“Softly and Tenderly” is yet another example of a hymn that has made the jump to popular music. Many famous artists, mostly country stars, have recorded this hymn including The Andrews Sisters, Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, Carrie Underwood, and Amy Grant, among others. Will Lamartine Thompson composed this hymn in 1880, early in his career. He had written a few songs at this point but they were so unsuccessful that he opened his own publishing office. He published this hymn in a two-part collection of songs titled Sparkling Gems. It achieved quick success making it into many hymnal editions during his lifetime. In 1899, Thompson visited evangelist Dwight L. Moody on his deathbed. During their conversation, Moody told Thompson, “Will, I would rather have written "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling" than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.” The hymn also had the distinct honor of being programmed at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 8, 1968.

We often see musicians excelling at either church music or concert music. Sir Joseph Barnby, composer of “Lord Jesus, think on me,” stands as a quite notable exception. Born in York in 1838, Barnby was the son of a prominent local organist. By the age of seven, he was a chorister at York Minster. He received his music education at the Royal Academy of Music and, in 1862, was appointed organist at St. Andrew’s, Well Street in London. In 1864, his choir performed two anthems by Alice Mary Smith which made them the first choir in the history of the Church of England to perform music written by a woman. In 1871, Barnby succeeded Charles Gounod as conductor of the Royal Albert Hall Choral Society. A staunch supporter of Gounod, Barnby played an important role in canonizing Gounod and his music. He programmed much of Gounod’s sacred music throughout London and made Gounod the staple in classical music that he is today.

“O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High” uses the very famous (and equally popular) hymn tune Deo Gratias. The origin of this tune comes from a carol written in the early 15th century. The Agincourt Carol depicts the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, in which the English army, led by Henry V of England, defeated the French army of Charles VI in what is now the Pas-de-Calais region of France. Despite more than a 600 year difference, the melody we use today still fits perfectly with the original text:

Owre Kynge went forth to Normandy With grace and myght of chyvalry Ther God for hym wrought mervelusly; Wherefore Englonde may call and cry

Interestingly, the melody of the chorus, from which the hymn tune gets its name, is markedly different. It only has two phrases of music (versus the four used in the verses) and features a small passage of quickly moving notes. It’s likely because of this short melisma that the melody of the verses was preferred for the hymn. The text comes from a 15th century priest, Thomas à Kempis. The hymn text was written in Latin and translated by Benjamin Webb.

If you wish to hear a portion of the original ballad, copy this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWzleOtDv30