18th Century Hymn Histories

[Maestro]

I found this series of well done short videos telling the stories of some 18th century hymns and hymnwriters - hope you enjoy them as much as I have. :hatsoff:

Isaac Watts
"Recognized as the "Father of English Hymnody", Watts was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. Many of his hymns remain in active use today and have been translated into many languages."

Charles Wesley
"The lives that we admire tend to be those that give everything they have for the cause of their mission. Despite weariness and exhaustion they fight and persevere until the very end. Such was the life of Charles Wesley, author of thousands of hymns in his lifetime, many of which we still sing today."

John Newton (Amazing Grace)

William Cowper (There Is A Fountain)

Robert Robinson (Come Thou Fount)

 

[mikee51848]

Hello Gene,
I just finished a biography of John Newton, and yes, he was very much a "wretch" in his younger days, as he so aptly puts it. Christianity at the time of Newton had not had it's conscience pricked by the business of slave trading. It was not til he was well on in ministry years that he even spoke against it by publishing a first hand account of his slave trading days. That was siezed upon by the abolishionists in England (William Wilberforce) as an example of the cruelties of the practice. Interestingly, Amazing Grace has undergone a couple of revisions. Most noticeably is the "ten thousand years" verse, which was added by negro spiritualists in America prior to the Civil War.
Mike

 

[Maestro]

Hi Mike!

Most people don't realize that the tune that we sing the hymn to is not the original tune. We don't know what that tune might have been, however the practice at the time was to use popular tunes for the new set of "lyrics". One old tune that would fit metrically would be the one we know as "Am I A Soldier Of The Cross" by Isaac Watts.

The tune we associate with Amazing Grace actually comes from the "Sacred Harp", a song book originally published in 1844 in "fasola" or "shape note" notation. It was further popularized with the early Billy Graham crusades.

Here's a trailer for a documentary on "sacred harp singing"

Sacred Harp Singing

I'm hoping to get to one of these regional "sings" soon.

 

[onepaw]

very interesting, thanks