Anthony Johnson Showalter (May 1, 1858 – September 14, 1924) was an American gospel music composer, teacher and publisher. He was born in Cherry Grove,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Showalter was trained in the Ruebush-Kieffer School of Music and was teaching in

shape note Shape notes are a musical notation designed to facilitate congregational and social singing. The notation, introduced in late 18th century England, became a popular teaching device in American singing schools. Shapes were added to the noteh ...

singing schools A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the U.S. Southern states, Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, mos ...

by age fourteen. In 1884, he formed the Showalter Music Company of

Dalton, Georgia Dalton is a city and the county seat of Whitfield County, Georgia, United States. It is also the principal city of the Dalton Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Murray and Whitfield counties. As of the 2010 census, the ci ...

. He was also an elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Dalton. Showalter's best known song is "

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms ''Leaning on the Everlasting Arms'' is a hymn published in 1887 with music by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. Showalter said that he received letters from two of his former pupils saying that their wives had die ...

", which was published in 1887. He has generally been credited with writing the music and chorus. However, Showalter's nephew, Samuel Duncan, is also credited with some of the music for the verses.

Elisha Hoffman Elisha Albright (E. A.) Hoffman (May 7, 1839 – November 25, 1929) was a Presbyterianism, Presbyterian minister, composer of over 2,000 hymns and editor of over 50 song books. The son of an Evangelical minister, Hoffman grew up singing sacred hym ...

wrote some of the verses. The song features prominently in the score of ''

Night of the Hunter Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...

'', serving as a ''

leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...

'' for

Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...

's character

Reverend Harry Powell Reverend Harry Powell is a fictional character in Davis Grubb's 1953 novel '' The Night of the Hunter''. He was portrayed by Robert Mitchum in Charles Laughton's 1955 film adaptation, and by Richard Chamberlain in the 1991 made for TV remake. He ...

, and forms about a quarter of the score of the 2010 film ''

True Grit True Grit may refer to: Fiction * ''True Grit'' (novel), a 1968 novel by Charles Portis ** ''True Grit'' (1969 film), a film adaptation by Henry Hathaway, starring John Wayne ** ''True Grit'' (2010 film), a film adaptation by the Coen Brothers, ...

''. Showalter authored several rudimentary books on music theory and a book on harmony and song composition. These were widely used in singing schools across the South. He died in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

in 1924 and is buried at West Hill Cemetery in Dalton.

References

1858 births 1924 deaths People from Pendleton County, West Virginia American male composers American Presbyterians Gospel music composers American people of German descent People from Dalton, Georgia {{US-composer-19thC-stub