Onward, Christian Soldiers
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"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, and the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St. Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune.[1][2]
The theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou shalt endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." The Salvation Army adopted the hymn as its favoured processional.[3]
The Spiritualists' National Union hymnbook has a variation on the hymn, entitled "Onward, Comrades, Onward". Another hymn sung to the St. Gertrude tune is "Forward Through the Ages", written by Frederick Lucian Hosmer (1840-1929) in 1908.[4]
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[edit] History
[edit] Genesis
The lyric was written as a processional hymn for children at Horbury Bridge, near Wakefield, Yorkshire. It was originally entitled, "Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners." According to the Center for Church Music, Baring-Gould reportedly wrote Onward Christian Soldiers in about 15 minutes, later apologizing, "It was written in great haste, and I am afraid that some of the lines are faulty."[1] He later allowed hymn-book compilers to alter the lyrics. For example, The Fellowship Hymn Book, with his permission, changed the phrase ‘one in hope and doctrine’ to ‘one in hope and purpose." For the 1909 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern, he changed the fifth line of the same verse from ‘We are not divided’ to ‘Though divisions harass." However, Baring-Gould’s original words are used in most modern hymnals.
Baring-Gould originally set the lyrics to a melody from the slow movement of Joseph Haydn’s Symphony in D, No. 15. This was printed in 1871 in an English church periodical, the Church Times. The hymn did not receive wide acceptance, however, until Sullivan wrote the tune "St. Gertrude" for it. Sullivan re-used the tune in his Boer War Te Deum, first performed in 1902, after Sullivan's death.
[edit] Later history
When Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt met in 1941 on the battleship HMS Prince of Wales to agree the Atlantic Charter, a church service was held for which Prime Minster Churchill chose the hymns. He chose Onward, Christian Soldiers and afterwards made a radio broadcast explaining this choice:[5]
We sang Onward, Christian Soldiers indeed, and I felt that this was no vain presumption, but that we had the right to feel that we serving a cause for the sake of which a trumpet has sounded from on high. When I looked upon that densely packed congregation of fighting men of the same language, of the same faith, of the same fundamental laws, of the same ideals ... it swept across me that here was the only hope, but also the sure hope, of saving the world from measureless degradation.
—Winston Churchill
The song has been sung at many funerals, including at the funeral of American president Dwight D. Eisenhower at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC, March 1969.[6] Apart from its obvious martial associations, the song has been associated with protest against the established order, as in the cases of civil rights[7] and the attempts to outlaw chiropractry[8].
An attempt was made in 1986 to strip Onward Christian Soldiers from the United Methodist Hymnal due to perceived militarism. Outrage among church goers caused the committee to back down.[9] However, the hymn was not included in the 1990 hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (USA).[10]
[edit] In popular culture
Largely because of its association with missionaries of various types, the song is sung in a number of movies and television programmes. The 1939 film, Stanley and Livingstone, depicts Dr David Livingstone (played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke) leading a choir of African natives in song; Henry M. Stanley is played by Spencer Tracy in the movie. The piece appears in several other films, including Major Barbara, Mrs. Miniver, A Canterbury Tale, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, M*A*S*H, Taps, Striptease, Walker, Androcles and the Lion, and Flyboys. It is also sung or played in episodes of TV series, including Little House on the Prairie, The Simpsons, Little Britain and Dad's Army.
Onward Christian Soldiers is the title of a 1984 album by the British anarcho-punk band Icons of Filth.[11]
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Conjubilant With Song: Sir Arthur Sullivan", 13 May 2008
- ^ Murphy, James E. "Onward, Christian Soldiers", Sermon series: Great Hymns of the Faith, #7, 19 September 1999
- ^ Branston, John. "Christian Soldiers: The Salvation Army brings humility and $48 million to the fairgrounds discussion", Memphis Flyer, 18 November 2005
- ^ "Forward Through the Ages" lyrics and MIDI
- ^ Ace Collins (2003), Stories Behind the Hymns That Inspire America, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, pp. 153–154, ISBN 9780310248798, http://books.google.com/books?id=XvGOdKE8gsoC
- ^ "Onward, Christian Soldiers" at Eisenhower's funeral
- ^ JM Jasper (2003), The emotions of protest, The Social Movements Reader, Oxford: Blackwell, ISBN 9780631221968, http://books.google.com/books?id=zIc29n2V2q8C
- ^ Y Villanueva-Russell (2008), "An Ideal-Typical Development of Chiropractic, 1895–1961", Social Theory and Health
- ^ "New Methodist Hymnal Is Shorn of Stereotypes". New York Times. June 20, 1989. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=950DE2DB1F3DF933A15755C0A96F948260. Retrieved on 2008-05-17.
- ^ Title index to The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990, Westminster, John Knox Press, Louisville)
- ^ "Icons of Filth – Onward Christian Soldiers", Artofthestate.com, accessed 6 July 2009
[edit] References
- Hymns For the Living Church. Carol Stream, IL: Hope Publishing, 1974. p. 470. ISBN 0-916642-01-1
- Background information
- Information about the music for the hymn
[edit] External links
- "Onward, Christian Soldiers"PDF. Melody (MIDI) and piano score at HymnSite.com.
- Explanations of biblical sources
- Information about the original title
- New York Times Article on the Methodist Hymnal
- List of music in films and TV by Sullivan, including many listings for "Onward, Christian Soldiers"
- "Onward, Christian Soldiers" at The Cyber Hymnal
