Henry Dennis (1818–1887) was a nineteenth-century hymnist, who earned worldwide fame for his hymn tune, 'Euphony'. A Leicestershire farmer, Dennis composed fifty-four anthems and six hymn tunes. Born at

Ticknall Ticknall is a small village and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish (including Calke) at the 2011 Census was 642. Situated on the A514 road, close to Melbourne, it has three pubs, several small business ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, Dennis is said to have entered the choir of the local

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

Chapel at such an early age that he had to stand on the seat of his pew during the singing so as to allow the sound of his voice to be heard. The young Dennis also became a skilled violinist.'Hymn-Tunes and their Story', James T. Lightwood, Epworth Press, London, 1905. The melody of his most celebrated work, ''Euphony'', is said to have come to him during a cricket match in 1843 and was first published in 1850, in a magazine called, ''The Soul's Welfare'' as a tune to 'Sweet is the work, my God, my King'. It was originally called 'Euphonia', the name later being shortened to 'Euphony' by the composer himself. The tune quickly became popular around the country and later reached such distant places as India, South Africa and the Antipodes. Dr William Morley Punshon - a celebrated Wesleyan evangelist of the time - once said that if there was any tune he would like to sing in heaven, it would be ''Euphony'' Dennis spent the last forty years of his life living in

Hugglescote Hugglescote is a village on the River Sence in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is about south of the centre of Coalville, and its built-up area is now contiguous with the town. Hugglescote and Donington le Heath were part of ...

, Leicestershire, on an ancestral farm which had been in his maternal family's possession for over two hundred years. He became a prominent member of the

community there and wrote a number of tunes and other pieces which were published by

Novello & Co Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...

, and which had a large sale. His marble tombstone can be found in the old

cemetery off Grange Road,

, which is carved with a violin and an open scroll, on which are engraved the first two lines of ''Euphony''. Dennis Street in Hugglescote is so-named in his honour. A grandson of Henry Dennis was Frederick Herbert Wood Mus.Doc, who was organist of Blackpool Parish Church from 1918 until 1963.St John's Church, Blackpool: a Short History, by A. E. Howarth

References

Musicians from Leicestershire 1818 births 1887 deaths English hymnwriters 19th-century English musicians People from Ticknall People from Hugglescote {{England-musician-stub