Frances Jane Crosby (March 24, 1820 - February 12, 1915) usually known as Fanny Crosby, was one of the most prolific hymnists in history. She wrote over 8,000 hymns despite being blind from shortly after birth. During her lifetime, Fanny Crosby was one of the best known women in the United States. A picture of Fanny Crosby. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... See also hymn - a program to decrypt iTunes music files. ... A hymn is a song specifically written as a song of praise, adoration or prayer, typically addressed to a god. ... See also Blindness (novel) Blindness can be defined physiologically as the condition of lacking visual perception. ...

To this day, the vast majority of American hymnals contain her work. Some of her best known songs include "Blessed Assurance" [1], "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home" [2], "Praise Him, Praise Him" [3], and "To God be the Glory"[4]. Since some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, Crosby used nearly 100 different pseudonyms during her career. See also hymn - a program to decrypt iTunes music files. ... A pseudonym (Greek: false name) is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to their legal name (whereas an allonym is the name of another actual person assumed by one person, usually historical, in authorship of a work of art; e. ...

Birth and early life

Fanny Crosby was born in Southeast, Putnam County, New York to John and Mercy Crosby. She became blind at six weeks of age because of the incompetence of a doctor who was trying to treat an eye infection. Southeast is a town located in Putnam County, New York. ... Putnam County is a county located in the state of New York. ... State nickname: The Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) Official languages None (English is de facto) Area 141,205 km² or 54,556 square miles (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water...

Early writing career

Crosby was noted for writing poetry from the time she was eight years old. Her first published work was A Blind Girl and Other Poems (1844), followed by Monterey and Other Poems (1853) and A Wreath of Columbia's Flowers (1858).

She also wrote some popular songs, which were set to music by George F. Root. Some of them were "Rosalie the Prairie Flower," "Hazel Dell," "There's Music in the Air."

Blindness

Crosby was never bitter about her disability. At the age of nine she wrote these verses about her condition:

Oh what a happy soul I am,

Although I cannot see;

I am resolved that in this world

Contented I will be.

How many blessings I enjoy,

That other people don't;

To weep and sigh because I'm blind,

I cannot, and I won't."

She was a student at the New York Institution for the Blind (now the New York Institute for Special Education) from the age of fifteen. During that time she learned to play the piano and guitar and to sing. After graduation she taught English and history there. In literary criticism, the term English studies is occasionally used to refer to the critical study of English literature. ... One of the most famous quotations about history and the value of studying history by Spanish philosopher, George Santayana, reads: Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ...

Concerning her blindness, she once remarked:

It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.

She also once said, "when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!" Visual perception is one of the senses, consisting of the ability to detect light and interpret (see) it as the perception known as sight or naked eye vision. ... Michelangelos interpretation of Heaven Heaven is an afterlife concept found in many religions or spiritual philosophies. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and an important prophet in Islam. ...

She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to someone else. She was said to work mentally on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.

Marriage

In 1858, Crosby married Alexander Van Alstyne, who was also blind. She had known him for fifteen years while she studied and taught at the New York Institution for the Blind. They had one daughter, Frances, who died in infancy. Alexander died on July 19, 1902.

Career in writing hymns

Crosby wrote her first hymn in 1863 for the composer William B. Bradbury. It was called "There's a Cry from Macedonia." Over the years she wrote for Bradbury and for other composers, including Philip Phillips, Hubert P. Main, Dr. Lowry, Dr. W. H. Doane, Ira D. Sankey, Philip P. Bliss, Mr. W. F. Sherwin, and Phoebe Knapp. Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908) was an American Gospel singer and composer associated with evangelist Dwight L. Moody. ... Phoebe Knapp (March 9, 1839 – July 10, 1908) was a composer of music for hymns. ...

Fame

Crosby was very well-known during her time and often met with presidents, generals and other dignitaries. She played the hymn "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" at President Grant's Funeral in 1885. The President of the United States (often abbreviated POTUS) is the head of state of the United States. ... Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). ...

When she died, her tombstone carried the words, "Aunt Fanny" and "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine." Eliza Hewitt memorialized Fanny’s passing in a poem: Headstones in the Japanese Cemetry in Broome, Western Australia A cemetery in rural Spain A typical late 20th century headstone in the United States A headstone, tombstone or gravestone is a marker, normally carved from stone, placed over or next to the site of a burial. ...

Away to the country of sunshine and song,

Our songbird has taken her flight,

And she who has sung in the darkness so long

Now sings in the beautiful light.

Crosby is buried in Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1975. Bridgeport (41n10, 73w12 EST) is the largest city by population in Connecticut, and is located in southeastern Fairfield County, Connecticut. ... The Gospel Music Hall of Fame, created in 1971 by the Gospel Music Association, is a Hall of Fame dedicated exclusively to recognizing meaningful contributions by individuals in all forms of gospel music. ...

Selected list of works

• "All the Way My Savior Leads Me"--bef. 1875, music by Robert Lowry
• "Blessed Assurance"--1873, music by Phoebe Knapp
• "The Bright Forever"--1871, music by Hubert P. Main
• "Close to Thee"--1874, music by Silas J. Vail
• "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home"--1883, music by George C. Stebbins
• "I Am Thine, O Lord"--bef. 1875, music by W. Howard Doane
• "My Savior First of All"--1891, music by John Sweney
• "Near the Cross"--bef. 1869, music by W. Howard Doane
• "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour"--1868, music by W. Howard Doane
• "Praise Him, Praise Him"--bef. 1869, music by Chester G. Allen
• "Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It"--bef. 1882, William J. Kirkpatrick
• "Rescue the Perishing"--1869, music by W. Howard Doane
• "Safe in the Arms of Jesus"--1878, music by W. Howard Doane
• "Saviour, More Than Life to Me"--1875, music by W. Howard Doane
• "Tell Me the Story of Jesus"--bef. 1880, music by John R. Sweney
• "To God Be the Glory"--1875, music by W. Howard Doane

Phoebe Knapp (March 9, 1839 – July 10, 1908) was a composer of music for hymns. ...

References

• Blumhofer, Edith. Her Heart Can See: the Life and Hymns of Fanny J. Crosby. ISBN 0802842534.
• Crosby, Fanny. This is My Story, This Is My Song. ISBN 1898787417.
• Hearn, Chester. Safe in the Arms of Jesus: Biography of Fanny Crosby. ISBN 0875086659.
• Ruffin, Bernard. Fanny Crosby: the Hymn Writer. ISBN 1557487316.

See also

• 1884 in music

See also: 1883 in music, other events of 1884, 1885 in music and the list of years in music. Events Published popular music Clementine     w. ...

External links

• The New York Institute for Special Education page on Fanny Crosby
• Fanny Crosby page at Cyberhymnal
• Biography at Believers' Web
• {http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bcrosby.html 'National Cyclopedia of Biography article at Wholsome Words]

This page originally based on public domain information from www.cyberhymnal.org The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...