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Articles by C. Michael Hawn
At 96, hymnal editor shares his story
Key Points The Rev. Carlton R. “Sam” Young is known as the editor of The United Methodist Hymnal, and has had a long career as a composer, arranger and scholar of church music. He has, at age 96, shared his story through the autobiography “I’ll Sing On.” The book documents his many friendships within the church music world, as well as his work on the hymnal and other key projects. Nonagenarians are an integral part of our society.
'Jesus the Essential Worker' And Other New Sacred Music Inspired By COVID
Rae Whitney has written more than 500 hymns in her 94 years, songs full of praise and declarations of faith that make them perennial favorites in Episcopal, Presbyterian and Baptist hymnals. But once in a while, something happens that demands a specific response and she creates a hymn she knows will have a short shelf-life. “I don’t know if these hymns will last,” Whitney said from her home in Western Nebraska.
History of Hymns: ‘When We All Get to Heaven’ - umcdiscipleship.org
Share: History of Hymns: ‘When We All Get to Heaven’ by C. Michael Hawn “When We All Get to Heaven” (“Sing the Wondrous Love of Jesus”) by Eliza E. Hewitt The United Methodist Hymnal, 701 Sing the wondrous love of Jesus; sing his mercy and his grace. In the mansions bright and blessed he’ll prepare for us a place. Refrain: When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory! Philadelphians Eliza E. Hewitt (1851-1920) and Emily D.
History of Hymns: 'Jesus Walked this Lonesome Valley'
By C. Michael Hawn “Jesus Walked this Lonesome Valley” American Folk Hymn, African American Spiritual The Faith We Sing, 2112 Jesus walked this lonesome valley; he had to walk it by himself. Oh, nobody else could walk it for him; he had to walk it by himself. The origins of this folk hymn, appropriate for Holy Week, are shrouded in obscurity. It first appeared in U.S.A. hymnals during the second half of the twentieth century.
History of Hymns: “Amazing Grace”: Part I - umcdiscipleship.org
Share: History of Hymns: “Amazing Grace”: Part I by C. Michael Hawn “Amazing Grace” by John Newton The United Methodist Hymnal, 378 Faith’s Review and Expectation.—I Chron. xvii. 16, 17. Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound!) That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. “Amazing Grace” resides in a sphere of public awareness that few hymns can claim. Some think it is a folk song. Many would be surprised to find that it is an eighteenth-century hymn.
History of Hymns: “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” - umcdiscipleship.org
"'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" by Louisa M. R. Stead The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 462 From her childhood, the call to missionary service was the guiding motivation for Louisa M. R. Stead (c. 1850-1917). Born in Dover, England, and converted at the age of nine, Stead came to the United States in 1871, living in Cincinnati. She attended a camp meeting in Urbana, Ohio, where she dedicated her life to missionary service. Ill health prevented her from serving initially.
History of Hymns: “O Freedom” and “Freedom Is Coming” - umcdiscipleship.org
“O Freedom,” African American Spiritual; The Faith We Sing, No. 2194 “Freedom Is Coming,” South African Freedom Song; The Faith We Sing, No. 2192 O freedom! O freedom! O freedom over me. And before I’ll be a slave, I’d be buried in my grave, and go home to the Lord and be free. Freedom is coming. Freedom is coming. Freedom is coming, O yes, I know. Songs are about many things, but ultimately their meaning may be found both in the originator of the song and in the identity of the singer who sings it.
History of Hymns: “We Gather Together” - umcdiscipleship.org
"We Gather Together" 17th-century Dutch, translated by Theodore Baker The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 131 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens his will to make known. The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing. Sing praises to his name; he forgets not his own. In many American hymnals, "We gather together" appears as a Thanksgiving hymn. Perhaps this is because of the opening line and the general idea that God is with us regardless of our circumstances.
History of Hymns: “The First One Ever”
"The First One Ever" Linda Wilberger Egan The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 276 The first one ever, oh, ever to know of the birth of Jesus was the maid Mary, was Mary the maid of Galilee, and blessed is she, is she who believes.* Perspective changes everything. Only in the last 30 years have more hymn writers explored the events of Christ’s life from the perspective of women. This witness has been present in the Bible, but has been neglected in congregational song until recently.
History of Hymns: "Wade in the Water"
By C. Michael Hawn “Wade in the Water,” African American Spiritual; The Faith We Sing, No. 2107 Wade in the water, wade in the water, children, wade in the water, God’s a gonna trouble the water. 1. See that host all dressed in white, God’s a gonna trouble the water. The leader looks like the Israelite, God’s a gonna trouble the water. 2. See that band all dressed in red, God’s a gonna trouble the water. Looks like the band that Moses led, God’s a gonna trouble the water.
Can Worship Leaders and Musicians Resist the Temptation to 'Perform'?
Listen, Trust, Improv Deanna Witkowski Recently, I attended one of the most beautiful music performances I have experienced in years. The concert featured a guitarist and pianist from São Paulo, Brazil, who were performing as a duo for the first time. The musicians (formidable composers, performers, and improvisers) listened to each other so intently and responded to each other so deeply that the room felt like a house of prayer. Would the music translate to a Sunday morning worship service?
History of Hymns: "Now the Green Blade Riseth"
"Now the Green Blade Riseth" J. M. C. Crum The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 311 Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain, Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain; Love lives again, that with the dead has been: Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green. What a metaphor for Jesus' resurrection! John MacLeod Campbell (J.M.C.) Crum (1872-1958) wrote this text to be paired with the popular French carol melody NOËL NOUVELET, sometimes referred to by the name FRENCH CAROL.
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