• Home
  • Search
  • Colin Mawby
    • About Colin
    • Testimonials from Performers
  • Hymns
    • Hymns
    • Catholic Hymns
    • Gospel Music
    • Moody and Sankey
    • The Salvation Army
    • Negro Spirituals
  • Gregorian Chant
    • Gregorian Chant
    • Gregorian Chant interpretation
    • Plainchant, Liturgy, and Evangelisation
  • Find Music
  • Music Commissions
  • Christmas Carols
  • Forming a Choir
    • Choir Development Skills
    • Choir Practice
    • Choir Warm-Up
    • The Psychology of Choir Practice
  • Children's Choirs
    • Children's Choir
    • Rehearsal
    • Children's Choir
    • Girl Choristers
  • Sight-reading
    • Sight-reading
    • Symbol and Memory
    • Rhythm and Aural Training
  • Composition
    • Composition
    • Composing for a Congregation
    • Psalm 23
  • Organists and Ministers
    • Organist vs. Minister
    • Minister vs. Organist
  • Top Twenty Lists
    • Gregorian Chant
    • Hymns
    • Polyphony
  • Funerals
    • Funeral Music (Family)
    • Funeral Music (Organist)
    • Funeral Music List
  • Wedding
    • Choosing your Wedding Music
    • Choosing Wedding Music (Choir Directors)
    • Wedding Music List
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Vivace Discussion

Moody and Sankey

Now to Moody and Sankey. Dwight Lyman Moody (1837 - 1899) and Ira David Sankey (1840 - 1908) were revivalist evangelicals who preached and sang to vast crowds in England and America – they also undertook missionary work. The words were written by Moody and Sankey wrote the tunes of their characteristic Gospel music.

They evolved their own style of Gospel hymn which most people found very attractive and, like the Wesleys and the Salvation Army, used it to raise the commitment and fervour of the hundreds of thousands they preached to. They were idealists who refused to take a penny from their hymn royalties.

Moody and Sankey continued to establish Gospel Music as the major force in Church music. One of the hymn books which included their work, Sacred Songs and Solos, sold over 80 million copies in fifty years and it remains in print to this day - an astonishing achievement.

Moody and Sankey’s missionary visit to Tahiti produced an extraordinary side-effect. The Tahitians adapted Sankey’s Victorian harmonies into their own folk music with fascinating results. So when you visit the South Seas you will hear English nineteenth-century Gospel Music alive and well and sung with much fervour in the Pacific sunshine!

There's more about the roots of Gospel music in The Salvation Army and Negro Spirituals.

These articles may also be of interest to you:

Choir Development Skills - Forming a choir - the skills you need

The Psychology of Choir Practice - The Psychology of Choir Practice - getting the best from your Choir

The Salvation Army - The Salvation Army - marching to a Gospel beat

Organist vs. Minister - Organist - how to work with your Minister

Rhythm and Aural Training - Sight-reading - Rhythm and Aural Training

We'd love to hear your input, please feel free to leave a comment




1000 characters remaining
Post Comment
All articles are Copyright © Music-for-Church-Choirs.com