Toccatas and Fugues on American Hymns

These Toccatas and Fugues on American Hymns are based on three nineteenth-century hymns written by American women.  The first piece I arranged was Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine, entitled Assurance. The music was written in 1898 by Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839-1908). Her collaboration with hymnist Fanny Crosby produced two hymns still in use, Blessed Assurance, and Open the Gates of the Temple.

There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy was written in 1878 by Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1858-1913). She was born into a musical family, her father, Dr. Eben Tourjée, founded the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 1867.

The words and music to Nearer, Still Nearer, 1898, entitled Morris, were written by Lelia Naylor Morris (1862-1929). A composer and lyricist, she was born in Pennsville, Ohio.

This edition offers engaging interpretations of several beloved American hymns. Each is arranged with an opening toccata, a fugal section, and a closing flourish. Appropriate throughout the year, these appealing arrangements will quickly become favorites of the congregation or audience. Excellent historical notes included.