1000 Songs/There is a fountain filled with blood (William Cowper)

There is a fountain filled with blood (Cowper)

1000 Songs

Text

"There is a fountain filled with blood" was first published in Richard Conyer's "Collection of Psalms and Hymns" in 1772 and is a powerful text. It is full of repetition of important doctrinal thoughts. The hymnic meter appears to be common meter at first, but the "refrain" --if you will-- is 6.6.8.6. So, technically the meter is irregular: 8.6.8.6.6.6.8.6.

Author

William Cowper was an extremely popular and well-known poet in his time. Unfortunately, he suffered from bouts of occasional madness. He tried to commit suicide several times during his life. Fortunately, this helped him to realize the power of God to forgive sins (as displayed in this hymn when he writes, "And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains"). He is also notable for translating Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into English blank verse. He was also closely associated with John Newton.

Music

Tune

The most well-known hymn tune used with this hymn is a 19th century camp meeting tune called CLEANSING FOUNTAIN. However, there are alternate tunes called BELMONT by William Gardiner, COWPER by Lowell Mason, HORSELY by William Horsely, WALSALL by Henry Purcell, and WILTSHIRE by George T. Smart, but none of these are very well-known at all.

Editor's Choice

I am extremely fond of the popular hymn tune paired with this song (CLEANSING FOUNTAIN), however, I also really enjoy the WALSALL tune, which is attributed to Henry Purcell. It is in a minor key instead of major like all the other alternates. However, it does not feature the repetition of the last lines as in the original poem. I greatly enjoy both of these tunes.

Background

Cultural setting

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