John Robson Sweney (December 31, 1837 – April 10, 1899) was an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

from Pennsylvania. He was a professor of music at the

Pennsylvania Military Academy Widener University is a private university in Chester, Pennsylvania. The university has three other campuses: two in Pennsylvania (Harrisburg and Exton) and one in Wilmington, Delaware. Founded as The Bullock School for Boys in 1821, the school ...

for twenty-five years and collaborated with

William J. Kirkpatrick William James Kirkpatrick (27 February 1838 – 20 September 1921) was an Irish-born American hymnwriter. He partnered with John R. Sweney to produce and publish over 1,000 gospel hymn songs and over sixty hymnal books. Life and career Kirkpatric ...

to produce and publish over 1,000

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 songs and over sixty hymnal books. His most popular and widely known hymn is "

Beulah Land Beulah is a land referred to in the Biblical Book of Isaiah. It is the land of the Jewish people, the Israelites, to which they must return: an earthly paradise. The land of Beulah is referred to in various hymns and other works. Bible The only k ...

Early life and education

He was born in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...

, and showed indications of musical ability at an early age. As a child he began to teach music in the public school and to lead and compose music in his

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. Su ...

. At the age of nineteen he studied music under Professor Theodore Bauer, a celebrated German teacher, and Professor Barilli. He took lessons on the violin and piano. He worked as a leader of a choir, at children's concerts and entertainments, and as the conductor of a glee club. He received a BA degree in Music in 1876 and a Doctor of Music degree in 1886 from the Pennsylvania Military Academy.

Career

At the age of twenty-two he worked as a teacher in

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

. When the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

broke out, he took charge of the band of the Third Delaware Regiment, and continued until bands were disbanded by the government. After returning from the war he was appointed Professor of Music at the Pennsylvania Military Academy, then located at West Chester. Previous to this time he had written several pieces for the piano, which were published. When the Pennsylvania Military Academy was relocated to its present location in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

, Pennsylvania, he remained in West Chester and continued teaching and leading "Sweney's Cornet Band" which became locally successful. About 1869 he was recalled to the Pennsylvania Military Academy, and moved to Chester, where he was professor of music in that institution for twenty-five years. In 1876 the academy conferred on him the degree of Bachelor of Music, and in 1886 the degree of Doctor of Music. In 1871, having connected himself with the church in Chester, he began the composition of sacred music, and soon became widely known, and was in great demand as a music leader of large congregations. For many years he led the vast assemblies at the well-known summer meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. He also had charge of the music at Lake Bluif, near Chicago; at New Albany, Indiana.; Old Orchard, Maine; Round Lake, New York.; Thousand Islands, and many other places ; in fact, he was one of the most popular and successful song leaders in the country. It was a common saying among evangelists that " Sweney knows how to make a congregation sing." For ten years or more he had charge of the music at Bethany Presbyterian Church and Sunday-school in Philadelphia, of which school

John Wanamaker John Wanamaker (July 11, 1838December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing". He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a ...

was superintendent—one of the largest Sunday-schools in the United States. Sweney wrote over one thousand sacred songs. Among his most popular ones are : "In the Morning," "Light after Darkness," "Sunshine in the Soul," "More about Jesus," "Tell Me How," "Oh, 'tis Glory," "The New Song" and "I Will Shout His Praise in Glory". His most popular and widely known hymn is "

" His first Sunday-school book, the "Gems of Praise," was issued in annual numbers beginning in 1871 and finished in 1876. He was then associated largely with

in issuing the following books: "The Garner," "The Quiver," "The Ark of Praise," "Songs of Redeeming Love—Nos. 1 and 2," "Joy to the World," "Wells of Salvation," "Gospel Chorus" (male voices), "Our Sabbath Home," "Melodious Sonnets," "Joyful Sound," "On Joyful Wing," "Precious Hymns," "Quartette," "Trio," "Temple Trio," "Revival Wave," "Infant Praises," "Emory Hymnal," "Showers of Blessing," "Temple Songs," "Prohibition Melodist," "Sunlit Songs," "Radiant Songs," Songs of Triumph," "Glad Hallelujahs," "Songs of Joy and Gladness—Nos. 1 and 2" "Hymns of the Gospel—New and Old" (published in London, England), two anthem books called—"Anthems and Voluntaries" and "Banner Anthems," and in connection with John Wanamaker, "Living Hymns" Sweney also Wrote a number of services and cantatas, and associated with Kirkpatrick a temperance cantata entitled, "The Water Fairies". He partnered with

Fanny Crosby Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny J. Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns ...

and published over twenty of her hymns in his hymnals. He was editor or associate editor of about sixty books. He died on April 10, 1899, and was interred at

Chester Rural Cemetery Chester Rural Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery founded in March 1863 in Chester, Pennsylvania. Some of the first burials were Civil War soldiers, both Union and Confederate, who died at the government hospital located at the nearby building w ...

in Chester, Pennsylvania. John R

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweney, John R. 1837 births 1899 deaths 19th-century American composers 19th-century American male musicians American Christian hymnwriters American music publishers (people) Burials at Chester Rural Cemetery Gospel music composers People from West Chester, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Songwriters from Pennsylvania Widener University faculty 19th-century American businesspeople American male songwriters