To God be the glory

I. Origins

This hymn by Fanny Crosby (1820–1915) was first printed in Brightest and Best (Chicago: Biglow & Main, 1875 | Fig. 1). The tune is by one of her long-time collaborators, William H. Doane (1832–1915), and is known simply as TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

The exact circumstances of the composition of this hymn are not known, but Fanny Crosby did give some insight into her creative process in her autobiography, Memories of Eighty Years (1906):

In composing hymn-poems there are several ways of working. Often subjects are given to me to which melodies must be adapted. At other times the melody is played for me and I think of various subjects appropriate to the music. In a successful song, words and music must harmonize, not only in number of syllables, but in subject matter and especially accent. In nine cases out of ten, the success of a hymn depends directly upon these qualities. Thus, melodies tell their own tale, and it is the purpose of the poet to interpret this musical story into language.[1]

II. Analysis

Crosby met Doane for the first time in 1867 in New York (Memories, pp. 123–125), and by that time, Crosby was already a coveted lyricist. In this case, either the words or the melody could have been written first—she worked both ways—but they do “harmonize,” as she says, very well together. The tune has a stately, grand quality. The refrain, “Praise the Lord,” evokes a fanfare fit for a King.

The text follows suit. The opening lines have a creedal quality and a clear statement of the means of salvation, which might be significant factors in the hymn’s widespread adoption. In the first stanza, the “life gate” is possibly an allusion to the narrow gate in Matthew 7:13–14. The third stanza appeals directly to the grandeur of the tune by imagining a heavenly scene, one which is “purer, and higher, and greater.” The refrain is a planet-wide call to worship. When it says, “come to the Father through Jesus the Son,” it is also appealing to Jesus’ claim in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Literary scholar Leland Ryken saw the hymn as part of a noble tradition of ascribing glory to God:

First Corinthians 10:31 expresses the principle in kernel form: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The answer to the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.” Johann Sebastian Bach’s signature sign-off on all his religious compositions was the Latin motto Soli Deo Gloria: to God alone be the glory. Crosby’s famous hymn fits right into this mainstream of Christian experience. The focus of the poem is specifically the glory that God merits for his redemptive work in Christ.[2]

Connoisseurs of Crosby’s hymns often point out how this text differs from many of her other texts insofar as it is not a message of personal testimony; rather, it has a more didactic, theological quality. As Carl Daw has explained, rather than being a song of subjective experience, “this is a remarkably objective celebration of God’s saving work in Jesus Christ.”[3]

III. Legacy

By some accounts, the hymn was not immediately popular or well known in the United States. It was not included, for example, in the American Gospel Hymns series (1875–1894) by Ira Sankey, but it was included in the corresponding British series Sacred Songs and Solos (1873–), starting with Sacred Songs and Solos No. 2. Thus the hymn seems to have had a little more currency in the U.K. than in the U.S., at least initially. It enjoyed a resurgence in the mid 20th century, owing to its prominent use in the crusades of Billy Graham. Cliff Barrows, in Crusade Hymn Stories (1967), explained his involvement:

In Great Britain, this same hymn never faded into oblivion as it did in the United States. I heard it sung there in 1952 during one of our early visits. Later, it was suggested for inclusion in the songbook we were compiling for the London crusade of 1954. Because of its strong text of praise and its attractive melody, I agreed. We introduced the hymn during the early days of those meetings in Harringay Arena. As a result, Billy Graham asked that we repeat it often because he was impressed with the enthusiastic participation of the audience. In the closing weeks of the crusade, it became our theme hymn, repeated almost every night. The words well expressed our praise to God, who was doing wondrous things in Britain. Returning to America, we brought the hymn with us and used it first in the Nashville, Tennessee crusade of August 1954. . . .

Of all the songs that have been popularized through crusade activity, we are most happy about this one. Its testimony should rebound in the heart of every Christian; every area of a person’s life should reflect this witness, “To God be the glory.”[4]

by CHRIS FENNER
for Hymnology Storage
19 September 2018
rev. 21 April 2020

Footnotes:

1. Fanny Crosby, Memories of Eighty Years (Boston: James H. Earle, 1906), pp. 167–168: Archive.org

2. Leland Ryken, “To God be the glory,” 40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2019), pp. 128–129.

3. Carl P. Daw Jr., “To God be the glory,” Glory to God: A Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2016), p. 602.

4. Cliff Barrows, “To God be the glory,” Crusade Hymn Stories (Chicago: Hope, 1967), pp. 93–94.

Related Resources:

Cliff Barrows, “To God be the glory,” Crusade Hymn Stories (Chicago: Hope, 1967), pp. 93–94.

Hugh T. McElrath, “To God be the glory,” Handbook to the Baptist Hymnal (Nashville: Convention Press, 1992), p. 259.

Bert Polman, “To God be the glory,” Psalter Hymnal Handbook (Grand Rapids: CRC, 1998), pp. 640–641.

Robert Cottrill, “To God be the glory,” Wordwise Hymns (19 October 2011): https://wordwisehymns.com/2011/10/19/to-god-be-the-glory/

Carl P. Daw Jr., “To God be the glory,” Glory to God: A Companion (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2016), p. 602.

Leland Ryken, “To God be the glory,” 40 Favorite Hymns on the Christian Life (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2019), pp. 128–129: Amazon

“To God be the glory,” Hymnary.org:
https://hymnary.org/text/to_god_be_the_glory_great_things_he_hath