticipated. Suggested by reading the book, The Gates Ajar. 23. See the gentle Shepherd standing. The Good Shepherd. 24. Though the way be sometimes dreary. Divine Leading. 25. Will you meet me at the fountain? Fountain of Living Water. The incident out of which this hymn arose is thus stated in The Christian, No. 365, "At the Industrial Exposition at Chicago it was an everyday appointment to meet at the Central Fountain. Mr. P. P. Bliss, whose mind seemed always set on things above, caught up the words, and wrote this hymn, 'Meet me at the Fountain.'" vii. Gospel Hymns, No. 1, 1875. 26. One offer of salvation. The Name of Jesus. 27. Wandering afar from the dwellings of men. The Lepers. viii. The International Lesson Monthly, 1875. 28. Weary gleaner, whence comest thou? Duty. 29. The whole world was lost in the darkness of Sin. Light of the world. 30. Man of sorrows! what a name. Redemption. 31. The Spirit, O sinner, in mercy doth move. Holy Spirit. ix. Gospel Hymns, No. 2, 1876. 32. At the feet of Jesus. The good choice. 33. Come, sing the Gospel's joyful sound. Salvation. 34. Cut it down, cut it down. Justice and Mercy. 35. Do you see the Hebrew captive? Prayer. 36. Hallelujah, He is risen. Easier. Written in the spring of 1876 and first sung by Bliss on Easter afternoon, 1876, in the Court House Square, Augusta, Georgia, to 5900 people. 37. In Zion's rock abiding. Safety. 38. Repeat the story o'er and o'er. Grace and Peace. 39. Tenderly the Shepherd. The Good Shepherd. x. Gospel Hymns, No. 3, 1878. 40. Hear ye the glad good news from heaven. Faith and Salvation. 41. I will sing of my Redeemer. Praise. xi. Gospel Hymns, No. 4, 1881. 42. 'Tis known on earth and heaven too. More about Jesus. xii. Various. 43. Sing over again to me. Words of Life. This appeared in a paper entitled Words of Life, 1874, The following are undated:— 44. March to the battle-field. Duty and Victory. 45. There is sin in the camp. Hinderances. 46. 'Tis the promise of God. Praise. 47. While the silvery moon-beams, fall, New Birth. 48. God is always near me. Omnipresence. Two hymns," I am so glad that our Father in heaven," and " Sowing the seed by the daylight [dawnlight] fair," (sometimes given as " Sowing our seed in the morning fair ") are usually attributed to Mr. Bliss. In his Gospel Songs, Cincinnati, 1874, however, he lays claim to the music only. Mr. Sankey attributes this last to "E. A. Oakey." With the exception of No. 48, these hymns are given in Mr. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos, Pts. i. and ii. Their popularity is far beyond their literary merits, and is mainly due to the simple melodies to which they are wedded. As a writer of hymns of this class Mr. Bliss is second only to Mrs. Van Alstyne. Many anecdotes concerning hymns of this class are given in American Evangelists; an Account of their work in England and America, by the Rev. Elias Nason, Boston, U.S., Lathrop & Co., 1877. Mr. Bliss is usually known as "P. P. Bliss." This is found on the title-pages of his collections. On his own authority, however, we are enabled to say that his name originally stood thus : “Philipp Bliss.” Early in life he separated the final p from his Christian name, constituted it a capital P, and thus produced "P. P. Bliss." (For this article we are mainly indebted to Professor F. M. Bird, and Mr. H. P. Main.) -John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================== Bliss, Philip , p. 151, i. "Sowing the seed by the daylight fair" is in the Family Treasury , Edinburgh, 1861, pt. i., p. 84. It is said to be by Miss Emily Sullivan Oakey; born at Albany, N. York, Oct. 8, 1829, died May 11, 1883. Note also that Bliss's hymn, No. 43. on p. 150, ii., should read, "Sing them over again to me." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ===================== Bliss, P., p. 150, i. Two works have been brought to our notice, since the issue of our first edition of this Dictionary, which concern this author, viz.:— 1. Memoirs of Philip P. Bliss. Edited by D. W. Whittle. Contributions by Rev. E. P. Goodwin, Ira D. Sankey, and Geo. F. Root. Introduction by D. L. Moody. New York, &c.: A. S. Barnes & Co., 1877. 2. My Life and Sacred Songs. By Ira D. Sankey. With an Introduction by Theodore L. Cuyler, D.D). London: Hodder & Stoughton, and Morgan & Scott, 1906. These works have a special interest for those who use I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs & Solos, and all of P. Bliss's publications. To Mr. Sankey's My Life, &c, we direct special attention for P. Bliss's hymns:— “Do you see the Hebrew captive kneeling?" p. 294. "Down life's dark vale we wander." p. 285. "Ho! my comrades, see the signal." p. 105. "'Tis the promise of God full salvation to give." p. 99. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Elvina M. Hall

1820 - 1889 Person Name: Mrs. H. M Hall Hymnal Number: 188 Author of "All To Christ I Owe" in Christian Hymns Hall, Elvina Mable, was born at Alexandria, Virginia, in 1818; and was married, first to Mr. Richard Hall, and then, in 1885, to the Rev. Thomas Myers. Her hymn, "I hear the Saviour say" (Christ All and in All), in I. D. Sankey's Sacred Songs and Solos, 1878, is somewhat popular in Great Britain and America. It was "written on the fly-leaf of the New Lute of Zion, in the choir of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Baltimore, in the spring of 1865." --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)

Anonymous

Hymnal Number: 58 Author of "My Jesus, I Love Thee" in Christian Hymns In some hymnals, the editors noted that a hymn's author is unknown to them, and so this artificial "person" entry is used to reflect that fact. Obviously, the hymns attributed to "Author Unknown" "Unknown" or "Anonymous" could have been written by many people over a span of many centuries.

Phoebe Palmer Knapp

1839 - 1908 Person Name: Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp Hymnal Number: 46 Composer of "[Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!]" in Christian Hymns As a young girl Phoebe Palmer Knapp (b. New York, NY, 1839; d. Poland Springs, ME, 1908) displayed great musical talent; she composed and sang children’s song at an early age. The daughter of the Methodist evangelist Walter C. Palmer, she was married to John Fairfield Knapp at the age of sixteen. Her husband was a founder of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and after his death, she shared her considerable inherited wealth with various charitable organizations. She composed over five hundred gospel songs, of which the tunes for “Blessed Assurance” and “Open the Gates of the Temple” are still popular today. Bert Polman

Grant Colfax Tullar

1869 - 1950 Hymnal Number: 358 Composer of "[Face to face with Christ my Saviour]" in Christian Hymns Grant Colfax Tullar was born August 5, 1869, in Bolton, Connecticut. He was named after the American President Ulysses S. Grant and Vice President Schuyler Colfax. After the American Civil War, his father was disabled and unable to work, having been wounded in the Battle of Antietam. Tullar's mother died when he was just two years old so Grant had no settled home life until he became an adult. Yet from a life of sorrow and hardship he went on to bring joy to millions of Americans with his songs and poetry. As a child, he received virtually no education or religious training. He worked in a woolen mill and as a shoe clerk. The last Methodist camp meeting in Bolton was in 1847. Tullar became a Methodist at age 19 at a camp meeting near Waterbury in 1888. He then attended the Hackettstown Academy in New Jersey. He became an ordained Methodist minister and pastored for a short time in Dover, Delaware. For 10 years he was the song leader for evangelist Major George A. Hilton. Even so, in 1893 he also helped found the well-known Tullar-Meredith Publishing Company in New York, which produced church and Sunday school music. Tullar composed many popular hymns and hymnals. His works include: Sunday School Hymns No. 1 (Chicago, Illinois: Tullar Meredith Co., 1903) and The Bible School Hymnal (New York: Tullar Meredith Co., 1907). One of Grant Tullar's most quoted poems is "The Weaver": My Life is but a weaving Between my Lord and me; I cannot choose the colors He worketh steadily. Oft times He weaveth sorrow And I, in foolish pride, Forget He sees the upper, And I the under side. Not til the loom is silent And the shuttles cease to fly, Shall God unroll the canvas And explain the reason why. The dark threads are as needful In the Weaver's skillful hand, As the threads of gold and silver In the pattern He has planned. He knows, He loves, He cares, Nothing this truth can dim. He gives His very best to those Who chose to walk with Him. Grant Tullar --http://www.boltoncthistory.org/granttullar.html, from Bolton Community News, August 2006.

Edmund S. Lorenz

1854 - 1942 Person Name: E. S. L. Hymnal Number: 250 Author of "Thou Thinkest, Lord, Of Me" in Christian Hymns Pseudonymns: John D. Cresswell, L. S. Edwards, E. D. Mund, ==================== Lorenz, Edmund Simon. (North Lawrence, Stark County, Ohio, July 13, 1854--July 10, 1942, Dayton, Ohio). Son of Edward Lorenz, a German-born shoemaker who turned preacher, served German immigrants in northwestern Ohio, and was editor of the church paper, Froehliche Botschafter, 1894-1900. Edmund graduated from Toledo High School in 1870, taught German, and was made a school principal at a salary of $20 per week. At age 19, he moved to Dayton to become the music editor for the United Brethren Publishing House. He graduated from Otterbein College (B.A.) in 1880, studied at Union Biblical Seminary, 1878-1881, then went to Yale Divinity School where he graduated (B.D.) in 1883. He then spent a year studying theology in Leipzig, Germany. He was ordained by the Miami [Ohio] Conference of the United Brethren in Christ in 1877. The following year, he married Florence Kumler, with whom he had five children. Upon his return to the United States, he served as pastor of the High Street United Brethren Church in Dayton, 1884-1886, and then as president of Lebanon Valley College, 1887-1889. Ill health led him to resign his presidency. In 1890 he founded the Lorenz Publishing Company of Dayton, to which he devoted the remainder of his life. For their catalog, he wrote hymns, and composed many gospel songs, anthems, and cantatas, occasionally using pseudonyms such as E.D. Mund, Anna Chichester, and G.M. Dodge. He edited three of the Lorenz choir magazines, The Choir Leader, The Choir Herald, and Kirchenchor. Prominent among the many song-books and hymnals which he compiled and edited were those for his church: Hymns for the Sanctuary and Social Worship (1874), Pilgerlieder (1878), Songs of Grace (1879), The Otterbein Hymnal (1890), and The Church Hymnal (1934). For pastors and church musicians, he wrote several books stressing hymnody: Practical Church Music (1909), Church Music (1923), Music in Work and Worship (1925), and The Singing Church (1938). In 1936, Otterbein College awarded him the honorary D.Mus. degree and Lebanon Valley College the honorary LL.D. degree. --Information from granddaughter Ellen Jane Lorenz Porter, DNAH Archives

George Rawson

1807 - 1889 Person Name: Geo. Rawson Hymnal Number: 132 Author of "By Christ Redeemed, In Christ Restored" in Christian Hymns Born: June 5, 1807, Leeds, England. Died: March 25, 1889, Clifton, England. Buried: Arno’s Vale Cemetery, Bristol, England. Pseudonym: A Leeds Layman. Rawson, George, was born June 5, 1807, at Leeds, in which town he practised for many years as a solicitor. In 1853 he assisted the Congregational ministers of Leeds in the compilation of Psalms, Hymns, and Passages of Scripture for Christian Worship, a volume commonly known as the Leeds Hymn-book. Mr. Rawson was a member of the Congregational body. In 1858 he also assisted Rev. Dr. Green and other Baptist ministers in the preparation of Psalms and Hymns for the use of the Baptist Denomination. A number of Mr. Rawson's own compositions first appeared in this and in the Leeds Hymn-book In 1876 he published his Hymns, Verses and Chants (Hodder and Stoughton, London), including his previously published hymns, and containing (exclusive of chants) 80 original pieces. In 1885 most of these, with several additional hymns, were published by the R. T. S. under the title Songs of Spiritual Thought. Mr. Rawson died March 25, 1889. His hymns are distinguished by refinement of thought, and delicacy and propriety of language; and if they do not attain the first rank among the songs of the Christian Church, many are of great excellence. The most widely known are, "By Christ redeemed, in Christ restored;" "Come to our poor nature's night;" "Father in high heaven dwelling;" "In the dark and cloudy day;" and "Reaper, behold the fields are white." In the Leeds Hymn-book, 1853, and the Baptist Psalms & Hymns, 1858, there are also several recasts of and additions to the hymns of other writers. In addition to Mr. Rawson's hymns which are annotated under their respective first lines, the following are also in common use:- i. From the Leeds Hymn-book, 1853. 1. Captain and Saviour of the host. Burial. 2. Give dust to dust: and here we leave. Burial. 3. God the Lord is King-—before him. Ps. xcix. 4. In the dark and cloudy day. Consolation. 5. Soul, thy week of toil is ended. Saturday Evening. 6. Though the night be very long. Resignation. ii. From the Baptist Psalms & Hymns, 1858. 7. Beautiful, desired, and dear. Public Worship. 8. Blessed are they who have not seen. Faith. 9. Blessed is the faithful heart. Faithfulness. 10. Christ to heaven is gone before. Ascension. 11. God the Father, be Thou near. Evening. 12. He fell asleep in Christ the Lord. Burial. 13. Immersed beneath the closing wave. Holy Baptism. 14. Lord, we bless Thee, Who hast given. Holy Communion. 15. My Father God, with filial awe. Abiding in God. 16. Our eyes we lift up to the hills. The Lord the Pastor's Keeper. 17. Reaper, behold the fields are ripe [white] . Missions. 18. Rise, heart, thy Lord arose. Sunday. 19. Upon the holy mountains high. Security of the Church. iii. From the Leeds Sunday School Hymn Book, 1858. 20. And will [How shall] the mighty God. The Holy Ghost. 21. Jesus, the Lord, our Righteousness. Jesus, the children's Friend. 22. O Thou Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd. iv. From Dr. Allon's Supplemental Hymns, 1868. 23. My Father, it is good for me. Trust. 24. Thou Who hast known the careworn breast. Evening. 25. Walking with Thee, my God. Walking with God. v. From Mr. Rawson's Hymns, Verses, &c. 1876. 26. God is our Refuge; God our Strength. Ps. xlvi. 27. Lo, a voice from heaven hath said. Burial. 28. Lord, let me pray. I know not how. The Holy Spirit desired. 29. O pallid, gentle, grief-worn face. Easter Eve. 30. Out of the depths, the gulfs, the night. Ps. cxxx. 31. This, the old world's day of rest. Saturday Evening. [1854-7.] 32. Thou who Thyself didst sanctify. Ordination. [1854-7.] 33. Voices of the deep blue night. The Heavenly Call. 34. With gladness we worship. Public Worship. Mr. Rawson is represented by about 50 hymns in the collections of the present day. It must be noted that in the Hymns, &c, 1876, and in the Songs, &c, 1885, the texts of the hymns have been revised, and in several instances been weakened thereby. [Rev.W. R. Stevenson, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ================ Rawson, George, p. 952, i. Additional hymns by this author in common use include:— 1. Come, Spirit of the Lord. From his “How shall the mighty God," in his Hymns, Verses, &c, 1876, No. 43. 2. Each trial hath a gentle voice. Patience and Hope. In the 1880 Supplement to the Baptist Psalms and Hymns. This is dated 1857. It is not in the author's Hymns, 1876. 3. Stand up before your God. All Saints. In the 1880 Baptist Psalms and Hymns this is dated 1865. It is not in Rawson's Hymns, 1876. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907)