Evening journal., 1911-11-02
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A World Famous Song That
Vas Sold for Five Dollars
By Holland.

The late George William Warren,
great-grandson of the General Warren
who fell at Bunker Hill, began his ac-
tive life as a bankers clerk. But 1t
took only and experience of two or
three years at the drudgery of bank
s>4 80 satisfy young Warren that
his vocation was elsewhere. He de-
cided to yield to the impulses of his
young manhood and to devote himself
to music Speedily he was organist
and choirmaster of the largest church
in Albany, N. Y. and the reputation he
gained there was so great that he was
asked to accept the position of musi-
cal director and organist at Grace
Church, New York, and later at st.
Thomas Church, New York. The lat
ter position he occupied until his
death six years ago. The music at
Grace Church and later at st. Thomas
Church gained for those churches not
only national but international repu-
tation Mr.. Warren received the degree
of musical doctor in recognition OF
his high position and he was for years
probably the best known of American
organists and choir directors both in
this country and in Europe.
But all over the world where the
Christian religion has been established
DR.. Warren's name was better known
as a composer of church music than as
a musical director Some of the re-
ligious songs which he wrote are IA
yorites at the mission stations of lii
dia and China, and have been sung
many times in churches of various de-
nominations of Europe and the United
States
About two years before his death
had a long conversation with DR.. War
ren relating especially to his work as d
composer.
81 will tell you" said he, IAN inter
esting circumstance connected with
the musical setting which l gave to tle
hymn, Rock OF Ages l ought TO say
first, however, that my musical setting
to that hymn has been sold the world
over and millions of copies of it have
| been published
MY setting for the hymn, you kno "
is not designed for congregational
! singing, but for quartettes The IN.
/ spiration for it came to me rather sud
denly one Sunday ! iotted down few
notes of the melody on a bit of waste
paper and at the first leisure moments
/ drafted the entire music. And i
seemed to me as l played it over, ans
as / tested 1t with voices, that the mu
sic was very sympathetic with the pro
foundly beautiful thought which tn
poet Toplady expressed in writing
Rock of Ages
$50 1 copied the manuscript ou
carefully in a fair hand and started Ou
to find a publisher Well, l was nc
known. No publisher had ever heard Z
George William Warren. Some woul
not even look at my manuscript Som
expressed condescendingly the opiI
ion that if / Eept at it some day
might write music for a hymn whic
, would occasionally be sung.
] "At last one publisher said to me
! a tone which suggested that he thougl
= he was doing me a very great fav,
that he would buy the song of me pr
5 vided / would take five dollars for Il
, copyright. Well, / had become so d
., spondent about the composition that
= think II he had offered to publish
! for nothing I would have accepted 4
offer. So let him have the manuscri
! and signed an agreement to let HI
D, keep it for five dollars Within a ye
( this publisher had sold thousands
copies Of the song, and suppose tn
as many copies of it have been sold
3 of any other piece of church mus
that has been written in my day.
though I got only five dollars in mon,
81 for the song, / have the gratifcati,
= Of knowing that have written Il
music for Rock of Ages that has be-
. sung by quartettes the world oy
- these many years"
? Copyright, 1911, by E. ]. Edwards A
I rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
4 "The Famous Hymn That Spraf
From n Tone Of Voice"