- Lyrics written by
- John Newton
- Publication date
- February 1779
- Language
- English
- Comments
-
This hymn by John Newton, consisting of six stanzas of four lines, was first published in the UK in Olney Hymns (1779), without music. It was titled "1 Chronicles - Hymn XLI - Faith’s review and expectation", and was based on chapter XVII:16–17 from the Bible.
In 1780 the hymn was included in "A select collection of hymns, universally sung in the late Countess of Huntingdon's chapels", where it was re-titled "Hymn 190".
In the UK, the song, initially, wasn't very popular. In the United States however, Newton's hymn was used extensively during the Second Great Awakening in the early 19th century. It has been associated with more than 20 melodies
The first known instance of "Hymn 190" joined to music was in "A Companion to the Countess of Huntingdon's Hymns" (London, 1808), where it was set to the tune "Hephzibah" by English composer John Jenkins Husband.
The famed pairing of "Hymn 190" with "New Britain" happened in William Walker’s "Southern Harmony and Musical Companion" (1835). This one, like the others, was published in shape notes, and it is an arrangement in three parts, with the melody in the middle part. Walker’s collection included all six stanzas of Newton’s text. - Licensing
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