Praise the Lord – John Kempthorne and Edward Osler

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. (Psalm 8:2) It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a birth, in fact many births, were observed in a hospital in England in 1796. The Foundling Hospital, as its name indicates, was indeed for orphaned children. It was established in the 18th Century Holborn section of London by seaman and philanthropist Thomas Coram. Yet, the children who were at this hospital (in fact, it really was only an orphanage) generally had already been born elsewhere. Instead, it may be said that many songs were born there, or at least became more well-known because of their association with the Foundling Hospital. Maybe it was the verse from Psalm 8 (see it above) and this child-care institution’s reputation that gave the composer his method for circulating the song “Praise the Lord”… There is still debate regarding the composer’s identity. Some people have assumed it was the English hymnist John Kempthorne who composed the original song’s first verses in 1796. Some have said that its composer is still unknown, although a final verse (or two verses, depending on which tune the song employs) was written by Edward Osler in the 19th Century. Most agree that the song first appeared in Hymns for the Foundling Hospital, the orphanage that became well-known as a music venue, not just for the children there, but also for the eminent musicians who visited there to further the children’s well-being. George Friedrich Handel often sponsored Messiah performances at Foundling Hospital in High Holborn in the mid-1700’s. One wonders if the original composer, whoever he is, was inspired by the songs of the orphans, and so brought to life “Praise the Lord”, and gave it to the children as part of their repertoire. The song seems to be a paraphrase of Psalm 148 and perhaps Psalm 150, what we as believers and children of the great Creator and Redeemer sing to Him. Here’s the additional words composed by Edward Osler: Worship, honor, glory, blessing, Lord, we offer unto Thee. Young and old, Thy praise expressing, In glad homage bend the knee. All the saints in heaven adore Thee; We would bow before Thy throne. As Thine angels serve before Thee, So on earth Thy will be done. Information on the song story is in “The Complete Book of Hymns – Inspiring Stories About 600 Hymns and Praise Songs”, by William J. and Ardythe Petersen, 2006. Information on John Kempthorne is at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kempthorne Also see the below website, referring to the book “English Hymns: Their Authors and History” by Samuel Willoughby Duffield, published by Funk and Wagnalls, 1886 New York and London. (the book is part of public domain in the United States) http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA457&lpg=PA457&dq=Kempthorne%20Praise%20the%20Lord&sig=kxg5pdHM-RhxYTmFP9gpt-pFmqA&ei=NO_6SrKwCNTgnAfCrvH-DA&ct=result&id=OSkPAAAAIAAJ&ots=JILjaxGHhz&output=text Some background on the song, and the playing of the song as a completely different tune (FABEN, by John H. Wilcox) than the traditional one (PEREZ, by Lowell Mason) in Songs of Faith and Praise – 1994, is at the following website: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/p/t/pthelyeh.htm