Elizabeth Clephane
Elizabeth Clephane | |
---|---|
Born | 18 June 1830 Edinburgh |
Died | 19 February 1869 Melrose, Roxburghshire |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Hymn writer |
Elizabeth Cecilia Douglas Clephane (18 June 1830 – 19 February 1869) was a Scottish songwriter, who wrote the hymns "The Ninety and Nine" and "Beneath the Cross of Jesus".
Early life
Clephane was born at 5 West Circus Place in
Hymns
Eight hymns by Clephane were published posthumously in The Family Treasury, a Presbyterian magazine, between 1872 and 1874.[2] Clephane's hymns were promoted in America by Ira D. Sankey who wrote a tune entitled "Clephane" to accompany "The Ninety and Nine".[3] Another Clephane hymn, "Beneath the Cross of Jesus", is often heard at Easter,[4] and is usually sung to the tune "St Christopher" by English organist Frederick Charles Maker.[5][6]
Clephane's "The Ninety and Nine" is a reference to the Parable of the Lost Sheep, ending with the celebratory lines, "And the angels echoed around the throne, 'Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!'" It was sometimes performed on special occasions by a choir of 99 singers.[7] The hymn was said to be written after the death of her brother, George Clephane (1819-1851), who had a troubled life in Canada. As the story goes, he fell from his horse while intoxicated, struck his head upon a rock and died.[8][9] His grave site at Fergus, Ontario, Canada has become a site of interest for admirers of Clephane's hymns.[10][11] A memorial service was held there in 1933, as part of the town's centennial observances.[12]
Personal life
Clephane was considered frail.
References
- ^ a b c "Elizabeth Clephane". Mapping Memorials to Women in Scotland. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Elizabeth Cecilia Douglas Clephane". The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ISBN 978-1-4335-1783-9.
- ISBN 978-0-310-54226-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8254-9327-0.
- ^ "History of Hymns: "Beneath the Cross of Jesus"". Discipleship Ministries. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- ^ "Chorus to Sing Ninety and Nine". Lancaster New Era. 31 December 1932. p. 16. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "George Died in a Ditch". Oklahoma City Star. 4 March 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Allen, Barbara (19 March 1941). "Born of Sorrow". Fitchburg Sentinel. p. 4. Retrieved 22 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ISBN 978-1-77070-709-2.
- ^ Thorning, Stephen (5 March 2020). "George Clephane: the lost sheep of pioneer Fergus". Wellington Advertiser. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ "Fergus Centennial, George Clephane memorial service, 1933" Wellington County Museum and Archives.
- ISBN 978-1-4143-7972-2.
- ^ "Elizabeth C. Clephane". Hymnary. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
External links
- Works by Elizabeth Clephane at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)
- Elizabeth Clephane[permanent dead link] - Page contains a photo of Elizabeth Clephane and a MIDI file
- A 1909 recording of "The Ninety and the Nine" by Elizabeth Clephane, in the National Jukebox, Library of Congress.
- Bailey, Albert Edward (1950). The Gospel in Hymns. New York: Charles Scribners’s Sons. pp. 456–457.
- Julian, John (1907). Dictionary of Hymnology (2nd ed.). London: J. Murray. pp. 238, 1162.