The Story of the Hymns and Tunes Part 16

When I survey the wondrous Cross On which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast Save in the death of Christ my G.o.d; All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down; Did e'er such love and sorrow meet; Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of Nature mine, That were a present far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

To match the height and depth of these words with fitting glory of sound might well have been an ambition of devout composers. Rev. G.C. Wells'

tune in the _Revivalist_, with its emotional chorus, I.B. Woodbury's "Eucharist" in the _Methodist Hymnal_, Henry Smart's effective choral in Barnby's _Hymnary_ (No. 170), and a score of others, have woven the feeling lines into melody with varying success. Worshippers in spiritual sympathy with the words may question if, after all, old "Hamburg," the best of Mason's loved Gregorians, does not, alone, in tone and elocution, rise to the level of the hymn.

"LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING."

This evergreen song-wreath to the Crucified, was contributed by Charles Wesley, in 1746. It is found in his collection of 1756, _Hymns for Those That Seek and Those That Have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ_.

Love Divine all loves excelling, Joy of Heaven to earth come down, Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown.

Come Almighty to deliver, Let us all Thy life receive, Suddenly return, and never, Nevermore Thy temples leave.

Finish then Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see our whole salvation Perfectly secured by Thee.

Changed from glory into glory Till in Heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee Lost in wonder, love and praise!

The hymn has been set to H. Isaac's ancient tune (1490), to Wyeth's "Nettleton" (1810), to Thos. H. Bailey's (1777-1839) "Isle of Beauty, fare thee well" (named from Thomas Moore's song), to Edward Hopkins'

"St. Joseph," and to a mult.i.tude of others more or less familiar.

Most familiar of all perhaps, (as in the instance of "Far from mortal cares retreating,") is its a.s.sociation with "Greenville," the production of that brilliant but erratic genius and freethinker, Jean Jacques Rousseau. It was originally a love serenade, ("Days of absence, sad and dreary") from the opera of _Le Devin du Village_, written about 1752.

The song was commonly known years afterwards as "Rousseau's Dream." But the unbelieving philosopher, musician, and misguided moralist builded better than he knew, and probably better than he meant when he wrote his immortal choral. Whatever he heard in his "dream" (and one legend says it was a "song of angels") he created a harmony dear to the church he despised, and softened the hearts of the Christian world towards an evil teacher who was inspired, like Balaam, to utter one sacred strain.

Rousseau was born in Geneva, 1712, but he never knew his mother, and neither the affection or interest of his father or of his other relatives was of the quality to insure the best bringing up of a child.

He died July, 1778. But his song survives, while the world gladly forgets everything else he wrote. It is almost a pardonable exaggeration to say that every child in Christendom knows "Greenville."

"WHEN ALL THY MERCIES, O MY G.o.d."

This charming hymn was written by Addison, the celebrated English poet and essayist, about 1701, in grateful commemoration of his delivery from shipwreck in a storm off the coast of Genoa, Italy. It originally contained thirteen stanzas, but no more than four or six are commonly sung. It has put the language of devotional grat.i.tude into the mouths of thousands of humble disciples who could but feebly frame their own:

When all Thy mercies, O my G.o.d My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view I'm lost In wonder, love and praise.

Unnumbered comforts on my soul Thy tender care bestowed Before my infant heart conceived From whom those comforts flowed.

When in the slippery paths of youth With heedless steps I ran, Thine arm unseen conveyed me safe, And led me up to man.

Another hymn of Addison--

How are Thy servants bless'd, O Lord,

--was probably composed after the same return from a foreign voyage. It has been called his "Traveller's Hymn."

Joseph Addison, the best English writer of his time, was the son of Lancelot Addison, rector of Milston, Wiltshire, and afterwards Dean of Litchfield. The distinguished author was born in Milston Rectory, May 1, 1672, and was educated at Oxford. His excellence in poetry, both English and Latin, gave him early reputation, and a patriotic ode obtained for him the patronage of Lord Somers. A pension from King William III.

a.s.sured him a comfortable income, which was increased by further honors, for in 1704 he was appointed Commissioner of Appeals, then secretary of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and in 1717 Secretary of State. He died in Holland House, Kensington, near London, June 17, 1719.

His hymns are not numerous, (said to be only five), but they are remarkable for the simple beauty of their style, as well as for their Christian spirit. Of his fine metrical version of the 23rd Psalm,--

The Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care,

--one of his earliest productions, the tradition is that he gathered its imagery when a boy living at Netheravon, near Salisbury Plain, during his lonely two-mile walks to school at Amesbury and back again. All his hymns appeared first in the _Spectator_, to which he was a prolific contributor.

_THE TUNE._

The hymn "When all Thy mercies" still has "Geneva" for its vocal mate in some congregational manuals. The tune is one of the rare survivals of the old "canon" musical method, the parts coming in one after another with identical notes. It is always delightful as a performance with its glory of harmony and its sweet duet, and for generations it had no other words than Addison's hymn.

John Cole, author of "Geneva," was born in Tewksbury, Eng., 1774, and came to the United States in his boyhood (1785). Baltimore, Md. became his American home, and he was educated there. Early in life he became a musician and music publisher. At least twelve of his princ.i.p.al song collections from 1800 to 1832 are mentioned by Mr. Hubert P. Main, most of them sacred and containing many of his own tunes.

He continued to compose music till his death, Aug. 17, 1855. Mr. Cole was leader of the regimental band known as "The Independent Blues,"

which played in the war of 1812, and was present at the "North Point"

fight, and other battles.

Besides "Geneva," for real feeling and harmonic beauty "Manoah," adapted from Haydn's Creation, deserves mention as admirably suited to "Addison's" hymn, and also "Belmont," by Samuel Webbe, which resembles it in style and sentiment.

Samuel Webbe, composer of "Belmont," was of English parentage but was born in Minorca, Balearic Islands, in 1740, where his father at that time held a government appointment; but his father, dying suddenly, left his family poor, and Samuel was apprenticed to a cabinet-maker. He served his apprenticeship, and immediately repaired to a London teacher and began the study of music and languages. Surmounting great difficulties, he became a competent musician, and made himself popular as a composer of glees. He was also the author of several ma.s.ses, anthems, and hymn-tunes, the best of which are still in occasional use.

Died in London, 1816.

"JESUS, I LOVE THY CHARMING NAME."

When Dr. Doddridge, the author of this hymn, during his useful ministry, had finished the preparation of a pulpit discourse that strongly impressed him, he was accustomed, while his heart was yet glowing with the sentiment that had inspired him, to put the princ.i.p.al thoughts into metre, and use the hymn thus written at the conclusion of the preaching of the sermon. This hymn of Christian ardor was written to be sung after a sermon from Romans 8:35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

Jesus, I love Thy charming name, 'Tis music to mine ear: Fain would I sound it out so loud That earth and heaven should hear.

I'll speak the honors of Thy name With my last laboring breath, Then speechless, clasp Thee in my arms, The conqueror of death.

Earlier copies have--

The _antidote_ of death.

Philip Doddridge, D.D., was born in London, June 26, 1702. Educated at Kingston Grammar School and Kibworth Academy, he became a scholar of respectable attainments, and was ordained to the Non-conformist ministry. He was pastor of the Congregational church at Northampton, from 1729 until his death, acting meanwhile as princ.i.p.al of the Theological School in that place. In 1749 he ceased to preach and went to Lisbon for his health, but died there about two years later, of consumption, Oct. 26, 1752.

_THE TUNE._