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Thoro Harris

1874 - 1955 Composer of "PUNSHON" in The Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal Born: March 31, 1874, Washington, DC. Died: March 27, 1955, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Buried: International Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery, Eureka Springs, Arkansas. After attending college in Battle Creek, Michigan, Harris produced his first hymnal in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1902. He then moved to Chicago, Illinois at the invitation of Peter Bilhorn, and in 1932, to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. He composed and compiled a number of works, and was well known locally as he walked around with a canvas bag full of handbooks for sale. His works include: Light and Life Songs, with William Olmstead & William Kirkpatrick (Chicago, Illinois: S. K. J. Chesbro, 1904) Little Branches, with George J. Meyer & Howard E. Smith (Chicago, Illinois: Meyer & Brother, 1906) Best Temperance Songs (Chicago, Illinois: The Glad Tidings Publishing Company, 1913) (music editor) Hymns of Hope (Chicago, Illinois: Thoro Harris, undated, circa 1922) --www.hymntime.com/tch

Henry Percy Smith

1825 - 1898 Person Name: H. P. Smith Composer of "SABBATH" in Methodist Tune Book Henry Percy Smith (b. Malta, 1825; d. Bournemouth, Hampshire, England, 1898) was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, England, and ordained a priest in the Church of England in 1850. He served five churches, including St. Michael's York Town in Farnborough (1851-1868), Great Barton in Suffolk (1868-1882), Christ Church in Cannes, France (1882-1892), and the Cathedral in Gibraltar (1892-1898). MARYTON is his only tune found in contemporary hymnals and is thought to be the only tune he published. Bert Polman

J. W. Elliott

1833 - 1915 Composer of "VESPERS" in Evangel Songs J.W. Elliott was a popular composer of the Victorian period, and is best known for his nursery rhyme music and for his work on hymnals in the 1870s. He was born James William Elliott, in Warwick, England, on February 13, 1833. As a child, he sang as a chorister in the Leamington Parish Church. In those days, choristers were given lessons in all facets of church music, including organ lessons, counterpoint studies, and more in exchange for providing an extraordinary level of service to their parish church (services throughout the week, all holidays, extra services, etc.). The result is that most choristers who completed their studies received an excellent music education, and James was no exception. After starting his career as an organist and choirmaster for a countryside church, his talent became obvious. He moved to London, where he assisted Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan fame) in editing Church Hymns. In addition, James worked for a music publisher. His compositions include two operettas, numerous anthems, service music, works for instruments including the very popular harmonium, and most particularly for Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs, his children’s music score that sets many of the Nursery Rhymes to delightful music. Several of his hymn tunes are still in use today in many hymnals, most notably his hymn tune “Day of Rest.” He was heavily involved in the preparation of the musical edition of Church Hymns in 1874, the Choral Service Book of 1892, and transcriptions of hymn tunes using harmonies different than the traditional ones found in hymnals. He died in St. Marylebone, London, on February 5, 1915. --www.nursery-songs.com/

F. A. Gore Ouseley

1825 - 1889 Person Name: F. A. G. Ouseley, 1825-89 Composer of "WOOLMER'S" in The Methodist Hymn-Book with Tunes Born: August 12, 1825, London, England. Died: April 6, 1889, Hereford, England. Buried: Church of St. Michael and All Angels, Tenbury Wells, Hereford and Worcester, England. Gore-Ouseley was educated at Oxford University (BA 1846, MA 1849, DMus 1854), and was ordained in 1849. In 1855, he was appointed Oxford Professor of Music, succeeding Henry Bishop. At that time, Oxford music degrees were easy to obtain, as there were no conditions of residence. Candidates only had to submit a musical composition, (e.g., for choir or orchestra). This was then approved by the examiner, rehearsed and performed to a small, select audience at Oxford. As far as Ouseley was concerned, this only meant two or three trips to Oxford each year, usually for two or three days each time, as there was no music "taught" in the university and very little in Oxford itself at the time. Also in 1855, Ouseley was appointed Precentor of Hereford Cathedral, a post he held for the next 30 years, before becoming a Canon there. Although theoretically in charge of the cathedral choir, Ouseley only had to be in residence at the cathedral two months each year, and he arranged these to take place during the summer vacation, when he was not required to be at his College, although such was his commitment that he did make regular visits to the cathedral, which was only 18 miles from his College at St. Michael’s. His College of St. Michael’s, Tenbury, a "model" choir school, opened in 1856, mostly at his own expense. He founded the College and was its first Warden, which was the greater part of his work for the next 33 years. Ouseley’s compositions covered a wide range: operas, songs, chamber music and organ pieces. His works include the following treatises: Harmony (London: 1868) Counterpoint (London: 1869) Canon and Fugue (London: 1869) Form and General Composition (London: 1875) --www.hymntime.com/tch/

William Morley Punshon

1824 - 1881 Person Name: W.M. Punshon Author of "Sweet is the Sunlight" in The New Canadian Hymnal Punshon, William Morley, LL.D. This greatly and justly honoured name of recent Wesleyan Methodism finds a tiny niche in this work from a thin poetic vein, which gave him much enjoyment, if its working out must be confessed to have yielded nothing of permanent value for hymnody, or at all comparable with his splendid service to the Christian Church as preacher and lecturer. His contributions to J. Lyth's Wild Flowers, or, a Selection of Original Poetry (1843), though reprinted in 1846, speedily withered as "flowers" in a hortus siccus. His Lays of Hope (1853) was no advance on the Wild Flowers. His Sabbath Chimes, or, Meditations in Verse for the Sundays of a Year (1867), suggested inevitable comparisons with Keble's classic of the Christian Year. Throughout, the thinking is bewilderingly meagre, the sentiment commonplace, the workmanship clumsy and poor. Ease and inspiration are absent. His Life has been amply and lovingly written by F. W. Macdonald and A. H. Reynar (1887); and it is a noble and beautiful story. He was born at Doncaster on 29th May, 1824, only child of John Punshon and Elizabeth Morley. The latter was of a good family. He lost his parents in boyhood. Through maternal relationship, young Punshon was introduced to commercial life in Yorkshire, Hull, &c. He marked 29th November, 1838, as the day of his spiritual birth. In 1842 he began to be heard of locally as a preacher, being still in business. In 1844 he proceeded to the Methodist Theological Institute at Richmond; but remained there only a few months. He preferred evangelizing to stated preaching. He leapt into popularity at a bound, probably not to his gain, either intellectually or morally, though his diary breathes an admirable humility. In 1854 he made his advent as a lecturer by his Prophet of Horeb. The impression made by it was amazing. Then followed others, with ever deepening and widening impression. Contemporaneous with his abundant, over-abundant preaching and platform speaking, was such quantity and quality of effective work and service in raising large sums of money for Christian and other missionary and educational work as astounds a reader of his Life. He was five times President of the Canadian Methodist Conference (1868-72), and once of the English Conference (1875). His degree of LL.D. was conferred upon him by the Victoria University, Cobourg, Canada, in 1873. Throughout, in private and public, he was a large-souled, whole-hearted, true man of God. "Weakened by the way" on the continent, he slowly worked his way home, and after a brief final illness, fell gently and softly asleep on April 14, 1881. His hymns in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1875, and the Methodist Sunday School Hymn Book, 1879, are :— 1. Listen ! the Master beseecheth. Go, work in the Vineyard. 2. Sweet is the sunlight after rain. Sunday Morning. 3. We woke today with anthems sweet. Sunday Evening. No. 1 is in the Methodist Sunday School Hymn Book, 1879; and 2 and 3 are from the Sabbath Chime, 1867. [Rev. A. B. Grosart, D.D., LL.D.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ========================= Punshon, William Morley. (Doncaster, Yorkshire, May 29, 1824--London, April 14, 1881). Methodist. Except for 6 months at Richmond Theological Institution, he qualified privately for pastorates at Newcastle (1845-1848), Sheffield (1848-1855), Leeds (1855-1858), Bayswater (1858-1861), Islington (1861-1864), and Clifton (1864-1867). His growing fame as preacher, lecturer, and organizer led to his appointment as president of the Canadian Methodist Conference in 1867, to maintain a British tie despite Confederation. Between 1868 and 1873 he travelled all over Canada, besides spearheading the erection of Metropolitan Church. Canadians repaid his leadership and achievements by using for a century three hymns from his Sabbath Chimes (1867). He served as president of the British Methodist Conference (1874-1875), and as Missionary Secretary. --Hugh D. McKellar, DNAH Archives

Robert Henry Earnshaw

1856 - 1929 Person Name: Robert Henry Earnshaw, 1856- Composer of "ARIZONA" in The Hymnary of the United Church of Canada Born: Circa November 1856, Cliviger, Lancashire, England. Died: Circa November 1933, Todmorden district, Lancashire, England. In 1881, records show Earnshaw as a Professor of Music, living in Cliviger. By 1901, he was an organist in Southport, Lancashire. www.hymntime.com/tch/