Author: Pierce Cullen

Several contributors compiled the tunes of “Gospel Hymns Combined,” Ira D. Sankey, James McGranahan, and George C. Stebbin, D.L Moody, Rev. Robert Lowry, and W. Howard Doane. However, the back cover of the booklet gives special consideration to one name—P.P. Bliss (figure 1).

Figure 1: Back cover of “Gospel Hymns Combined” displaying special consideration to the works of P.P. Bliss.

Born July 9, 1838, in a log cabin nestled within the central corridor of the Pennsylvanian Appalachians just outside of Clearfield County (Reese 1999). Philip Bliss earned recognition as one of the most famous American songwriters in history. So much so, that his peers, including Ira Sankey, respected and acknowledged his superior talent (Reese, 1999).  

Figure 2: Illustration of the 1876 Pacific Express Railway Accident which took the life of P.P. Bliss and 160 others.

His passion for writing Sunday school prayer melodies most likely stems from his early adoption of Christianity in his childhood as well as his work as a schoolteacher at the end of his formative years (Reese, 1999). At the age of twelve, Philip Bliss made his first public confession of Christ and joined the Baptist church. He later engaged in Methodist camp meetings and revival services (Reese, 1999). At the age of eighteen, Philip Bliss became a schoolteacher in New York where his musical talent would be recognized by a number of musical cliques (Reese, 1999). After only 4 years in New York, he returned to his home state and began tutoring pupils to supplement his income. After securing a spot and completing his stay in the Normal Academy of Music in New York, and moving to Chicago thereafter, his career eventually found great success, earning himself more than $90,000, or over three million dollars in today’s currency, nearly all of which was purportedly given to Evangelical charities (Reese, 1999). In Chicago, Bliss would mingle with other contributors of “Gospel Hymns Combined” such as D.L Moody and Ira Sankey, all of whom would regularly collaborate (Reese, 1999). 

Figure 3: The Philip Paul Bliss house, reopened as the Philip P. Bliss Gospel Songwriters Museum in 1965; added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1986.

Tragedy struck Philip’s life in 1876 (Reece, 1999), when a snowdrift upturned the Pacific Express train as it passed through Ashtabula, Ohio, launching hum and 160 others from the rails and down into the icy waters of the ravine 75 feet below (figure 2). Philip Bliss never got the chance to witness the printing of “Gospel Hymns Combined” in 1879, although the book is a testament to his lifelong commitment to gospel music considering the multiple acknowledgements to his work. Philip Bliss stands alone in the musical canon of American Gospel music. His home, now known as the Philip Paul Bliss House, opened as the Philip P. Bliss Gospel Songwriters Museum in 1965 and was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1986 (figure 3) (Ross, 2009). Just as important as Philip Bliss were the publishers who made it possible to distribute his renowned and much enjoyed music, Biglow & Main of New York and Chicago and John Church & Co. of New York and Cincinnati. 

Figure 4: Formatting of Biglow & Main publishing’s first print, “Chapel Melodies,” 1868.

Founded in 1868 by Sylvester Main and his son Huberty Platt Main, Biglow & Main began as a publisher of hymnals in New York (National Endowment for the Humanities, 2024). Their first publication was “Chapel Melodies” in 1868. The title page nearly identically mirrors the formatting of “Combined Gospel Hymns” apart from the varying fonts (figure 4) and includes music notation (figure 5)—a feature they would depart from in the future publication of “Combined Gospel Hymns”. Notably, this publication also credits Rev. Robert Lowry. Perhaps as a turn of fate, the publishing house appointed Ira Sankey as president in 1895 (National Endowment for the Humanities, 2024). 

Figure 5: Musical Notation included in Biglow and Main’s “Chapel Melodies,” 1868.

John Church & Co. Of New York and Cincinnati co-published this book—a music retailer and manufacturing house founded in 1859 in Cincinnati that primarily produced sheet music and pianos (Stinnet, 2024). Despite John Church’s propensity towards sheet music, the publication notably omits music notation altogether, bringing into question why exactly Biglow & Main chose Mr. Church’s company in particular to be a co-publisher of “Combined Gospel Hymns.” One reason might have been the momentum of John Church’s company at that time. Clearly, the publishing house played a significant role in the music industry of the late 1800’s, as The National Register of Historic Places added the original John Church building to their list (Stinnet, 2024), despite no longer being in operation (figure 6). Nevertheless, John Church & Co. Handled both the printing and binding of this book in-house in Cincinnati (Stinnet, 2024). John Church later expanded into cities like New York, Chicago, and Boston after finding great success in Ohio (Adams, 2021). As a result of their success in the music industry, the Royal Manufacturing Company bought Mr. Church’s company as they acquired many others into the fold in 1891 (figure 7).  

Figure 7: Records of the merger between the Royal Manufacturing Company with various music manufacturing and printing houses including John Church & Co.

Figure 6: John Church & Co. Building, Chicago.

Bibliography

Reese, Ed. “Life and Ministry of Philip Bliss.” Christian Biographies, June 13 1999, https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biobliss.html

National Endowment for the Humanities. “Biglow & Main.” Hymnary. Accessed October 13 2024. https://hymnary.org/person/BiglowMain

Adams, Nathaniel. “John Church Company & Royal Manufacturing Company – Cincinnati, Ohio.” S. Nathaniel Adams, Documenting history as well as my experiences with repairing and restoring vintage guitars, August 17 2021. https://www.snathanieladams.com/2021/08/john-church-company-royal-manufacturing.html

Stinnet, Michael. “Church, John & Company.” Antique Piano Shop. Accessed October 13 2024. https://antiquepianoshop.com/online-museum/church-john-company/

Ross, Stephen, Ross, Dorothy. “Philip P. Bliss Songwriters Museum.” Wholesome Words. Accessed October 13, 2024. https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biobliss16.html

At first glance, “Gospel Hymns Combined” seemed too minuscule to contain a complete set of hymns, let alone comprise a combination of several. Unlike typical hymnals, this tome fits in the palm of one’s hand—its unassuming appearance lending itself to the appeal of this little book of gospel hymns. But what was it about this pocket book that was so compelling that it should be donated to a coveted university archive?  The absence of musical notation suggests the owner to be well versed in prayer, and the general disrepair of the book further suggests the owner’s reliance towards it. Perhaps not only because of the verbal text contained within it, but also perhaps because of some deeper personal value. I wanted to discover what value this booklet added to the Dickinson cannon as well as possibly to better understand how owner functioned in their own time through the state of their keepsake.

Figure 1: Degradation of the Cover page of “Gospel Hymns Combined”, 1879.

The cover of the book has been worn down by what appears to have been frequent use, as well as by lignin oxidation due to environmental exposure over its almost 150 years of life (figure 1). Furthermore, there is no title embroidered along its cloth spine. However, the title as transcribed on the dust jacket, which appears to be identical to what would be read on the cover, reads “Gospel Hymns Combined” (figure 2) followed by various subtext “Embracing Volumes No. 1,2 and 3, as used in Gospel Meetings –and– Other Religious Services. Words Only” (figure1). These texts appear in various fonts most likely to catch the eye of the casual passerby, just as we do today with the cover of magazines. Thus, it follows that perhaps this was a widely available book, produced in mass and offered for pennies on the dollar. This is confirmed on the back cover of the book which states its price being offered for both single sale as well as bulk sale (figure 3) marketed towards Sunday schools.

Figure 2: Legible Dust Jacket Title Page Including Full Title, Volume No., and Publishers Biglow & Main of New York and Chicago and John Church & Co. of New York and Cincinnati.

Listed above the preface sits the copyright date of 1879 (figure 4), making it a first edition copy, as printing of the first edition began in 1879. The book was published by Biglow & Main of New York and Chicago, with John Church & Co. of Cincinnati and New York (figure 2). While no editor is credited within the book, the hymns included in this book were compiled and written by D.L Moody, P. P. Bliss, Ira D. Sankey, James McGranahan, and George C. Stebbins (figure 2). Notably however, Rev. Robert Lowry, W. Howard Doane, and Ira D. Sankey were highlighted on the back cover of the book, suggesting a greater part in the organization of the collected volumes, with P. P. Bliss getting notable credit for his work in composing many of the included hymns (figure 3).

Figure 3: Back Cover of “Gospel Hymns Combined”. Among Listed Items are Contributors and Composers, Marketing, Publishers, and Prices.  

The “Gospel Hymns Combined” has a total of 326 Hymns spanning 220 pages with a subsequent index section and is about 40 cm tall, 4 cm deep, and 20 cm wide, though there are no illustrations within the booklets pages despite its ample size. This may be because the paper is of low quality, which is easily discernible from the fragile nature and texture of the pages (figure 5). The pages have almost been fully oxidized and are very thin. Furthermore, hymnals are typically expensive, and the relative affordability of the little book (35¢) leads one to believe that the mass production of these booklets called for a large profit margin to be maintained, which would force the bookmakers to use cheaper paper to keep prices low. The book is bound in original boards, typical for the early 19th century (figure 6). However, because of the economical nature of this book, easily disposable boards were used with a paper jacket wrapped over the hardcover with the pages having been stitch-bound to the boards. Because of the sensational cover pages, the work utilizes several different fonts including Gothic No. 13, Modern/Scotch, Gothic No. 122, OS Extended, and Condensed No. 3, though the majority of the text is printed in Caslon.

Figure 4: Preface Including Copyright and Notes from the Publishers

The front matter contains a plain preface (figure 4) which outlines how the book came into existence as well as an advance to the reader that they might enjoy and find useful the hymns contained. Before the preface, and even before the dust jacket, is a flyleaf with an indistinguishable note in extravagant handwriting followed by what appears to be the ornate signature and handwriting of the author (figure 7) suggesting the author was a teacher or reverend at a Sunday school. Moreover, the scribbles on the back cover and flyleaf suggest that at least once, this book was in the possession of a child, leading one to believe that the wear and tear could have been exacerbated by frequent handling by children. Furthermore, Within the pages are various stains, rips, tears, bumps and bruises which give the book some life.on page 213, there appears to be a dog ear on the top right of the page, which, if intentional, could suggest a favorite hymn of the owner (figure 8). Included in the book is a card tucked between the pages, added many years later, to indicate that this book was donated to the Dickinson College Archives by Dean George Alan.

Figure 5: Back Cover and Back Flyleaf Damage Indicating Low Quality Paper

Figure 6: 1879 Binding Utilizing Original Boards, Hand Stitch-Binding, and Torn Paper Jacket

The book feels very personal to hold. It fits just about in the palm of one’s hand, making it feel more as an extension of one’s own body, as if you forget it is even there. The conventionality of the book’s design lends itself to this quality, which could be an intended purpose beyond its economical aspects. The book was intended for the reader to learn and eventually memorize its contents. The more one would use it, therefore, the less essential it becomes. It was meant to eventually become inconsequential to the reader.

The pages are laid out in sequential order beginning with the first hymn on page one with page numbers sitting in either the top left or right of the pages. The hymns are added one after the other in biblical fashion, with verses crossing over onto the subsequent page with a break between hymns indicated by a bold line. The first letter of each first word of every hymn is printed with a larger type face as was the custom.

Figure 7: Possible Note and Signature from the Author.

Figure 8: Possible Intentional Dog Ear Suggesting a Reader’s Favorite Hymn.