On January 1, 1773, a hymn titled "1 Chronicles 17:16–17" was first used to accompany a sermon led by John Newton (1725–1807) in the town of Olney, England. The hymn would later be known as "Amazing Grace".
The hymn is John Newton's spiritual autobiography in verse. Newton grew up with no particular religious alignment. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and, after his discharge, became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748 a storm battered his vessel so severely that he prayed to God for mercy. Yet after this moment of conversion, Newton continued in the slave trade. In 1754 or 1755 he left seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology. Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. "Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773. We don't know whether there was any music accompanying the verses; it may have simply been chanted by the congregation. It was first published in 1779 in Newton and Cowper's Olney Hymns, but settled into relative obscurity in England. In the United States however, "Amazing Grace" was used extensively during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies, but in 1835 it was joined to a tune named "New Britain" to which it is most frequently sung today. The melody, not attributed to any composer, combines two earlier melodies ("Gallaher" and "St. Mary") and likely represents a confluence of oral traditions. "New Britain" was joined to Newton's text in 1835 by composer William Walker to form the hymn familiar today.
Amazing Grace
John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.
Another verse was first recorded in Harriet Beecher Stowe's immensely influential 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Three verses were emblematically sung by Tom in his hour of deepest crisis. He sings the sixth and fifth verses in that order, and Stowe included another verse not written by Newton that had been passed down orally in African American communities for at least 50 years. It was originally one of between 50 to 70 verses of a song titled "Jerusalem, My Happy Home" that first appeared in a 1790 book called A Collection of Sacred Ballads:
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we first begun.
-
The hymn is John Newton's spiritual autobiography in verse. Newton grew up with no particular religious alignment. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and, after his discharge, became involved in the Atlantic slave trade. In 1748 a storm battered his vessel so severely that he prayed to God for mercy. Yet after this moment of conversion, Newton continued in the slave trade. In 1754 or 1755 he left seafaring altogether and began studying Christian theology. Ordained in the Church of England in 1764, Newton became curate of Olney, Buckinghamshire, where he began to write hymns with poet William Cowper. "Amazing Grace" was written to illustrate a sermon on New Year's Day of 1773. We don't know whether there was any music accompanying the verses; it may have simply been chanted by the congregation. It was first published in 1779 in Newton and Cowper's Olney Hymns, but settled into relative obscurity in England. In the United States however, "Amazing Grace" was used extensively during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies, but in 1835 it was joined to a tune named "New Britain" to which it is most frequently sung today. The melody, not attributed to any composer, combines two earlier melodies ("Gallaher" and "St. Mary") and likely represents a confluence of oral traditions. "New Britain" was joined to Newton's text in 1835 by composer William Walker to form the hymn familiar today.
Amazing Grace
John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779
Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev'd;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ'd!
Thro' many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promis'd good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call'd me here below,
Will be forever mine.
Another verse was first recorded in Harriet Beecher Stowe's immensely influential 1852 anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Three verses were emblematically sung by Tom in his hour of deepest crisis. He sings the sixth and fifth verses in that order, and Stowe included another verse not written by Newton that had been passed down orally in African American communities for at least 50 years. It was originally one of between 50 to 70 verses of a song titled "Jerusalem, My Happy Home" that first appeared in a 1790 book called A Collection of Sacred Ballads:
When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we first begun.
No comments:
Post a Comment