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Nahum Tate

1652 - 1715 Person Name: Nahym Tate, 1625-1715 Hymnal Number: 94 Author of "While shepherds watched their flocks by night" in The Hymnal 1982 Nahum Tate was born in Dublin and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, B.A. 1672. He lacked great talent but wrote much for the stage, adapting other men's work, really successful only in a version of King Lear. Although he collaborated with Dryden on several occasions, he was never fully in step with the intellectual life of his times, and spent most of his life in a futile pursuit of popular favor. Nonetheless, he was appointed poet laureate in 1692 and royal historiographer in 1702. He is now known only for the New Version of the Psalms of David, 1696, which he produced in collaboration with Nicholas Brady. Poverty stricken throughout much of his life, he died in the Mint at Southwark, where he had taken refuge from his creditors, on August 12, 1715. --The Hymnal 1940 Companion See also in: Hymn Writers of the Church

John Darwall

1732 - 1789 Person Name: John Darwall, 1731-1789 Hymnal Number: 625 Composer (melody and bass) of "DARWALL'S 148TH" in The Hymnal 1982 John Darwall (b. Haughton, Staffordshire, England, 1731; d. Walsall, Staffordshire, England, 1789) The son of a pastor, he attended Manchester Grammar School and Brasenose College, Oxford, England (1752-1756). He became the curate and later the vicar of St. Matthew's Parish Church in Walsall, where he remained until his death. Darwall was a poet and amateur musician. He composed a soprano tune and bass line for each of the 150 psalm versifications in the Tate and Brady New Version of the Psalms of David (l696). In an organ dedication speech in 1773 Darwall advocated singing the "Psalm tunes in quicker time than common [in order that] six verses might be sung in the same space of time that four generally are." Bert Polman

H. W. Baker

1821 - 1877 Person Name: Henry Williams Baker, 1821-1877 Hymnal Number: 47 Translator of "On this day, the first of days" in The Hymnal 1982 Baker, Sir Henry Williams, Bart., eldest son of Admiral Sir Henry Loraine Baker, born in London, May 27, 1821, and educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated, B.A. 1844, M.A. 1847. Taking Holy Orders in 1844, he became, in 1851, Vicar of Monkland, Herefordshire. This benefice he held to his death, on Monday, Feb. 12, 1877. He succeeded to the Baronetcy in 1851. Sir Henry's name is intimately associated with hymnody. One of his earliest compositions was the very beautiful hymn, "Oh! what if we are Christ's," which he contributed to Murray's Hymnal for the Use of the English Church, 1852. His hymns, including metrical litanies and translations, number in the revised edition of Hymns Ancient & Modern, 33 in all. These were contributed at various times to Murray's Hymnal, Hymns Ancient & Modern and the London Mission Hymn Book, 1876-7. The last contains his three latest hymns. These are not included in Hymns Ancient & Modern. Of his hymns four only are in the highest strains of jubilation, another four are bright and cheerful, and the remainder are very tender, but exceedingly plaintive, sometimes even to sadness. Even those which at first seem bright and cheerful have an undertone of plaintiveness, and leave a dreamy sadness upon the spirit of the singer. Poetical figures, far-fetched illustrations, and difficult compound words, he entirely eschewed. In his simplicity of language, smoothness of rhythm, and earnestness of utterance, he reminds one forcibly of the saintly Lyte. In common with Lyte also, if a subject presented itself to his mind with striking contrasts of lights and shadows, he almost invariably sought shelter in the shadows. The last audible words which lingered on his dying lips were the third stanza of his exquisite rendering of the 23rd Psalm, "The King of Love, my Shepherd is:"— Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, But yet in love He sought me, And on His Shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me." This tender sadness, brightened by a soft calm peace, was an epitome of his poetical life. Sir Henry's labours as the Editor of Hymns Ancient & Modern were very arduous. The trial copy was distributed amongst a few friends in 1859; first ed. published 1861, and the Appendix, in 1868; the trial copy of the revised ed. was issued in 1874, and the publication followed in 1875. In addition he edited Hymns for the London Mission, 1874, and Hymns for Mission Services, n.d., c. 1876-7. He also published Daily Prayers for those who work hard; a Daily Text Book, &c. In Hymns Ancient & Modern there are also four tunes (33, 211, 254, 472) the melodies of which are by Sir Henry, and the harmonies by Dr. Monk. He died Feb. 12, 1877. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Gustav Holst

1874 - 1934 Person Name: Gustav Theodore Holstm 1874-1934 Hymnal Number: 112 Composer of "CRANHAM" in The Hymnal 1982 Gustav Holst (b. Chelteham, Gloucestershire, England, September 21, 1874, d. London, England, May 25, 1934) was a renowned British composer and musician. Having studied at Cheltenham Grammar School, he soon obtained a professional position as an organist, and later as choirmaster. In 1892, Holst composed a two-act operetta, which so impressed his father that he borrowed the money to send Holst to the Royal College of Music. Severe neuritis in his right hand later caused him to give up the keyboard, and Holst turned to the trombone and composing. In 1895 Holst met Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the two became lifelong friends. Vaughan Williams helped Holst land his first job as a singing teacher. Holst became very interested in Indian and Hindu culture, and composed a number of operas translated from Sanksrit myths. These were not received well in England, however. Holst is best known for his composition, The Planets, as well as

Louis Bourgeois

1510 - 1561 Person Name: Louis Bourgeois, 1510?-1561? Hymnal Number: 301 Composer (attributed to) of "RENDEZ À DIEU" in The Hymnal 1982 Louis Bourgeois (b. Paris, France, c. 1510; d. Paris, 1561). In both his early and later years Bourgeois wrote French songs to entertain the rich, but in the history of church music he is known especially for his contribution to the Genevan Psalter. Apparently moving to Geneva in 1541, the same year John Calvin returned to Geneva from Strasbourg, Bourgeois served as cantor and master of the choristers at both St. Pierre and St. Gervais, which is to say he was music director there under the pastoral leadership of Calvin. Bourgeois used the choristers to teach the new psalm tunes to the congregation. The extent of Bourgeois's involvement in the Genevan Psalter is a matter of scholarly debate. Calvin had published several partial psalters, including one in Strasbourg in 1539 and another in Geneva in 1542, with melodies by unknown composers. In 1551 another French psalter appeared in Geneva, Eighty-three Psalms of David, with texts by Marot and de Beze, and with most of the melodies by Bourgeois, who supplied thirty four original tunes and thirty-six revisions of older tunes. This edition was republished repeatedly, and later Bourgeois's tunes were incorporated into the complete Genevan Psalter (1562). However, his revision of some older tunes was not uniformly appreciated by those who were familiar with the original versions; he was actually imprisoned overnight for some of his musical arrangements but freed after Calvin's intervention. In addition to his contribution to the 1551 Psalter, Bourgeois produced a four-part harmonization of fifty psalms, published in Lyons (1547, enlarged 1554), and wrote a textbook on singing and sight-reading, La Droit Chemin de Musique (1550). He left Geneva in 1552 and lived in Lyons and Paris for the remainder of his life. Bert Polman

William Owen

1813 - 1893 Person Name: William Owen, 1813-1893 Hymnal Number: 307 Composer (melody) of "BRYN CALFARIA" in The Hymnal 1982 Owen, William (‘William Owen of Prysgol,’ 1813-1893), musician; b. 12? Dec. 1813 [in Lônpopty], Bangor, the son of William and Ellen Owen. The father was a quarryman at Cae Braich-y-cafn quarry, Bethesda, and the son began to work in the same quarry when he was ten years old. He learnt music at classes held by Robert Williams (Cae Aseth), at Carneddi, and from William Roberts, Tyn-y-maes, the composer of the hymn-tune ‘Andalusia.’ He wrote his first hymn-tune when he was 18 — it was published in Y Drysorfa for June 1841. After the family had [removed] to [Caesguborwen], Bangor, [sometimes called Cilmelyn] — they had spent some years [at Tŷhen] near the quarry — William Owen formed a temperance choir which sang ‘Cwymp Babilon,’ the work of the conductor, at the Caernarvon temperance festival, 1849. In 1852, with the help of some friends at Bethesda, he published Y Perl Cerddorol yn cynnwys tonau ac anthemau, cysegredig a moesol; of this 3,000 copies were sold, A solfa edition appeared in 1886 of which 4,000 copies were sold. He composed several temperance pieces, some of which were sung in the Eryri temperance festivals held at Caernarvon castle. His anthem, ‘Ffynnon Ddisglair,’ and the hymn-tunes ALMA and DEEMSTER became popular, but it was the hymn-tune called BRYN CALFARIA which made the composer famous; this continues to have a considerable vogue in Wales and in England. He married the daughter of the house called Prysgol and went there to live; he also became precentor at Caeathro C.M. chapel. He died 20 July 1893, and was buried in Caeathro chapel burial ground. --wbo.llgc.org.uk/en/

Robert Williams

1782 - 1818 Person Name: Robert Williams, 1781-1821 Hymnal Number: 214 Composer of "LLANFAIR" in The Hymnal 1982 Robert Williams United Kingdom 1782-1818. Born at Mynydd Ithel, Anglesey, Wales, blind from birth, he became a basket weaver. He had great innate musical ability. Although blind, he could write out a tune after hearing it just once. He sang hymns at public occasions. No information found regarding family. He died at Mynydd Ithel, Anglesey, Wales. John Perry

Timothy Dudley-Smith

1926 - 2024 Person Name: Timothy Dudley-Smith, b. 1926 Hymnal Number: 438 Author of "Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!" in The Hymnal 1982 Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926) Educated at Pembroke College and Ridley Hall, Cambridge, Dudley-Smith has served the Church of England since his ordination in 1950. He has occupied a number of church positions, including parish priest in the diocese of Southwark (1953-1962), archdeacon of Norwich (1973-1981), and bishop of Thetford, Norfolk, from 1981 until his retirement in 1992. He also edited a Christian magazine, Crusade, which was founded after Billy Graham's 1955 London crusade. Dudley-Smith began writing comic verse while a student at Cambridge; he did not begin to write hymns until the 1960s. Many of his several hundred hymn texts have been collected in Lift Every Heart: Collected Hymns 1961-1983 (1984), Songs of Deliverance: Thirty-six New Hymns (1988), and A Voice of Singing (1993). The writer of Christian Literature and the Church (1963), Someone Who Beckons (1978), and Praying with the English Hymn Writers (1989), Dudley-Smith has also served on various editorial committees, including the committee that published Psalm Praise (1973). Bert Polman

George Hunt Smyttan

1822 - 1870 Person Name: George Hunt Smyttan, 1822-1870 Hymnal Number: 150 Author of "Forty days and forty nights" in The Hymnal 1982 George Hunt Smyttan studied at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and graduated B.A. 1845. He was ordained Deacon in 1848, Priest in 1849, and appointed Rector of Hawksworth in 1850. He has published some small volumes of poetry. --Annotations of the Hymnal, Charles Hutchins, M.A., 1872 ============================== Smyttan, George Hunt, B.A., son of Dr. Smyttan, of the Bombay Medical Board, was born circa 1825, and educated at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, B.A. 1845. He took holy orders in 1848, and in 1850 was preferred to the Rectory of Hawksworth, Notts, where he died in 1870. He published Thoughts in Verse for the Afflicted, 1849; Mission Songs and Ballads, 1860; and Florum Sacra, n.d. He was the author of the well-known hymn, "Forty days, and forty nights" (p. 384, i.), and of a second which is found in several collections, "Jesu, ever present with Thy Church below" (Holy Communion), which appeared in the 2nd edition of Lyra Eucharistica, 1864. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907) ======================== Smyttan, G. H., p. 1064, ii., b. in 1822; resigned the Rectory of Hawksworth, 1859, and died suddenly at Frankfort-on-the-Main, Feb. 21, 1870. The Rev. G. W. Mackenzie, Chaplain at Frankfort, has supplied us, under date of April 16, 1902, with the following pathetic details respecting the death and burial-place of Mr. Smyttan:— He was buried, not in Frankfort great Cemetery, but in a newer one on the other side of the river Main. Having died suddenly, and being entirely unknown here, no relatives being with him, and there being no possibility of communicating with them, he was entered simply as Smyttan, England, and buried amongst the poor in an unpurchased grave. I stood before the spot to-day, but all record of him has disappeared. Another cross covers it to the memory of one who died about twenty-five years afterwards, and who is buried above Mr. Smyttan. I was informed that in (I think) sixty years hence, all traces of the various occupants will be entirely cleared away. My informant knew nothing about the cross, if any, which covered Mr. Smyttan's remains. He thought that if there were one it would have been utilised for someone else." We may add that in Lyra Eucharistica there are three hymns by Smyttan in addition to "Jesu, ever present," p. 1064, ii. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)

John H. Hopkins

1820 - 1891 Person Name: John Henry Hopkins, Jr. 1820-1891 Hymnal Number: 128 Author of "O star of wonder, star of night" in The Hymnal 1982 John Henry Hopkins, Jr MA USA 1820-1891. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, having 12 siblings, the son of pioneer parents (his father from Dublin, his mother from Hamburg) he became an ecclesiologist. His father had been an ironmaster, school teacher, lawyer, priest and second Episcopal Bishop of Vermont, (becoming presiding bishop in 1865). When his father founded the Vermont Episcopal Institute, he needed an assistant to help run it, so he picked his son to become a tutor and disciplinarian. The younger Hopkins played the flute and bugle in the school orchestra and also taught Sunday school. John Henry reflected the artistic talents of both parents in music, poetry, and art. After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1839, he returned to help his father with the school, but a financial crisis hit that year and the school had to close. He worked as a reported in New York City while studying law. He developed a throat ailment and went south to be in a warmer climate. From 1842-1844 he tutored the children of Episcopal Bishop Elliott of Savannah, GA, returning to take his M.A. from Vermont in 1845. He graduated from General Theological Seminary in 1850 and was ordained a deacon, serving as first instructor in church music at the Seminary. He founded and edited the “Church Journal” from 1853 to 1868. Interested in New York’s Ecclesiological Society, his artistic talents were apparent in designing stained-glass windows, episcopal seals, and a variety of other church ornaments. At the same time, his musical talents led to the writing and composing of a number of fine hymns and tunes, as well as anthems and services. He was ordained a priest in 1872, and was Rector of Trinity Church, Plattsburg, NY, from 1872-1876, then of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, PA, from 1876-1887. He helped get the building debt paid off by 1879 with(in 10 years of its construction). During his time there a Sunday school building was also erected, having steam heat and a tiled floor. He designed some of the church furniture and bishop periphernalia as well as wrought iron tombs in Wildwood Cemetery. He also helped design two other church buildings in the area. A man of many talents, he was much beloved as a scholar, writer, preacher, controvertialist, musician, poet, and artist, excelling in all that he did. Totally devoted to his parish people, he especially loved children and was kind to anyone in need. He was considered very down-to-earth. He delivered the eulogy at the funeral of President Usysses S Grant in 1885. He was considered a great developer of hymnody in the Episcopal Church in the mid-19th century. His “Carols, hymns, and songs,”, published in 1863, had a 4th edition in 1883. In 1887 he edited “Great hymns of the church”. He wrote a biography of his father (the life of John Henry Hopkins, S.T.D.) He never married. He died at Hudson, NY. John Perry ======================= Hopkins, John Henry, D.D., Jun., son of J. H. Hopkins, sometime Bishop of Vermont, was born at Pittsburg, Pa., Oct. 28, 1820, educated at the University of Vermont, ordained in 1850, Rector of Christ's Church, Williamsport, Pa., 1876, and died at Troy, New York, Aug. 13, 1891. He published Poems by the Wayside written during more than Forty Years, N.Y., James Pott, 1883; and Carols, Hymns, and Songs, 1862; 3rd ed. 1882. Of his hymns the following are in common use: 1. Blow on, thou [ye] mighty Wind. Missions. 2. Come with us, O blessed Jesus. Holy Communion. 3. Glory to God the Father be. (Dated 1867.) Holy Trinity. 4. God hath made the moon whose beam. (Dated 1840.) Duty. 5. Lord, now round Thy Church behold. (Dated 1867.) For the Reunion of Christendom. These hymns are in his Poems by the Wayside, 1883. In the same volume there are translations of the O Antiphons. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, Appendix, Part II (1907) ============== Hopkins, J. H., p. 1571, ii. The following additional hymns by him are in the American Hymnal, revised and enlarged .... Protestant Episcopal Church. . . U.S.A., 1892:— 1. God of our fathers, bless this our land. National Hymn. 2. When from the east the wise men came. Epiphany. --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology, New Supplement (1907)