This sheet music is part of the collection of crosby3145 :
Once again, we find a
hymnwriter who was a friend of
D.L. Moody. Apparently, D.L.
Moody knew all the great
hymnwriters of the
post-Civil-War era. Certainly
a talented group of friends to
have! The name George C.
Stebbins may not ring a bell,
but you’ll certainly know
him from such classics as
“Jesus Is Calling,”
“Have Thine Own Way,
Lord,” and “Ye Must Be
Born Again.”
Stebbins was born in Orleans
County, New York, February 26,
1846. He grew up on a farm,
taking music lessons in
Buffalo and Rochester,
eventually becoming a singing
teacher. In 1869, he moved to
Chicago. There, he worked for
the Lyon and Healy Music
Company, also becoming music
director at First Baptist
Church in 1870.
It was in Chicago that
Stebbins met Moody, as well as
other hymnwriters Ira Sankey,
Philip Bliss, and Major Daniel
Whittle. He spent only five
years in Chicago, moving to
Boston in 1874 to direct music
at Clarendon Street Baptist
Church (pastored by Adoniram
Judson Gordon). Two years
later, he went to Tremont
Temple, where he became their
music director. He kept up
his relationship with Moody,
and while visiting Moody in
Northfield two years later, he
was persuaded to enter
evangelism, helping Moody and
others. He helped organize
Moody’s Chicago choir that
year, then began editing the
hymnbooks which Moody would
use for his meetings. For
the next several years, he
helped Moody and other
evangelists with their
campaigns. Two of the others
he frequently worked with were
Major Daniel W. Whittle and
Dr. George F. Pentecost.
One of Stebbins’s most
notable evangelistic tours
occurred in 1890, when he and
Pentecost went to India. They
gave several services there,
then gave services in Egypt,
Palestine, Naples, Rome,
Florence, Paris, and London on
the way back.
Stebbins became well known
for his skill at directing
music. He led Moody’s
Northfield, Massachusetts,
conference for its first 30
years. Often, he was called
upon to lead singing at YMCA
and Christian Endeavor
gatherings. One of these,
held at Madison Square Garden
in New York, had 30 thousand
present, but this was dwarfed
by one in Boston which saw 50
thousand people attend. He
also led singing at the Boston
commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the YMCA.
Gifted with a good voice, he
was frequently called upon to
sing solos as well.
Songwriting was Stebbins’s
specialty—the words to his
hymns are written by others.
He collaborated with Fanny J.
Crosby for several of hers,
also working with William T.
Sleeper (There Is a Green Hill
Far Away; Jesus, I Come) and
Frances Ridley Havergal
(True-Hearted,
Whole-Hearted).
Stebbins’s wife was Elma
Miller; the couple had a son
as well. Of Moody’s
associates, Stebbins had the
longest life. He went to be
with the Lord shortly after
World War II ended, dying
October 6, 1945, in Catskill,
New York, just shy of a
hundred years old. Yet his
musical contributions live on
in his wonderful hymns, many
of which are still sung today.
His compositions often tend
to be in 6/8 time, partly a
result of the words, but also
a hallmark of his
compositional style. I hope
these arrangements are a
blessing to you!
Note: For Jesus Is Calling,
see Jesus Is Calling and Nine
Other Invitations for Solo
Piano
Note: For Jesus, I Come, see
Jesus Is Calling and Nine
Other Invitations for Solo
Piano
Note: For I've Found a
Friend, see It Is Well with My
Soul and Nine Other Hymns for
Solo Piano
Note: For Have Thine Own Way,
Lord, see It Is Well with My
Soul and Nine Other Hymns for
Solo Piano
Note: For Saved by Grace, see
Praise Him! Praise Him! and
Nine Other Hymns by Fanny J.
Crosby Sheet music list : › Must I Go, and Empty-Handed? › Take Time to Be Holy › There Is a Green Hill Far Away › True-Hearted, Whole-Hearted › Ye Must Be Born Again