|
Blessed Assurance
Public Domain Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel by Fanny Crosby (Words); Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp (Music);
ARTIST: Fanny Crosby; Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp,
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
DATE: 1873;
RECORDING INFO: Blessed Assurance - Crosby, Fanny/Knapp, Mrs. Joseph F.
Blood, Peter; and Annie Patterson (eds.) / Rise Up Singing, Sing Out, Sof (1992/1989), p 92
Benziger, Barbara; & Eleanor Dickinson (eds.) / That Old-Time Religion, Harper & Row, Sof (1975), p 27
Johnson, Charles (ed) / One Hundred & One Famous Hymns, Hallberg, Bk (1982), p175
OTHER NAMES: "Blessed Assurance Jesus is Mine,"
SOURCES: Folk Index;
NOTES: "Blessed Assurance" was written by Fannt Crosby in 1873 to the music written by Phoebe P. Knapp. Fanny Crosby wrote over 8,000 Christian hymns despite the handicapped she struggled with during her life. An inept doctor left Fanny without her eyesight at six weeks of age after a botched procedure. She said, “ If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.”
Crosby was visiting her friend Phoebe Knapp as the Knapp home was having a large pipe organ installed. The organ was incomplete so, using the piano, Mrs. Knapp played a new melody she had just composed. "What do you think the tune says?" asked Knapp.
"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine", answered Fanny Crosby.
The hymn appeared in the July 1873 issue of Palmer's GUIDE TO HOLINESS AND REVIVAL MISCELLANY, a magazine printed by Dr. and Mrs.W.C. Palmer of 14 Bible House, New York City. It appeared on page 36 (the last page) with complete text and piano score, and indicated it had been copyrighted by Crosby that year. It is not certain that this was the first printing of the hymn, but it certainly helped to popularize what was to become one of the most beloved hymns of all time.
Because of Crosby's lyrics, the tune is now called "Assurance".
BLESSED ASSURANCE- Fanny Crosby (Words); Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp (Music);
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
2. Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Refrain)
3. Perfect submission, all is at rest!
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with his goodness, lost in His love.
(Refrain)
|