Skip to content

10 Comments

  1. Mrs. A
    16 October 2009 @ 2:07 pm

    thank you so much for stopping by after I read your comment I had to come over and check out your blog and wow what interesting timing. It’s unfathomable to me how God brings so many diverse groups of people together through the simple words of a hymn. I often find that when I can’t find the words to describe a feeling usually I can find a hymn that expresses things better than I ever could. I love learning about the history behind hymns and their authors there are so many stories that are only explained as orchestrated by God. I do hope you’ll visit again soon and I promise to as well.

    Blessings..

    Mrs. A

    • rcottrill
      16 October 2009 @ 2:38 pm

      Thanks so much for your kind note. And I agree about hymns giving our thoughts and feelings voice. They provide a rich “vocabulary” for praise, and teaching, and devotional expression. Let’s keep singing!

  2. Mrs. A
    16 October 2009 @ 2:07 pm

    thank you so much for stopping by after I read your comment I had to come over and check out your blog and wow what interesting timing. It’s unfathomable to me how God brings so many diverse groups of people together through the simple words of a hymn. I often find that when I can’t find the words to describe a feeling usually I can find a hymn that expresses things better than I ever could. I love learning about the history behind hymns and their authors there are so many stories that are only explained as orchestrated by God. I do hope you’ll visit again soon and I promise to as well.

    Blessings..

    Mrs. A

    • rcottrill
      16 October 2009 @ 2:38 pm

      Thanks so much for your kind note. And I agree about hymns giving our thoughts and feelings voice. They provide a rich “vocabulary” for praise, and teaching, and devotional expression. Let’s keep singing!

  3. michael flanegan
    4 August 2011 @ 1:54 am

    Where exactly were the two rarely used stanzas actually published? It is clear that the first manuscript had only 4 stanzas and the first printing as a hymn only used 4 stanzas – and Wikipedia points out how his daughter related a fifth stanza being added (4th in order) and the final line being changed (presumeably prior to the Gospel Hymns No. 2 publication). But that still doesn’t relate anything about the 5th stanza in order (they don’t even mention that stanza).

    Everyone seems to agree that he wrote all 6 stanzas, but i’ve never found where those were published – other than in articles of people saying the original consisted of 6 stanzas. Did Spafford ever publish anything in which he gives this definitive 6 stanza version? If not, where do poeple keep getting the text?

    • rcottrill
      4 August 2011 @ 8:28 am

      You ask a good question, Michael–for which I don’t, at the moment, have a good answer! I do know that gospel songster Ira Sankey was a personal friend of the Spaffords. At one point, he spent several weeks in their home. He claimed that it was during that time that Horatio Spafford wrote his well-known hymn. If this is so, it’s likely that (according to the popular version) Mr. Spafford roughed out the idea for the song while on board ship, traveling to meet his grieving wife. Then, that he polished the result later, perhaps even in consultation with Sankey.

      In Sacred Songs and Solos, a song book edited by Ira Sankey, the first five stanzas of the hymn are published (and credited to “H. G. Spafford”). Omitted, for some reason, is the familiar final stanza, “And Lord, haste the day…”

      That’s about all I can tell you, though I continue to explore resources–even some contemporary to the time–to see if I can learn more. As you may know, after the tragedy, the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem, and set up a retreat for missionaries. It is still run today, as a hotel, by their descendants. Perhaps more information can be found there. I’ll have to write and see.

      One further thought: It was not uncommon for hymn writers to later edit or add to their own songs. Perhaps Spafford added the two stanzas in question, himself, some time later–after the initial publication of the song.

  4. michael flanegan
    4 August 2011 @ 1:54 am

    Where exactly were the two rarely used stanzas actually published? It is clear that the first manuscript had only 4 stanzas and the first printing as a hymn only used 4 stanzas – and Wikipedia points out how his daughter related a fifth stanza being added (4th in order) and the final line being changed (presumeably prior to the Gospel Hymns No. 2 publication). But that still doesn’t relate anything about the 5th stanza in order (they don’t even mention that stanza).

    Everyone seems to agree that he wrote all 6 stanzas, but i’ve never found where those were published – other than in articles of people saying the original consisted of 6 stanzas. Did Spafford ever publish anything in which he gives this definitive 6 stanza version? If not, where do poeple keep getting the text?

    • rcottrill
      4 August 2011 @ 8:28 am

      You ask a good question, Michael–for which I don’t, at the moment, have a good answer! I do know that gospel songster Ira Sankey was a personal friend of the Spaffords. At one point, he spent several weeks in their home. He claimed that it was during that time that Horatio Spafford wrote his well-known hymn. If this is so, it’s likely that (according to the popular version) Mr. Spafford roughed out the idea for the song while on board ship, traveling to meet his grieving wife. Then, that he polished the result later, perhaps even in consultation with Sankey.

      In Sacred Songs and Solos, a song book edited by Ira Sankey, the first five stanzas of the hymn are published (and credited to “H. G. Spafford”). Omitted, for some reason, is the familiar final stanza, “And Lord, haste the day…”

      That’s about all I can tell you, though I continue to explore resources–even some contemporary to the time–to see if I can learn more. As you may know, after the tragedy, the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem, and set up a retreat for missionaries. It is still run today, as a hotel, by their descendants. Perhaps more information can be found there. I’ll have to write and see.

      One further thought: It was not uncommon for hymn writers to later edit or add to their own songs. Perhaps Spafford added the two stanzas in question, himself, some time later–after the initial publication of the song.

  5. michael flanegan
    4 August 2011 @ 10:59 am

    Aha!, and Thanks.

    I hadn’t seen that book by Sankey before. Previously, i’d seen his “My life and the story of the Gospel Hymns and Scared Songs and Solos” in which he relates the story of the hymn being written while he stayed with the Spaffords – but that volume reprinted none of the hymns it discussed.

    That he reprints the first 5 stanzas in SS&S, unless other information should arise, settles the question for me i think. This may even be the source from which those very few hymnals that use them, got them from. Curious he didn’t include the better-known 6th stanza (though i do so love that 5th one), but we already know unquestionably that Spafford wrote that one.

    Also interesting to note that Sankey, in SS&S restored the original text for the 1st stanza – reverting the ‘say’ (which he had printed in Gospel Hymns, and almost all hymnals have since followed) back to the original ‘know’ (which is, in my opinion, the better choice).

    As for the controversy of the date of composition (’73 or ’76), i bet your solution is pretty likely to be right. His daughter, in the Our Jerusalem book, mentioned him writing it aboard ship shortly after they’d passed the approximate point of the tragedy, in 1873 – Sankey says he wrote it three years later, while he was staying at their home. Likely what Sankey referred to was his finalizing or polishing of the text (maybe writing those two stanzas not included in the original manuscript, certainly altering his original closing line).

    Thanks again
    -m.

  6. michael flanegan
    4 August 2011 @ 10:59 am

    Aha!, and Thanks.

    I hadn’t seen that book by Sankey before. Previously, i’d seen his “My life and the story of the Gospel Hymns and Scared Songs and Solos” in which he relates the story of the hymn being written while he stayed with the Spaffords – but that volume reprinted none of the hymns it discussed.

    That he reprints the first 5 stanzas in SS&S, unless other information should arise, settles the question for me i think. This may even be the source from which those very few hymnals that use them, got them from. Curious he didn’t include the better-known 6th stanza (though i do so love that 5th one), but we already know unquestionably that Spafford wrote that one.

    Also interesting to note that Sankey, in SS&S restored the original text for the 1st stanza – reverting the ‘say’ (which he had printed in Gospel Hymns, and almost all hymnals have since followed) back to the original ‘know’ (which is, in my opinion, the better choice).

    As for the controversy of the date of composition (’73 or ’76), i bet your solution is pretty likely to be right. His daughter, in the Our Jerusalem book, mentioned him writing it aboard ship shortly after they’d passed the approximate point of the tragedy, in 1873 – Sankey says he wrote it three years later, while he was staying at their home. Likely what Sankey referred to was his finalizing or polishing of the text (maybe writing those two stanzas not included in the original manuscript, certainly altering his original closing line).

    Thanks again
    -m.