‘Amazing Grace’: The unknown composer behind America’s defining song
Regardless of whether you are remotely religious or not, everyone has a favourite hymn. Maybe you were into a bit of ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ in your school assemblies, or can’t help but belting out ‘Joy to the World’ at Christmas time. Over the pond in America, the act of religious singing is just as significant, but oddly, the origins of their favourite tune are shrouded in mystery.
‘Amazing Grace’ is one of those songs that has been performed by everyone and their dog, for reasons equally religious, secular, and everything in between. It’s the most beloved and popular hymn in American history, carrying the message that hope and redemption are forever possible despite any manner of sins previously committed. For this reason, the song became most popular in America’s South, in its Methodist and Baptist churches, as a symbol of traditional Black gospel music, and subsequently, of the revitalisation of 1960s American folk.
This is all well and good—and everyone, of course, is familiar with the song—but it still does not answer the question of where ‘Amazing Grace’ came from. Certain parts of its origin story are clearer than others—for example, the lyrics, which were written by an English Anglican clergyman and slavery abolitionist called John Newton and published in scripture in 1779. But despite the hymn eventually taking American Christianity by storm, its confusing backstory actually began in a small village in Buckinghamshire.
The original version of ‘Amazing Grace’ was written in a tiny village called Olney, which was home to only about 2,500 people. It was a far cry from the vast swathes of society that the hymn would go on to connect with over time, but nevertheless, groups soon began to gather to sing the song. The trouble is, no one knows what melody they were singing it to. The most famous popularised version of ‘Amazing Grace’, as we know it today, didn’t come until much later down the line, and with reportedly over 20 different potential melodies in its midst, we’ll never know who actually composed the first.
Indeed, the most well-known tune for ‘Amazing Grace’ didn’t come about until it was already a much established hymn. 178 years ago, in 1847, the American composer William Walker took the lyrics of Newton’s song and paired them with an existing traditional tune called ‘New Britain’ – and the ‘Amazing Grace’ that is known and loved the world over was suddenly born.
Over time, as the popularity of this version of the song only continued to grow stronger, especially with its pivotal role in the cause of abolishing slavery, the sentiments began to rub off on even non-religious audiences. Fast forward to today and there’s over 1,000 recorded covers, with everyone from Elvis Presley to Joan Baez getting involved in the action.
As such, the true origins of ‘Amazing Grace’ have faded into less and less relevance as time has gone on. It’s one of the world’s most famous songs, and that’s really all that matters. But it is a strange thought – there’s just a random forgotten name somewhere in the archives of history who was responsible for being the first to put the most prominent religious lyrics ever to music. Anyone across the world could unknowingly be part of that family lineage, and thus hold one of the most important pieces of music history without ever knowing it.
