Catching a gleam of glory bright

One of the most frequently sung hymns at my church, “Higher Ground,” goes:

“My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

"I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.”

The hymn’s creator, Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932), is the author of another great old hymn, “O That Will Be Glory,” with the refrain, “Oh, that will be glory for me,
Glory for me, glory for me,
When by His grace I shall look on His face,
That will be glory, be glory for me.”

The first stanza goes, "When all my labors and trials are o’er, And I am safe on that beautiful shore,Just to be near the dear Lord I adore,Will through the ages be glory for me."

Gabriel, regarded as "one of America’s most influential and prolific hymn writers in the early 20^th Century," was born in a prairie shanty in Wilton, Iowa, and raised on a farm. His father led singing schools in their home and young Charles taught himself to play the family's reed organ.

The settlers in the area often gathered at the Gabriel home for singing sessions and fellowship and “at an early age Charles gave evidence of a gift for composing,” says the book 101 Hymn Stories. “One day he told his mother that it was his supreme desire to write a song that would become famous. She replied, ‘My boy, I would rather have you write a song that will help somebody than see you president of the United States.'

“Two years later (at 15 years old), Charles began teaching (shape-note) singing schools in the surrounding area without ever having the benefit of a single formal music lesson. He began writing and selling many of his songs but never received more than $2.50 for any of his works.”

According to Wikipedia, “His musical talent was well recognized in his boyhood home of Wilton. There is one folklore story that the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilton (Pastor Pollock or McAulay) once saw Gabriel walking in town early in the week. He asked Gabriel if he knew a good song to go along with his sermon. The pastor shared the sermon topic and by the end of the week the boy had written a song for that Sunday, words and music.

“The Rev. N. A. McAulay was a pastor at the Wilton church for many years, and it is also said that young Gabriel wrote the music for one of McAulay's songs. The song, 'How Could it Be,' was later published in Songs for Service, edited by Gabriel, with the music being credited to 'Charles H. Marsh,' possibly one of Gabriel's pseudonyms.

"Eventually he served as music director at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, San Francisco, California (1890-2). While working at Grace Church, he was asked to write a song for a mission celebration. He wrote 'Send the Light,' which became his first commercial song. He moved to Chicago, Illinois, and in 1912 he began working with Homer Rodeheaver's publishing company.”

Until his death, Gabriel was associated with Rodeheaver and "his fame as a successful composer became widely known, especially with the use of his songs by Rodeheaver in the large Billy Graham evangelical campaigns,” says 101 Hymn Stories. Gabriel wrote both the texts and music for his songs, some shown with his pseudonym, Charlotte G. Homer.

A testimonial posted to the website Hymnology Archive was written while Charles was still alive. The author reveals, “Mr. Gabriel has been recognized as a leading writer of music for Sunday Schools, having issued 24 books for Sunday Schools and evangelistic meetings, his songs being found in almost every book that is issued.

"His first sacred song success, ‘Send the Light,’ is recognized as one of the best missionary songs extant, while scores of others, among which are: ‘Let the Sunshine In,’ ‘Calling the Prodigal,’ ‘The Way of the Cross Leads Home,’ etc., have large popularity. His ‘O That Will Be Glory’ song is no doubt the most popular song he ever wrote.

"The song may now be heard in many tongues and dialects. It has been translated into at least 17 languages. It has appeared in print in leaflets, newspapers, magazines and books no less than 17,000,000 times. It is enjoyed by all classes and conditions from the street urchin to the nobility . . .

“Mr. Gabriel's music is nothing if not melodious. Even a comparatively commonplace theme under his pen receives some touch that gives it a perennial freshness, and while he rarely writes difficult or severe music, there is unbounded variety in it all.

“Having received little or no instruction, and being a self-made man, he has a style peculiarly his own. Copying no teacher or instructor, but following the natural bent of his genius, he is little hampered by purely scholastic rules of form, and hence is free to produce many effects and contrasts which other composers are apt to lose; yet his freedom deserves no censure, as it amply justifies itself in every case.

“He gives himself wholly to composition and his work is in constant demand by the various publishers of sacred music. Personally, Mr. Gabriel is a very genial and kindly-spirited man. His large success has not spoiled him, but seems rather to have added kindliness and helpfulness to his naturally generous disposition.

"He has no sense of rivalry with other composers and no inclination to emphasize their limitations or shortcomings. There is probably no composer in the land who has more friends among music writers, both famous and obscure, than Mr. Gabriel. He resides in Chicago and is one of her honored citizens. May he live long and continue to give vent to his musical genius.”

(New article tomorrow)