Francis Florentine Hagen (1815–1907) was a Moravian minister and composer. He is best known for his

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

" (1836) that is typically sung on Christmas Eve. Hagen was born in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, on October 30, 1815, the son of Johann Joachim Hagen and Susanna Lick.Francis Florentine Hagen Papers, Moravian Church Archives, Bethlehem, PA. He grew up in Salem before attending the

Moravian Theological Seminary Moravian University is a private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The institution traces its founding to 1742 by Moravian Church, Moravians, descendants of followers of the Bohemian Reformation under John Amos Comenius. Founded in 1742, Mo ...

in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1835. He was ordained a deacon in the Moravian Church in 1844. Hagen served various congregations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa and New York before retiring from the ministry in 1877. As a composer, his musical style reflected his Moravian roots combined with elements of 19th century

Romantic music Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—the ...

.Nola Reed Knouse, ''The Music of the Moravian Church in America'' (Rochester: University of Rochester Press, 2008), 274. He composed large-scale orchestral and vocal works in addition to solo voice and piano pieces. Hagen was one of the three original editors of the Moravian Magazine from 1856 to 1858. He died in

Lititz, Pennsylvania Lititz is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of the city of Lancaster. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,370. History Lititz was founded by members of the Moravian Church in 1756 and was named af ...

, on July 7, 1907.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagen, Francis Florentine American male composers American composers 1815 births 1907 deaths People from Salem, North Carolina 19th-century American male musicians