What a Friend We Have in Jesus
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| "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" | |
| Music by | Charles C. Converse 1868 |
|---|---|
| Lyrics by | Joseph M. Scriven 1855 |
| Language | English |
"What a Friend We Have in Jesus" is a Christian hymn originally written by Joseph M. Scriven as a poem in 1855 to comfort his mother who was living in Ireland while he was in Canada. Scriven originally published the poem anonymously, and only received full credit for it in the 1880s.[1] The tune to the hymn was composed by Charles Crozat Converse in 1868. William Bolcom composed a setting of the hymn. The hymn also has many versions with different lyrics in multiple languages, such as the Japanese version "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (いつくしみ深き? lit. "Deep Affection"), or a version sung during World War I with the line "When this bloody war is over" in place of the original title.[2]
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[edit] Popularity in Japan
In Japan, the hymn's title was originally translated as "Itsukushimi Fukaki" (いつくしみ深き? lit. "Deep Affection"),[3] which is what it is best known by. In 1910, Daisui Sugitani re-wrote the lyrics in Japanese and changed the title to "Hoshi no Yo" (星の界? lit. "World of Stars"). Another version was written by Ryūkō Kawaji with the title "Hoshi no Sekai" (星の世界? lit. "World of Stars"). It is also known by the title "Tsumi Toga o ni Nō" (つみとがをにのう?). The hymn is popular to play during wedding ceremonies in Japan.[2] The tune of the hymn was used as a basis for two songs from the Japanese visual novel Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume produced by Key.
[edit] Published versions
- Rise Up Singing, page 98
[edit] References
- ^ What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Retrieved on 2007-05-03.
- ^ a b 312: What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
- ^ Itsukushimi Fukaki song sheet. Retrieved on 2007-07-16.
