Music of the Month: God Shed His Grace on Thee

“God Shed His Grace on Thee” from Edwin T. Childs brings together thirteen rich hymn settings based on national hymns. Written for manuals and mostly two pages each, these pieces are playable on any keyboard instrument, including organ or piano, making the collection widely useful for church musicians in a variety of settings. The hymn choices encompass themes of national heritage, steadfast faith, divine protection, Christian hope, and trust in God’s care, making the book particularly valuable for both civic holidays and throughout the liturgical year.

National Hymns

Edwin T. Childs’s collection of hymn preludes on national hymns is a timely publication this year as the United States celebrates the Semiquincentennial, the 250th anniversary of its founding. This collection features thirteen settings, a fitting number corresponding to the thirteen colonies that formed the country.

The national hymn genre is characterized by sentiments of patriotism paired with stately, hymn-like music. The country’s national anthem is one such example, but the United States has many beloved, patriotic hymns in addition to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Many national hymns call upon divine provision and providence and strike overtly religious tones.

Many national hymns are also in the vein of the folk-singing tradition, a musical genre distinct in the United States. Folk songs make use of call-and-response singing with refrains and blossomed during periods of religious revival.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

“Battle Hymn of the Republic” is one such folk song. It was written during the Civil War by the abolitionist Julia Ward Howe. Its familiar melody preceded the text by a few years, having been used as a camp meeting revival song, employing the familiar refrain “Glory, glory, hallelujah!”

Howe’s text employed religious themes to portray the abolitionist cause as righteous and God-pleasing. The hymn quickly gained national prominence and was an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement a century later.

Lift Every Voice and Sing

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a spiritual anthem written at the beginning of the 20th century by James Weldon Johnson, the principal of a segregated school in Jacksonville, Florida. His brother J. Rosamond composed the music for it a few years later.

The song is a raw, fervent recollection of the hardships endured by slaves in the United States with a forward-looking hope toward the consummation of liberty promised by the country’s ethos. The song alludes to the slavery and perseverance of the Israelites in the Old Testament during their exile from the Promised Land.

America the Beautiful

“America the Beautiful” was written by Katharine Lee Bates in the late 19th century and set to music by church musician Samuel Ward. It was first published as a poem in Bates’s church’s periodical for the Fourth of July.

Through the years, it has rivaled “The Star-Spangled Banner” in its popularity as a national hymn, and in the 20th century, various unsuccessful efforts were made for it to take precedence as the country’s national anthem.

The ten other preludes in Childs’s collection include the following:

• “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”

• “Before You, Lord, We Bow”

• “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”

• “God Bless Our Native Land”

• “God of Our Fathers”

• “How Firm a Foundation”

• “I Leave All Things to God’s Direction”

• “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less”

• “O God of Love, O King of Peace”

• “O God, Our Help in Ages Past”

Using God Shed His Grace on Thee

Childs’s thirteen preludes are written for manuals only, making them usable for any keyboard instrument. For organists, registration recommendations are provided. Many of the settings feature the hymn tune multiple times, in different styles and in different keys. 

Ten of the thirteen hymns in this collection appear in Lutheran Service Book. Church musicians should find use for this volume throughout the Church Year when these hymns are sung. Because the music is written for manuals, they can be used on the piano for patriotic, festive occasions as well.

Order a copy of God Shed His Grace on Thee to add to your organ library by clicking the button below.