Person Results

Switch back to the old search page.Advanced Search

Showing 61 - 70 of 485Results Per Page: 10 20 50

Johann Christian Jacobi

1670 - 1750 Person Name: J. C. Jacobi Scripture: John 14:16 Translator of "The Source of consolation" in Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church Jacobi, John Christian, a native of Germany, was born in 1670, and appointed Keeper of the Royal German Chapel, St. James's Palace, London, about 1708. He held that post for 42 years, and died Dec. 14, 1750. He was buried in the Church of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. His publications included :— (1) A Collection of Divine Hymns, Translated from the High Dutch. Together with their Proper Tunes and Thorough Bass. London: Printed and Sold by J. Young, in St. Paul’s Churchyard; . . . 1720. This edition contains 15 hymns. Two years later this collection, with a few changes in the text and much enlarged, was republished as (2) Psalmodia Germanica; or a Specimen of Divine Hymns. Translated from the High Dutch. Together with their Proper Tunes and Thorough Bass. London: J. Young . 1722. This edition contained 62 hymns, of which 3 ("He reigns, the Lord our Saviour reigns"; "Is God withdrawing"? "Shepherds rejoice") and the first stanza of another ("Raise your devotion, mortal tongues," from "Hosannah to the Prince of Life") were taken from I. Watts. A second part was added in 1725, and was incorporated with the former part in 1732. London, G. Smith. After Jacobi's death the Psalmodia Germanica was republished, in 1765, by John Haberkorn, with a Supplement of 32 pieces. [George Arthur Crawford, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Augustus Toplady

1740 - 1778 Person Name: A. M. Toplady Scripture: John 14:16 Alterer of "The Source of consolation" in Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church Toplady, Augustus Montague, the author of "Rock of Ages," was born at Farnham, Surrey, November 4, 1740. His father was an officer in the British army. His mother was a woman of remarkable piety. He prepared for the university at Westminster School, and subsequently was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin. While on a visit in Ireland in his sixteenth year he was awakened and converted at a service held in a barn in Codymain. The text was Ephesians ii. 13: "But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ." The preacher was an illiterate but warm-hearted layman named Morris. Concerning this experience Toplady wrote: "Strange that I, who had so long sat under the means of grace in England, should be brought nigh unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, amidst a handful of God's people met together in a barn, and under the ministry of one who could hardly spell his name. Surely this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous." In 1758, through the influence of sermons preached by Dr. Manton on the seventeenth chapter of John, he became an extreme Calvinist in his theology, which brought him later into conflict with Mr. Wesley and the Methodists. He was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in 1762, and in 1768 he became vicar of Broadhembury, a small living in Devonshire, which he held until his death. The last two or three years of his life he passed in London, where he preached in a chapel on Orange Street. His last sickness was of such a character that he was able to make a repeated and emphatic dying testimony. A short time before his death he asked his physician what he thought. The reply was that his pulse showed that his heart was beating weaker every day. Toplady replied with a smile: "Why, that is a good sign that my death is fast approaching; and, blessed be God, I can add that my heart beats stronger and stronger every day for glory." To another friend he said: "O, my dear sir, I cannot tell you the comforts I feel in my soul; they are past expression. . . . My prayers are all converted into praise." He died of consumption August 11, 1778. His volume of Psalms and Hymns for Public and Private Worship was published in 1776. Of the four hundred and nineteen hymns which it contained, several were his own productions. If on a quiet sea 446 Rock of ages, cleft for me 279 Hymn Writers of the Church, 1915 by Charles S. Nutter =============================================== Toplady, Augustus Montague, M.A. The life of Toplady has been repeatedly and fully written, the last, a somewhat discursive and slackly put together book, yet matterful, by W. Winters (1872). Summarily, these data may be here given: he was born at Farnham, in Surrey, on November 4, 1740. His father, Richard Toplady, was a Major in the British array, and was killed at the siege of Carthagena (1741) soon after the birth of his son. His widowed mother placed him at the renowned Westminster school, London. By-and-by circumstances led her to Ireland, and young Augustus was entered at Trinity College, Dublin, where he completed his academical training, ultimately graduating M.A. He also received his "new birth" in Ireland under remarkable conditions, as he himself tells us with oddly mixed humility and lofty self-estimate, as "a favourite of heaven," common to his school:— "Strange that I who had so long sat under the means of grace in England should be brought right unto God in an obscure part of Ireland, midst a handful of people met together in a barn, and by the ministry of one who could hardly spell his own name. Surely it was the Lord's doing and is marvellous. The excellency of such power must be of God and cannot be of man. The regenerating spirit breathes not only on whom but likewise, when and where and as He listeth." Toplady received orders in the Church of England on June 6, 1762, and after some time was appointed to Broadhembury. His Psalms and Hymns of 1776 bears that he was then “B.A." and Vicar of Broadhembury. Shortly thereafter be is found in London as minister of the Chapel of the French Calvinists in Leicester Fields. He was a strong and partizan Calvinist, and not well-informed theologically outside of Calvinism. We willingly and with sense of relief leave unstirred the small thick dust of oblivion that has gathered on his controversial writings, especially his scurrilous language to John Wesley because of his Arminianism, as we do John Wesley's deplorable misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Calvinism. Throughout Toplady lacked the breadth of the divine Master's watchword "Forbid him not, for he that is not against us is for us" (St. Luke ix. 50). He was impulsive, rash-spoken, reckless in misjudgment; but a flame of genuine devoutness burned in the fragile lamp of his overtasked and wasted body. He died on August 11, 1778. The last edition of his works is in 6 vols., 8 vo., 1825. An accurate reproduction of most of his genuine hymns was one of the reprints of Daniel Sedgwick, 1860. His name occurs and recurs in contemporary memoirs and ecclesiastical histories, e.g., in Tyerman's Life of John Wesley. The reader will find in their places annotations on the several hymns of Toplady, and specially on his "Rock of Ages,” a song of grace that has given him a deeper and more inward place in millions of human hearts from generation to generation than almost any other hymnologist of our country, not excepting Charles Wesley. Besides the "Rock of Ages" must be named, for power, intensity, and higher afflatus and nicer workmanship, "Object of my first desire,” and "Deathless principle arise." It is to be regretted that the latter has not been more widely accepted. It is strong, firm, stirring, and masterful. Regarded critically, it must be stated that the affectionateness with which Toplady is named, and the glow and passion of his faith and life, and yearning after holiness, have led to an over-exaltation of him as a hymnwriter. Many of his hymns have been widely used, and especially in America, and in the Evangelical hymnbooks of the Church of England. Year by year, however, the number in use is becoming less. The reason is soon found. He is no poet or inspired singer. He climbs no heights. He sounds no depths. He has mere vanishing gleams of imaginative light. His greatness is the greatness of goodness. He is a fervent preacher, not a bard. [Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D.] Toplady's hymns and poetical pieces were published in his:— (1) Poems on Sacred Subjects wherein The Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity, with many other interesting Points, are occasionally introduced. . . Dublin: Printed by S. Powell, in Crane-lane, MDCCLIX.; (2) his Psalms & Hymns for Public and Private Worship, 1776; (3) in The Gospel Magazine, 1771-1776; and (4) in Hymns and Sacred Poems on a variety of Divine Subjects, &c. D. Sedgwick's reprint, 1860. His Works, with a Memoir by W. Row, were published in 6 volumes, in 1794. Walter How was also the editor of the 2nd and some later editions of the Psalms & Hymns. He was a most careless editor, and attributed several hymns by C. Wesley and others to Toplady. The following additional hymns in common use together with centos indicated in the sub-lines, are from:— i. His Poems on Sacred Subjects, 1759. 1. Can my heaven-born soul submit? All for Christ. 2. Come from on high, my King and God. Holiness desired. (1.) 0 might this worthless heart of mine. 3. Earnest of future bliss. The Witness of the Spirit. 4. From Thy supreme tribunal, Lord. Christ's Righteousness a Refuge. (1.) The spotless Saviour lived for me. 5. Great God, Whom heaven, and earth, and sea. For Peace. 6. I saw, and lo! a countless throng. Saints' Days. Revised form in the Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 449. 7. Immovable our hope remains. Divine Faithfulness. 8. Jesus, God of love, attend. Divine Worship. Pt. ii. is "Prayer can mercy's door unlock." 9. Jesus, Thy power I fain would feel. Lent. 10. Lord, I feel a carnal mind. Mind of Christ desired. 11. My yielding heart dissolves as wax. On behalf of Arians, &c. (1.) 0 Jesus, manifest Thy grace. 12. Not to myself I owe. Praise for Conversion, (1.) Not to ourselves we owe. (2.) The Father's grace and love. 13. 0 that my heart was right with Thee. Dedication to God desired. 14. 0 Thou that hearest the prayer of faith. Christ the Propitiation. 15. 0 Thou Who didst Thy glory leave. Thanksgiving for Redemption. 16. 0 when wilt Thou my Saviour be. Trust in Jesus. (1.) Jesus, the sinner's Rest Thou art. 17. Redeemer, whither should I flee? Safety in the Cross. 18. Remember, Lord, that Jesus bled. Pardon. 19. Surely Christ thy griefs hath borne. Redemption. Revised text in Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 548. (1.) Weary sinner, keep thine eyes. (2.) Weeping soul, no longer mourn. ii. From the Gospel Magazine. 20. Compared with Christ, in all besides. Christ All in All. Feb. 1772. 21. Eternal Hallelujahs Be to the Father given. Holy Trinity, Dec. 1774. 22. From whence this fear and unbelief. Reviving Faith, Feb. 1772. 23. How vast the benefits divine. Redemption. Dec. 1774. From this "Not for the works which we have done" is taken. 24. Whom have I in heaven but Thee? Christ All and in All, Feb. 1772. From this "If my Lord Himself reveal" is taken. 25. Jesus, immutably the same. Jesus, the True Vine. June, 1771. All these hymns, together with "O precious blood, 0 glorious death" (Death of Christ), are in D. Sedgwick's reprint of Toplady's Hymns, &c, 1860. We have met with several other hymns to which Toplady's name is appended, but for this we can find no authority whatever. -- Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Benjamin Webb

1819 - 1885 Scripture: John 14:16 Translator of "O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High" in Rejoice in the Lord Benjamin Webb (b. London, England, 1819; d. Marylebone, London, 1885) originally translated the text in eight stanzas, although six only appear in Lift Up Your Hearts. It was published in The Hymnal Noted (1852), produced by his friend John Mason Neale. Webb received his education at Trinity College, Cambridge, England, and became a priest in the Church of England in 1843. Among the parishes he served was St. Andrews, Wells Street, London, where he worked from 1862 to 1881. Webb's years there coincided with the service of the talented choir director and organist Joseph Barnby, and the church became known for its excellent music program. Webb edited The Ecclesiologist, a periodical of the Cambridge Ecclesiological Society (1842-1868). A composer of anthems, Webb also wrote hymns and hymn translations and served as one of the editors of The Hymnary (1872). Bert Polman ================== Webb, Benjamin, M.A., was born in London in 1820, and was educated in St. Paul's School; whence he passed to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1838, B.A. 1842, M.A. 1845. Ordained by the Bishop [Monk] of Gloucester and Bristol he was Assistant Curate of Kemeston in Gloucestershire, 1843-44; of Christ Church, St. Pancras, 1847-49; and of Brasted, Kent, 1849-51; at which date he was presented to the P. C. of Sheen in Staffordshire, which he held until 1862, when he became Vicar of St. Andrews, Wells Street, London. In 1881 the Bishop [Jackson] of London collated him to the Prebend of Portpool in St. Paul's Cathedral. Mr. Webb was one of the Founders of the Cambridge Camden, afterwards the Ecclesiological Society; and the Editor of the Ecclesiologist from 1842 to 1868, as well as the General Editor of the Society's publications. His first appearance in print was as joint editor of Bishop Montague's Articles of Inquiry in 184; in 1843 he was joined with Mr. J. M. Neale in An Essay on Symbolism, and A Translation of Durandus; in 1847 he put forth his valuable work on Continental Ecclesiology; in 1848 he was joint editor with Dr. Mill of Frank’s Sermons, for the Anglo-Catholic Library, and with the Rev. J. Fuller-Russell of Hierurgia Anglicana. After the decease of his father-in-law (Dr. Mill), he edited Dr. Mill's Catechetical Lectures, 1856; a second edition of Dr. Mill's Christian Advocates Publications on the Mythical Interpretation of the Gospels, 1861; and of Dr. Mill's Sermons on our Lord's Temptation, 1873. He was also one of the editors of the Burntisland reprint of the Sarum Missal. One of his most valuable works is Instructions and Prayers for Candidates for Confirmation, of which the third edition was published in 1882. Mr. Webb was one of the original editors of the Hymnal Noted, and of the sub-Committee of the Ecclesiological Society, appointed to arrange the words and the music of that book; and was also the translator of some of the hymns. In conjunction with the Rev. Canon W. Cooke he was editor of the Hymnary, 1872, for which office his habitual reconstruction and composition of the words of the anthems used at St. Andrew's, Wells Street, as well as his connection with the Hymnal Noted, eminently qualified him. His original hymns contributed to the Hymnary, 1871 and 1872, were:-- 1. Assessor to thy King. St. Bartholomew. In the Hymnary, 1872. 2. Behold He comes, thy King most holy. Advent. Originally written to be sung in St. Andrew's Church, Wells Street, as an anthem to the music of Schumann's Advent-lied, and afterwards published in the Hymnary, 1872. 3. Praise God, the Holy Trinity. Hymn of Faith. Originally written for use in St. Andrew's, Wells Street, and subsequently in the Hymnary, 1872. 4. Praise the Rock of our salvation. Dedication of a Church. Published in the Hymnary, 1872. Mr. Webb's authorised text is in the Westminster Abbey Hymn Book, 1883. 5. Ye angel hosts above. Universal Praise to God. In the Hymnary, 1872. He died in London, Nov. 27, 1885. [Rev. William Cooke, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Johann Hermann Schein

1586 - 1630 Person Name: Johann Hermann Schein (1586-1630) Scripture: John 14:16 Composer of "EISENACH (LEIPZIG)" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.) Schein, Johann Hermann, son of Hieronymus Schein, pastor at Griinhain, near Annaberg, in Saxony, was born at Grünhain, Jan. 20,1586. He matriculated at the University of Leipzig in 1607, and studied there for four years. Thereafter he acted for some time as a private tutor, including two years with a family at Weissenfels. On May 21, 1615, he was appointed Capellmeister, at the court of Duke Johann Ernst, of Sachse-Weimar; and in 1616 he became cantor of I3t. Thomas's Church, and music director at Leipzig, in succession to Seth Calvisius (d. Nov. 24, 1615). This post he held till his death, at Leipzig, Nov. 19, 1630. Schein was one of the most distinguished musicians of his time, both as an original composer, and as a harmoniser of the works of others. As a hymnwriter he was not so prolific, or so noteworthy. Most of his hymns were written on the deaths of his children or friends, e.g. on seven of his children, and on his first wife. They appeared mostly in broadsheet form, and were included, along with his original melodies, in his Cantional oder Gesang-Buch Augspurgischer Confession, Leipzig, 1627; 2nd ed., 1645. [Both in Wernigerode Library.] Those of Schein's hymns which have passed into English are:— i. Machs mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt. For the Dying. First published, as a broadsheet, at Leipzig, 1628, as a Trost-Liedlein á 5 (i.e. for 5 voices), &c. [Berlin Library.] The words, the melody, and the five-part setting, are all by Schein. It was written for, and first used at, the funeral, on Dec. 15, 1628, of Margarita, wife of Caspar Werner, a builder and town councillor at Leipzig, and a churchwarden of St. Thomas's. It is in 6 stanzas of 6 lines; the initial letters of 11. 1, 3, in st. i.-iv., forming the name Margarita; and the W of st. v. 1. 1 standing for Werner. In Schein's Cantional, 1645, No. 303 (marked as Trost-Liedlein, Joh. Herm. Scheins, á 5), and later hymn-books, as e.g. the Unverfäschter Liedersegen, 1851, No. 830, st. vi. was omitted. It is Schein's finest production, and one of the best German hymns for the sick and dying. Translated as:— Deal with me, God, in mercy now. This is a good and full translation by Miss Winkworth, in her Chorale Book for England, 1863, No. 191, set to Schein's melody of 1628. ii. Mein Gott und Herr, ach sei nicht fern. For the Dying. First published, with his name, in his Cantional, 1627, No. 262, in 9 stanzas of 6 lines. The initial letters of the stanzas give the name Margarita, probably one of the daughters who predeceased him. It is included, in 5 st., in the 164-8, and later eds., of Crüger's Praxis. The translation in common use is:— My Lord and God, go not away. A good tr. of st. i., ii., iv., v., vii., by A. T. Russell, as No. 254, in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --Excerpts from John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Bill Gaither

b. 1936 Person Name: William J. Gaither Scripture: John 14:15-25 Author of "God Sent His Son" in Moravian Book of Worship

Heinrich Held

1620 - 1659 Scripture: John 14:16-17 Author of "Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit" in Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.) Held, Heinrich, was son of Valentin Held of Guhrau, Silesia. He studied at the Universities of Königsberg (c. 1637-40), Frankfurt a. Oder (1643), and Leyden. He was also in residence at Rostock in 1647. He became a licentiate of law, and settled as a lawyer in his native place, where he died about 1659, or at least before Michaelmas, 1661 (Koch, iii. 55-56; Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie., xi. 680; Bode, p. 87, &c). One of the best Silesian hymnwriters, he was taught in the school of affliction, having many trials to suffer in those times of war. His only extant poetical work is his Deutscher Gedichte Vortrab, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1643. Only one hymn from that volume came into German use. Much more important are his other hymns, which are known to us through Crüger's Praxis, and other hymnbooks of the period. Mützell, 1858, includes Nos. 254-272 under his name. Two of his hymns have been translated into English:— i. Gott sei Dank durch alle Welt. Advent. Mützell, 1858, No. 263, quotes this in 9 st. of 4 1. from a defective ed. of Crüger's Praxis, c. 1659. In the ed. of 1661 it is No. 85, marked Henr. Helt. Since then it has appeared in almost all German hymnbooks (as in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 132), and takes rank as one of the finest Advent Hymns. Translated as :— 1. All the World exalt the Lord, omitting st. vi. in Select Hymns from German Psalter, Tranquebar, 1754, p. 4, and the Supplement to German Psalter, ed. 1765, p. 1. In 1789, the translations of st. i., ii., iv., vii., ix. (altered) were included as No. 34 in the Moravian Hymn Book In the ed. of 1801 it was altered to "All the world give praises due" (ed. 1886, No. 44), and this text has been repeated in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864, and Willing's Book of Common Praise, 1872. 2. Be our God with thanks adored. A translation of st. i.-iv. by A. T. Russell in his Psalms & Hymns, 1851. 3. Let the earth now praise the Lord. A good translation, omitting st. vii., by Miss Winkworth in her Chorale Book for England, 1863. Repeated in full in Schaff's Christ in Song, 1869, and, abridged, in the American Pennsylvania Lutheran Ch. Book, 1868, and Baptist Service of Song, 1871. ii. Komm, o Komm, du Geist des Lebens. Whitsuntide. A fine hymn of Invocation to the Holy Spirit. Mützell, 1858, No. 267, quotes it in 9 st. of 6 1. from a defective edition of Crüger's Praxis published at Stettin c. 1664. In J. Niedling's Geistliche Wasserquelle, Frankfurt a. Oder, 1667, it is at p. 372 marked "H. Held" (not in Niedling's ed. 1663). In Luppius's Andächtig singender Christen Mund, 1692, p. 71, it is entitled "Devout Prayer and Hymn to God the Holy Ghost." Repeated in Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 1704, and many subsequent hymnbooks, as in the Berlin Geistliche Lieder, ed. 1863, No. 363. It is sometimes erroneously ascribed to Joachim Neander. The translations in common use are:— 1. Holy Spirit, once again. A full and good translation by Miss Winkworth in the 2nd Ser., 1858, of her Lyra Germanica, p. 53. Included in full in the Cantate Domino, Boston, U.S.A., 1859. In Miss Wink worth's Chorale Book for England, 1863, st. ii., vi., vii. are omitted. This form of the text is repeated in W. F. Stevenson's Hymns for Church & Home, 1873, Hatfield's Church Hymn Book, 1872, &c. In the Hymnal for St. John's, Aberdeen, 1865, it begins "Holy Spirit, in us reign." 2. Come, oh come, Thou quickening Spirit, True, &c. A translation of st. i., ii., iv., vii., ix. in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864, No. 98, signed E. T. L. 3. Come, 0 come, Thou quickening Spirit, Thou for ever. A good tr., omitting st. iv.-vi. in the Pennsylvania Lutheran Church Book, 1868, and marked as tr. by "Charles William Schaeffer, 1866." [Lutheran Pastor at Germantown.] 4. Come, 0 come, Thou quickening Spirit, God from all eternity, omitting st. iii., by E. Cronenwett, in the Ohio Lutheran Hymnal, 1880. Another translation is, "Come, Thou Spirit ever living," by R. Massie in the British Herald, Dec, 1865, p. 179. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================= Held, Heinrich , p. 507, ii. The account given in the Fischer-Tumpel Deutsche evangelische Kirchenlied des siebzehnten Jahrhun-derts , vol. i., 1904, p. 360, states that Held was born July 21, 1620, at Guhrau, in Silesia, settled as advocate at Fraustadt in Posen, became in 1657 town clerk at Altdamm, near Stettin, and died Aug. 16, 1659, at Stettin. This, if correct, explains why so many of his hymns are first traceable in Pomeranian books, and explains why his posthumous work on Prosody should have been prepared for publication in 1661 by a Stargard bookseller. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

Charles William Schaeffer

1813 - 1896 Person Name: Charles W. Schaeffer Scripture: John 14:16-17 Translator of "Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit" in Trinity Hymnal (Rev. ed.)

Brian A. Wren

b. 1936 Person Name: Brian Wren Scripture: John 14:16 Author of "There's a Spirit in the Air" in Rejoice in the Lord Brian Wren (b. Romford, Essex, England, 1936) is a major British figure in the revival of contemporary hymn writing. He studied French literature at New College and theology at Mansfield College in Oxford, England. Ordained in 1965, he was pastor of the Congregational Church (now United Reformed) in Hockley and Hawkwell, Essex, from 1965 to 1970. He worked for the British Council of Churches and several other organizations involved in fighting poverty and promoting peace and justice. This work resulted in his writing of Education for Justice (1977) and Patriotism and Peace (1983). With a ministry throughout the English-speaking world, Wren now resides in the United States where he is active as a freelance lecturer, preacher, and full-time hymn writer. His hymn texts are published in Faith Looking Forward (1983), Praising a Mystery (1986), Bring Many Names (1989), New Beginnings (1993), and Faith Renewed: 33 Hymns Reissued and Revised (1995), as well as in many modern hymnals. He has also produced What Language Shall I Borrow? (1989), a discussion guide to inclusive language in Christian worship. Bert Polman

Christopher Norton

b. 1953 Person Name: Christopher Norton (b. 1953) Scripture: John 14:9 Arranger of "THIS IS YOUR GOD" in Church Hymnary (4th ed.)

Bryan Jeffery Leech

1931 - 2015 Scripture: John 14:17 Author of "Spirit, Now Live in Me" in The Worshiping Church Bryan Jeffrey Leech was born in Middlesex, England in 1931. He came to the United States in 1955 and studied at Barrington College and North Park Seminary. He was ordained in 1961 and served in the Covenant Church. He composed more than 500 songs. Dianne Shapiro