Category: Hymns

Another repost of a favorite from the past, this one from my current project of arranging and recording tunes from the 19th Century collection of hymns, Southern Harmony and Musical Companion.

Another “May Memories.” This tune from the Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion compiled by William Walker in 1835 is so romantic it’s hard to imagine it’s actually a hymn tune…but it is.

I admit, I’m having fun playing live in service again, but I don’t want to lose the pleasure of doing these videos either, so I’ll continue both. For the month of May, I’m repeating some of my past favorites. Come June, I’ll start adding new ones. If you have requests and I can do them, I will. Just let me know what you’d like to hear in the comments.

Rev. Wells, pastor of Lakewood UCC, where I’m music director, introduced me to this grand Congregational hymn with which I was not at all familiar. Now, it’s one of my favorites: My Faith, It Is an Oaken Staff.

Check out the representative text at https://hymnary.org/text/my_faith_it_is_an_oaken_staff and the author’s full bio at https://hymnary.org/person/Lynch_TT.

The tune’s name is THE STAFF OF FAITH and its composer is anonymous. It’s been var­i­ous­ly de­scribed as tra­di­tion­al Swiss mel­o­dy, or an Engl­ish folk­song. It’s in public domain.

After seeing his picture at the above links, the following account gave me a laugh: “he was a s student at the Highbury Independent College; but withdrew, partly on account of failing health, and partly because his spirit was too free to submit to the routine of College life.” He looks as if he and I both share an equally dissolute life! Nevertheless, he wrote an amazing amount of moving texts.

The composer of this famous old hymn is P. P. Bliss. Follow this link to know more about the hymn: https://hymnary.org/text/brightly_beams_our_fathers_mercy and this link to learn about the Bliss, himself: https://hymnary.org/person/Bliss_Philip. I remember, so clearly, as a small boy hearing my mother and father playing this in our front room (my father on piano, my mother on violin) as I fell asleep on the front room couch.