INFORMATION

Artist Birtday : 24/03/1820 (Age 95)
Born In : Brewster, New York
Occupation(s) : Lyricist, poet, composer
Genres : Gospel

Frances Jane van Alstyne (March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), is more commonly known as Fanny Crosby. She was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed, despite being blind from shortly after birth. She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.

Crosby was known as the “Queen of Gospel Song Writers” and as the “Mother of modern congregational singing in America”, with most American hymnals containing her work. Some of Crosby’s best-known songs include “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour”, “Blessed Assurance”, “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home”, “Praise Him, Praise Him”, “Rescue the Perishing”, and “To God Be the Glory”. Some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, so Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career.

Crosby also wrote more than 1,000 secular poems and had four books of poetry published, as well as two best-selling autobiographies. Additionally, she co-wrote popular secular songs, as well as political and patriotic songs and at least five cantatas on biblical and patriotic themes, including The Flower Queen, the first secular cantata by an American composer. She was committed to Christian rescue missions and was known for her public speaking.

In March 1925, about 3,000 churches throughout the United States observed Fanny Crosby Day to commemorate the 105th anniversary of her birth. During 2010 songwriter George Hamilton IV toured Methodist chapels celebrating Fanny’s outstanding contribution to gospel music. His presentation included stories of her productive and charitable life, some of her hymns, and a few of his own uplifting songs. The liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States remembers Crosby with an annual feast day on February 11. Her hymns are included in several more recent hymnals, including Lift Every Voice and Sing II and the African American Heritage Hymnal

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