"His Eye Is on the Sparrow" is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

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'' ...

written in 1905 by lyricist Civilla D. Martin and composer

Charles H. Gabriel Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (August 18, 1856 – September 14, 1932) was a writer of gospel songs and composer of gospel tunes. He is said to have written and/or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs, many of which are available in 21st century hym ...

. It is most associated with actress-singer

Ethel Waters Ethel Waters (October 31, 1896 – September 1, 1977) was an American singer and actress. Waters frequently performed jazz, swing, and pop music on the Broadway stage and in concerts. She began her career in the 1920s singing blues. Her not ...

who used the title for her autobiography.

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

's recording of the song was honored with the

Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2010.

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

's recording of the song, one of the singer's last to be recorded before her death in 2012, was released off the soundtrack of the film, ''

Sparkle Sparkle may refer to: * Sparkle (catamaran), a catamaran designed by Angus Primrose * Sparkle (drink), a lemon-flavored soft drink * Sparkle, a brand of paper towels owned by Georgia-Pacific * Sparkle Plenty, a character in the ''Dick Tracy'' c ...

'', and became a posthumous number one ''Billboard'' single off one of the gospel singles charts. Sometimes it was sung with the slightly altered title "His Eye is on the Tiny Bird" and this version was recorded by actress Violet Carson in 1972.

Inspiration

The theme of the song is inspired by the words of

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

in the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

and

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...

in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8). "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26) and "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29–31). Civilla Martin, who wrote the lyrics, said of her inspiration to write the song based on the scriptures:

Later published arrangements

There are many arrangements of the hymn that have been produced since its original publication. These include: *1963: in ''The Reader's Digest Family Songbook of Faith and Joy'' *1975: in ''The Josh White Songbook'' *1986: ''Five American Gospel Songs'' for solo voice and piano by

Luigi Zaninelli Luigi Zaninelli (born 30 March 1932, in New Jersey) is an Italian-American composer of vocal and instrumental music. Biography Zaninelli was born in Raritan, New Jersey, and began his musical career as a jazz pianist at the age of 12, but also ...

includes a concert arrangement of it *1999: ''Six Gospel Hymn Preludes'' has an arrangement for solo organ by Wilbur Held *2007: in ''Songs of Comfort and Hope: Vocal Solos for Memorial and Funeral Services''

Whitney Houston version

recorded a version for the soundtrack of the 2012 remake of the 1976 musical film ''

''.

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

released the song as the second single from the album on June 8, 2012, four months after Houston's death. This version is Houston's last original single, and second posthumous one. The song made its debut only one day after the premiere of " Celebrate". The song became Houston's second posthumous number one single on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts, reaching the top spot on the ''Billboard'' Gospel Digital Song Sales chart in June 2012, preceded by her original recording of " I Look to You". Critical reception AllMusic called it a "piano, organ, and choir" showcase for Houston, citing it as a highlight of the soundtrack although admitting "Houston sounds as commanding as one can expect from a later recording." ''Entertainment Weekly'' editor Melissa Maerz called it "a gorgeously rippling solo" with Houston "testif ing ...that Jesus is watching over her." Jody Rosen of ''Rolling Stone'' panned the cover, saying "Houston sings – and croaks – in a voice octaves lower than in her prime. At times the song has a ravaged magnificence, but mostly it's painful."

References

External links

Civilla Durfee Martin
texts and MIDI sequences of 44 songs, including "His Eye Is on the Sparrow"
Piano version and background of His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Free MP3 piano version of "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" {{authority control American Christian hymns Gospel songs 1905 songs 2012 singles Whitney Houston songs Song recordings produced by R. Kelly Metaphors referring to birds Songs released posthumously Pace Jubilee Singers songs Mahalia Jackson songs 20th-century hymns Ethel Waters songs