Fanny J. Crosby
| Fanny Crosby | |
|---|---|
Crosby in 1872
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Frances Jane Crosby |
| Born |
March 24, 1820 Brewster, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 12, 1915 (aged 94) Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Genres | Hymns, gospel songs |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist, poet, composer |
| Instruments | Piano, harp, guitar, organ |
| Years active | 1844–1915 |
| Associated acts |
George F. Root William B. Bradbury William Howard Doane Robert Lowry Phoebe Palmer Knapp Ira D. Sankey George C. Stebbins William J. Kirkpatrick Philip P. Bliss Silas Jones Vail Hart Pease Danks |
Frances Jane van Alstyne (née Crosby; March 24, 1820 – February 12, 1915), more commonly known as Fanny Crosby, was an American mission worker, poet, lyricist, and composer. She was one of the most prolific hymnists in history, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed, despite being blind from shortly after birth. She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.
Crosby was known as the "Queen of Gospel Song Writers" and as the "Mother of modern congregational singing in America", with most American hymnals containing her work. Her gospel songs were "paradigmatic of all revival music", and Ira Sankey attributed the success of the Moody and Sankey evangelical campaigns largely to Crosby's hymns. Some of Crosby's best-known songs include "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour", "Blessed Assurance", "Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home", "Praise Him, Praise Him", "Rescue the Perishing", and "To God Be the Glory". Some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, so Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career.
Crosby also wrote more than 1,000 secular poems and had four books of poetry published, as well as two best-selling autobiographies. Additionally, she co-wrote popular secular songs, as well as political and patriotic songs and at least five cantatas on biblical and patriotic themes, including The Flower Queen, the first secular cantata by an American composer. She was committed to Christian rescue missions and was known for her public speaking.
Frances Jane Crosby was born on March 24, 1820 in the village of Brewster, about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. She was the only child of John Crosby and his second wife Mercy Crosby, both of whom were relatives of Revolutionary War spy Enoch Crosby. He was a widower who had a daughter from his first marriage. According to C. Bernard Ruffin, John and Mercy were possibly first cousins; however, "by the time Fanny Crosby came to write her memoirs [in 1906], the fact that her mother and father were related... had become a source of embarrassment, and she maintained that she did not know anything about his lineage".
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