![]() Amazing Grace has been recorded by many artists over the years, including Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, and Stevie Wonder. In the 20th century, Amazing Grace became associated with the Civil Rights Movement and was sung by activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace, became an abolitionist It was often used as a hymn at camp meetings and revivals. Amazing Grace quickly became popular in the United States, especially among evangelical Christians. The melody he used was called "New Britain" and was originally a folk tune from the British Isles. He published it in a shape-note tunebook called The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. The first known musical setting was by American composer William Walker in 1835. It was only about 50 years after John Newton wrote the lyrics that someone decided to set it to music. He left the slave trade in 1755 and became a minister at Olney, Buckinghamshire, for two decades, until his death.Īmazing Grace was not originally set to music. ![]() In 1754, he converted to Christianity and began to speak out against slavery. He eventually became a captain himself and continued to work in the slave trade. In 1748, he was rescued by a friend and returned to England. He was sent to serve on a slave ship, where he spent the next several years. He eventually deserted and was captured by the press gang. In 1745, he was pressed into service on a British ship during the War of the Austrian Succession. He was the son of a sea captain and spent much of his childhood at sea. The first recorded performance of the song was by Methodist preacher Robert Williams in 1831. It is unknown when the music was composed, but it is likely that it was sometime in the early 19th century. The lyrics talk about the power of God's grace to change a person's life. He had been a slave trader in his younger years, but he later had a religious conversion and became an abolitionist. Newton wrote the lyrics to Amazing Grace as a reflection on his life. The hymn Amazing Grace was written by English poet John Newton in 1779. However, whenever I have sung the song I have never thought too deeply about the lyrics and what they represent - have you? Now I am asking, how many of us really know the lyrics? When was the song written and who composed it? And what do the lyrics mean? Let's find out! When was Amazing Grace written and composed? Sung and performed by the likes of Diana Ross, Pentatonix, and of course Love to Sing, Amazing Grace transcends what it means for a song to be a hymn. ![]() Over the following decades, through tent meetings and urban evangelistic crusades, the song gained the nearly ubiquitous popularity it holds today.Perhaps one of the most well-known and famous hymns ever written, Amazing Grace is familiar to everyone all over the world. In 1835, twenty eight years after Newton’s death, William Walker, an American composer and song leader, put “Amazing Grace” to a traditional tune called “New Britain” (the one we are familiar with today) in shape note form so it could easily be learned and sung by common people. “Amazing Grace” was penned in 1772 as a poem for his church’s prayer service, was published in 1779 as part of a collection of hymns, and then made its way to the American colonies. Near the end of his life, Newton became friends with William Wilberforce and partnered in his efforts to abolish the slave trade altogether in England. After six years, Newton left seafaring and slave trading, committed his life to following Jesus, and became a minister. He did not immediately abandon the slave trade or become a committed Christian, but over the next few years became more and more convicted of his sins and of a life that was rebellious to God. They arrived home safely, and the experience left Newton reflective. In the midst of a storm that threatened to sink the ship he cried out for mercy, a prayer of desperation. On his return voyage to England Newton first began to see the amazingness of God’s grace. His abrasiveness led the captain to give Newton to a slave dealer named Amos Clowe who then gave Newton away as a slave where he remained, abused and in captivity, until his rescue more than two years later. ![]() The captain said Newton was the most foul-mouthed and offensive person he had encountered in the entire slave trade, to the point he even invented new obscenities. After recovering, Newton transferred to another ship, a slave trading ship. After being beaten severely-eight dozen lashes-he contemplated murdering the captain then committing suicide by hurling himself overboard. He was forced into naval service at age 18 but attempted to desert. Born in London in 1725, Newton led a fascinating life. ![]()
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