Music for Lent: The Old Rugged Cross

Craig Britton (euphonium) and Ken Wyatt (piano) present Erik Leidzen's classic treatment of "The Old Rugged Cross." For the record, George Bennard, a one-time Salvation Army officer, wrote his best-known hymn not far from Jackson. According to wikipedia: "As a Methodist evangelist, Bennard wrote the first verse of the gospel song, "The Old Rugged Cross" in Albion, Michigan, in the fall of 1912.[1] Charles H. Gabriel, a well-known gospel-song composer helped Bennard with the harmonies.[2] The completed version was first performed on June 7th, 1913, by a choir of five in Pokagon, Michigan. Published in 1915, the song was popularized during Billy Sunday evangelistic campaigns by two members of his campaign staff, Homer Rodeheaver (who bought rights to the song for $500) and Virginia Asher, who were perhaps also the first to record it in 1921." The words:
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Refrain

So Ill cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

And exchange it some day for a crown.
O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then Hell call me some day to my home far away,
Where His glory forever Ill share.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Lent
• Easter
• Salvation Army
• euphonium
• Bennard
• Leidzen

[sonnyjim888]

The Piano is out of tune! awful.

[KingKramden]

Yes, it was a bit out of tune, but not quite as bad as the recording makes it seem. The equipment consisted of one Sony video camera, poised on a tripod several feet away, in a large church with concrete-block walls. Oh, for a nice recording studio, a piano in perfect tune, the luxury of sound editing, etc. But then again, this is YouTube, realm of the spontaneous. Real-time music. Thanks for listening.

[KingKramden]

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it. God bless you too. KingKramden

[davidoclock]

Lovely tone, thanks