Edward Harwood (of Darwen) (1707–1787) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

composer of

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 ''hy ...

s, anthems and

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

s. His setting of

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

's revolutionary ''The Dying Christian (Vital spark of heav'nly flame)'' was enormously popular at one time and was widely performed at funerals, of nobility and commoners alike.

Biography

Edward Harwood was born at

Hoddlesden Hoddlesden is a village in the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, in Lancashire, England. The village population at the 2011 census was 1,239. It is in the borough's East Rural ward, and is situated east of Darwen. To the north there are the ...

, near

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to the s ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, in 1707. His early training was as a

hand-loom A loom is a device used to weaving, weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the Warp (weaving), warp threads under tension (mechanics), tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape o ...

weaver, but he subsequently became a professional musician in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. His first collection of

psalmody 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 ...

, ''A set of hymns and psalm tunes'', was published in London in 1781, and a second collection, entitled ''A Second Set of Hymns and Psalm Tunes'' was published at Chester in 1786. Both collections were widely well-received. He died a year after publishing his second collection, in 1787.

''Vital Spark''

Harwood's setting of Pope's ode ''Vital spark of heav'nly flame'' was first published in Harwood's ''A set of hymns and psalm tunes'': it is written in the style of a

glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

, and in the original publication is written for the most part for three voices (two trebles and bass), with a fourth (tenor) part being added for the last few bars only. It was, however, often arranged for the more usual four part-choir. The piece was extremely popular in the first half of the 19th century, being widely sung among Anglicans, Methodists and dissenters, and Lightwood noted in 1935 that it 'certainly had a long and prosperous run, and even now it is not quite extinct'. However, it was not always a great favourite with the clergy, whose objections were mainly to do with the text, which is not explicitly religious (also, it's a poem written by a Catholic, after the last words of the Emperor Hadrian).

Notes

p343, Lightwood, 1935
Hymn Tune Index
source code HarwES1
br /> Hymn Tune Index
source code HarwES2
br /> p343, Lightwood, 1935
p214, Temperley, 1979
p214, Temperley, 1979
p214, Temperley, 1979
p343, Lightwood, 1935

References

* * *

External links

* 1707 births 1787 deaths English classical composers Classical composers of church music 18th-century classical composers 18th-century British male musicians English male classical composers {{UK-composer-stub