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John J. Overholt

1918 - 2000 Person Name: Compiler Arranger of "RISE YE CHILDREN" in The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 John J. Overholt was born to an Amish family of limited means in the state of Ohio in 1918. As a child he was soon introduced to his father's personal collection of gospel songs and hymns, which was to have a marked influence on his later life. With his twin brother Joe, he early was exposed to the Amish-Mennonite tradition hymn-singing and praising worship. An early career in Christian service led to a two-year period of relief work in the country of Poland following World War II. During that interim he began to gather many European songs and hymns as a personal hobby, not realizing that these selections would become invaluable to The Christian Hymnary which was begun in 1960 and completed twelve years later in 1972, with a compilation of 1000 songs, hymns and chorales. (The largest Menn. hymnal). A second hymnal was begun simultaneously in the German language entitled Erweckungs Lieder Nr.1 which was brought to completion in 1986. This hymnal has a total of 200 selections with a small addendum of English hymns. Mr. Overholt married in 1965 to an accomplished soprano Vera Marie Sommers, who was not to be outdone by her husband's creativity and compiled a hymnal of 156 selections entitled Be Glad and Sing, directed to children and youth and first printed in 1986. During this later career of hymn publishing, Mr. Overholt also found time for Gospel team work throughout Europe. At this writing he is preparing for a 5th consecutive tour which he arranges and guides. The countries visited will be Belgium, Switzerland, France, Germany, Poland, USSR and Romania. Mr. Overholt was called to the Christian ministry in 1957 and resides at Sarasota, Florida where he is co-minister of a Beachy Amish-Mennonite Church. Five children were born to this family and all enjoy worship in song. --Letter from Hannah Joanna Overholt to Mary Louise VanDyke, 10 October 1990, DNAH Archives. Photo enclosed.

James McGranahan

1840 - 1907 Composer of "[Praise Jehovah, all ye nations]" in Bible Songs James McGranahan USA 1840-1907. Born at West Fallowfield, PA, uncle of Hugh McGranahan, and son of a farmer, he farmed during boyhood. Due to his love of music his father let him attend singing school, where he learned to play the bass viol. At age 19 he organized his first singing class and soon became a popular teacher in his area of the state. He became a noted musician and hymns composer. His father was reluctant to let him pursue this career, but he soon made enough money doing it that he was able to hire a replacement farmhand to help his father while he studied music. His father, a wise man, soon realized how his son was being used by God to win souls through his music. He entered the Normal Music School at Genesco, NY, under William B Bradbury in 1861-62. He met Miss Addie Vickery there. They married in 1863, and were very close to each other their whole marriage, but had no children. She was also a musician and hymnwriter in her own right. For a time he held a postmaster’s job in Rome, PA. In 1875 he worked for three years as a teacher and director at Dr. Root’s Normal Music Institute. He because well-known and successful as a result, and his work attracted much attention. He had a rare tenor voice, and was told he should train for the operatic stage. It was a dazzling prospect, but his friend, Philip Bliss, who had given his wondrous voice to the service of song for Christ for more than a decade, urged him to do the same. Preparing to go on a Christmas vacation with his wife, Bliss wrote McGranahan a letter about it, which McGranahan discussed with his friend Major Whittle. Those two met in person for the first time at Ashtubula, OH, both trying to retrieve the bodies of the Bliss’s, who died in a bridge-failed train wreck. Whittle thought upon meeting McGranahan, that here is the man Bliss has chosen to replace him in evangelism. The men returned to Chicago together and prayed about the matter. McGranahan gave up his post office job and the world gained a sweet gospel singer/composer as a result. McGranahan and his wife, and Major Whittle worked together for 11 years evangelizing in the U.S., Great Britain, and Ireland. They made two visits to the United Kingdom, in 1880 and 1883, the latter associated with Dwight Moody and Ira Sankey evangelistic work. McGranahan pioneered use of the male choir in gospel song. While holding meetings in Worcester, MA, he found himself with a choir of only male voices. Resourcefully, he quickly adapted the music to those voices and continued with the meetings. The music was powerful and started what is known as male choir and quartet music. Music he published included: “The choice”, “Harvest of song”, “Gospel Choir”,, “Gospel hymns #3,#4, #5, #6” (with Sankey and Stebbins), “Songs of the gospel”, and “Male chorus book”. The latter three were issued in England. In 1887 McGranahan’s health compelled him to give up active work in evangelism. He then built a beautiful home, Maplehurst, among friends at Kinsman, OH, and settled down to the composition of music, which would become an extension of his evangelistic work. Though his health limited his hours, of productivity, some of his best hymns were written during these days. McGranahan was a most lovable, gentle, modest, unassuming, gentleman, and a refined and cultured Christian. He loved good fellowship, and often treated guests to the most delightful social feast. He died of diabetes at Kinsman, OH, and went home to be with his Savior. John Perry

Frances Bevan

1827 - 1909 Person Name: Emma Frances Bevan (b. 1827) Translator of "Rise Ye Children of Salvation" in The Christian Hymnary. Bks. 1-4 Bevan, Emma Frances, née Shuttleworth, daughter of the Rev. Philip Nicholas Shuttleworth, Warden of New Coll., Oxford, afterwards Bishop of Chichester, was born at Oxford, Sept. 25, 1827, and was married to Mr. R. C. L. Bevan, of the Lombard Street banking firm, in 1856. Mrs. Bevan published in 1858 a series of translations from the German as Songs of Eternal Life (Lond., Hamilton, Adams, & Co.), in a volume which, from its unusual size and comparative costliness, has received less attention than it deserves, for the trs. are decidedly above the average in merit. A number have come into common use, but almost always without her name, the best known being those noted under “O Gott, O Geist, O Licht dea Lebens," and "Jedes Herz will etwas li ben." Most of these are annotated throughout this Dictionary under their authors' names, or German first lines. That at p. 630, "O past are the fast-days,—the Feast-day, the Feast-day is come," is a translation through the German from the Persian of Dschellaleddin Rumi 1207-1273. Mrs. Bevan also published Songs of Praise for Christian Pilgrims (London, Hamilton, Adams, 1859), the translations in which are also annotated throughout this Dictionary as far as possible. [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] -- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Justus Falckner

1672 - 1723 Person Name: Falkner of "The Song of the Soldier" in Alexander's Hymns No. 3 Falckner, Justus, from his interest as the first Lutheran clergyman ordained in America, demands a somewhat fuller notice than would otherwise be given. He was fourth son of Daniel Falckner, Lutheran pastor at Langenreinsdorf, Crimmitschau, Zwickau, Saxony, and was born there, Nov. 22, 1672. He entered the University of Halle, Jan. 20, 1693, as a student of theology under A. H. Francke; but on completing his course felt the responsibility of the ministerial office in the German Church of that time too great for him to undertake. Along with his elder brother Daniel, who had shortly before returned from America, we find Justus accepting at Rotterdam, April 23, 1700, a power of attorney for the sale of Penn's lands in Pennsylvania. In 1701 ten thousand acres of Penn's lands were sold to Provost Andreas Rudman and other Swedes residing on the Manatawny. By intercourse with Rudman or otherwise Justus was led to reconsider his views on the ministry, and was on Nov. 24, 1703, ordained in the Swedish Church of Wicacoa, Philadelphia, by Rudman, T. E. Björck, and Anders Sandel, all Swedish Pastors. His first charge was the pastoral oversight of the Dutch settlers on the Manatawny, near New Hannover; but shortly afterwards he was sent by Rudman to take his place as pastor of the Lutheran Congregations at New York and Albany. There he proved himself an earnest, faithful and diligent worker, ministering also as occasion permitted, until their organization became consolidated, to three congregations in New Jersey (on the Hackensack, in Bergen County, and on the Raritan) and two in the State of New York (Loonenburg and Neuburg). In 1723 the pastorate at New York became vacant either by the death or removal of Falckner. Michael Knoll, who became pastor at New York in 1732, states that Falckner died in 1723. The entries in Church registers which have been held to prove that when he felt the weight of years he retired to New Jersey as a smaller and easier field of labour, seem to he signed by a Daniel Falckner — whether brother, nephew, or son does not appear (manuscripts, &c, from Pastor Ko'hler, Langenreinsdorf; from Dr. B. M. Schmucker, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, &c. Details from these sources are given more fully in the Blatter fur Hymnologie, 1885, pp. 3-6). To his Catechism, the first known publication by a Lutheran minister in America (written in Dutch and published at New York, 1708, as Grondlyche Onderricht, &c), three hymns are appended which seem to be translations from the German. The only hymn by Falckner translate into English is:— Auf! ihr Christen, Christi Glieder. [Christian Warfare.] It seems to have been written while he was a student at Halle, and appears in the Geistreiches Gesang-Buch, Halle, 1697, p. 430, in 11 stanzas of 6 lines, entitled " Encouragement to conflict in the spiritual warfare." It is a vigorous and stirring hymn, and after its reception into Freylinghausen's Gesang-Buch, 1704, came into extended use, and is still found in many collections as in the Unverfälschter Liedersegen 1851. The only translation in common use is:— Rise, ye children of salvation, omitting stanza 4 in Mrs. Bevan's Songs of Eternal Life , 1858, p, 10. Three centos have come into use—the translations of stanzas 1, 3, 9 in Dr. Pagenstecher's Collection, 1864; of stanzas 1, 5, 9, 11 in the English Presbyterian Psalms & Hymns, 1867, and the Temple Hymn Book, 1867; and of stanzas 1, 5, 11 in Laudes Domini, N. Y., 1884. Another translation is: "If our all on Him we venture," a translation of stanza iii. as stanza ii. of No. 1064 in the Supplement of 1808 to the Moravian Hymn Book, 1801 (1886, No. 509). [Rev. James Mearns, M.A.] --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)