God of Our Fathers

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October 4, 2026

1 Minute Read

This hymn was first heard at a July 4th celebration in 1876. It was originally performed to the tune Russian Hymn. It was later linked with the more appropriately named National Hymn. The lyrics are by Daniel Crane Roberts, a Civil War vet who went on to become an Anglican deacon. The music is by George William Warren, organist at St Thomas’ Church in NYC.




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From this Collection: Music Notes
October 11, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
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October 4, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
God of Our Fathers
This hymn was first heard at a July 4th celebration in 1876. It was originally performed to the tune Russian Hymn. It was later linked with the more appropriately named National Hymn. The lyrics are by Daniel Crane Roberts, a Civil War vet who went on to become an Anglican deacon. The music is by George William Warren, organist at St Thomas’ Church in NYC.
October 4, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Another hymn from Issac Watts which first appeared in 1707. The tune, Hamburg, is by the “father of American church music,” Lowell Mason. He was also a central figure in the music education movement in the US.
October 4, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
Jesus Shall Reign
The words are a paraphrase of Psalm 72 and written by prolific English hymn writer and congregational minister Issac Watts (1674-1748). The tune is attributed to John Hatton of whom not much is known save the date of his funeral in 1793.
September 27, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
I Love to Tell the Story
This poem first appeared as a leaflet in London in 1867 from the pen of Anabella Katherin Hankey. William Gustavas Fischer started off as a bookbinder in Philadelphia and went on to open a piano retailer. His tune was added to Hankey’s text somewhere around 1869.
September 27, 2026 • 1 Minute Read
At the Name of Jesus
Caroline Maria Noel began writing hymns and poems when ill-health struck her in the last several years of her life. She published them in the hopes of hoping other invalids in coping with life’s struggles. This hymn first appeared in 1861. The tune is from one of England’s most famous composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams. It was included in 1925’s “Songs of Praise.”
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This text first appeared in an English hymnal in 1759 and its authorship is contested, having been written either by Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, or Robert Robinson. The composer of the tune, Nettleton, is unknown, but most likely comes from the Southern United States where it first appeared in 1813.
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Omer Westendorf was born in Cincinnati in 1916. He was an organist and choirmaster there until he served in Europe during WW2, where he discovered previously unknown mass settings in the Netherlands. This led to his career in music publishing. This hymn was submitted to a competition in 1976 where it would go on to win. The tune is BICENTENNIAL, written by Robert Kreutz, a contemporary of Westendorf. This tune was written specifically for Wesendorf’s text.
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