The Story of the Hymns and TunesButterworth, Hezekiah
Religion
The Story of the Hymns and Tunes
Butterworth, Hezekiah
Hymns -- History and criticism; Religious poetry
--and scores of the poor half-fare multitude joined voices with him.
Many probably recognized the music of the old glee, and some had heard
the sweet air played in the church-steeples at home. Other voices chimed
in, male and female, catching the air, and sometimes the words--they
were so easy and so many times repeated--and the volume of song
increased, till the singing minister stood in the midst of an
international concert, the most novel that he ever led.
He tried other songs in similar visits during the rest of the voyage
with some success, but the "Jewel Hymn" was the favorite; and by the
time port was in sight the whole crowd of emigrants had it by heart.
The steamer landed at Quebec, and when the trains, filled with the new
arrivals, rolled away, the song was swelling from nearly every car,--
When He cometh, when He cometh,
To make up His jewels.
The composer of the tune--with all the patriotic and sacred
master-pieces standing to his credit--never reaped a richer triumph than
he shared with his poet-partner that day, when "Precious Jewels" came
back to them from over the sea. More than this, there was missionary joy
for them both that their tuneful work had done something to hallow the
homes of alien settlers with an American Christian psalm.
George Frederick Root, Doctor of Music, was born in Sheffield, Mass.,
1820, eldest of a family of eight children, and spent his youth on a
farm. His genius for music drew him to Boston, where he became a pupil
of Lowell Mason, and soon advanced so far as to teach music himself and
lead the choir in Park St. church. Afterwards he went to New York as
director of music in Dr. Deems's Church of the Strangers. In 1852,
after a year's absence and study in Europe, he returned to New York,
and founded the Normal Musical Institute. In 1860, he removed to Chicago
where he spent the remainder of his life writing and publishing music.
He died Aug. 6, 1895, in Maine.
In the truly popular sense Dr. Root was the best-known American
composer; not excepting Stephen C. Foster. Root's "Hazel Dell," "There's
Music in the Air," and "Rosalie the Prairie Flower" were universal
tunes--(words by Fanny Crosby,)--as also his music to Henry Washburn's
"Vacant Chair." The songs in his cantata, "The Haymakers," were sung in
the shops and factories everywhere, and his war-time music, in such
melodies as "Shouting the Battle-cry of Freedom" and "Tramp, Tramp,
Tramp, the Boys are Marching" took the country by storm.
"SCATTER SEEDS OF KINDNESS."
This amiable and tuneful poem, suggested by Rom. 12:10, is from the pen
of Mary Louise Riley (Mrs. Albert Smith) of New York City. She was born
in Brighton, Monroe Co., N.Y. May 27, 1843.
Let us gather up the sunbeams
Lying all along our path;
Let us keep the wheat and roses
Casting out the thorns and chaff.
CHORUS.
Then scatter seeds of kindness (_ter_)
For our reaping by and by.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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