Henley, a hymn tune composed by a banker

Henley

Lowell Mason

11.10.11.10

Lowell Mason left us a mixed 
inheritance. He is noted for
wanting to improve the worship
experience of the Americas, and
left us the mixed blessing of
making worship more bland.

Lowell Mason was a prominent North American music educator and church musician. He was instrumental in the practice of having worship music be performed by the Presbyterian congregations instead of something they listened to.

At the same time, his music generally emphasized the instrumental accompaniments (namely pipe organ), and the melody lines, making the other parts less interesting in general.

In his attempts to edify American church music, he popularized classical European music, and even though he helped establish congregational singing as the standard of worship across denominational boundaries, he also helped establish the boundaries of "High Church" music and "Backwoods Church" music.

The results have been mixed. Probably without his influence the Sacred Harp, Southern Gospel and numerous other home grown styles of music would never have sprung up diverged as much as they have and flourished.

Samuel Johnson was a friend of
Samuel Longfellow.

See
Samuel Johnson at hymnallibrary.org

 and on wikipedia