The Christian's song, written by a young lady: together with a hymn called Love to Christ

The Christian’s Song is another revival text by Granade (see The Christian Pilgrim). In his article on Grenade, Richard Hulan lists this text and cites Johannes Dreisbach’s popular translation of it, “Mein’ Seel’ ist so herrlich” (86). Granade’s authorship is given by Thomas S. Hinde using the credit line “G,” in his 1815 Pilgrim Songster (82). The lyric was printed in Amos Pilsbury’s Sacred Songster and several others, but we have found no music. Later, the first verse was set by John G. McCurry in his Social Harp (82).

The claim on the broadside that the song was “written by a young lady” applies to the second song on this sheet, “Love to Christ,” which was first published by Richard Allen in A Collection of Spiritual Songs and Hymns. Stith Mead attributes this text to Mrs. Sarah Jones (d. 1794), wife of Tignal Jones of Mecklenburg County, Virginia (145-47). The Coverly broadside includes verses 1-5, and 7. The Jeremiah Ingalls version (1805) differs significantly in wording, number, and order of the stanzas, which suggests that the text circulated aurally in this period. Changes may also have been deliberate for doctrinal purposes.

The music of this hymn as it was published in many nineteenth-century hymnbooks was written by Jeremiah Ingalls but inspired by traditional tunes. As David Klocko describes the tune, it is a “composite of the characteristics of several Child ballad melodies, two for Child #12 (‘Lord Randall’) and one for Child #5 (‘Gil Brenton’).” It is distinguished by the holds that come at uneven intervals in the text (645-50).