Heritage Sabbath, October 20, 2001
Story of Hymn-2
WE KNOW NOT THE HOUR
Both words and music were written by Franklin Edson Belden (1858-1945)
and appear in Hymns and Tunes, 1886. The heading is a Scripture
quotation selected from Matthew 24.
In both Hymns and Tunes, 1886, and Christ in Song, 1900,
the tune, unnamed, is marked allegretto, which means
“briskly.” This instruction is most apt, for the words recognize the
imminence of the Lord’s coming.
Belden was born at Battle Creek, Michigan, on March 21, 1858. He was the
eldest of five children born to Stephen Belden and Sarah Harmon Belden, the
elder sister of Ellen Harmon White. He obtained most of his education at Battle
Creek College. About the year 1876 he moved with his father and stepmother and
James and Ellen White (his uncle and aunt) to California, where he began to
compose music. Bronchial trouble caused him to move to Colorado, where, in
1881, he married a woman with musical talent. In the early 1880s Belden and his
wife moved to Battle Creek. There he connected with the Seventh-day Adventist
publishing work. With Edwin Barnes, he was music editor of The Seventh-day
Adventist Hymn and Tune Book for Use in Divine Worship (known as Hymns
and Tunes), 1886. With his cousin James Edson White, he produced Joyful
Greetings for the Sabbath School, also in 1886. In 1895 he published
Gospel Song Sheaf; in 1900, Christ in Song and books of patriotic
music. For a time he served as a superintendent at the Review and Herald
Publishing Association. About 1910 he began to write songs for evangelist Billy
Sunday, which were included in his book Songs for the King’s
Business.
Unfortunately, a misunderstanding arose between him and Adventist
leaders concerning royalties for his books. The matter was never satisfactorily
settled. After his death on December 2, 1945, all his papers and manuscripts
were deposited at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary.
Belden's genius in music and poetry was demonstrated by his frequent
practice of writing a song to fit a sermon while it was being preached. He and
his wife sat in the choir. He would take the Scripture text of the sermon as
his theme and, using the preacher’s exposition, write the hymn text. Then
he would compose the music for the newly written words. Finally, he and his
wife would offer to sing the new hymn in place of the final hymn chosen to
conclude the service. They would give the original manuscript of the hymn to
the preacher as a souvenir. The book Christ in Song contains many of
these hymns and tunes. His contributions to the current Seventh-day
Adventist Hymnal are 12 complete hymns (text and tune) and four tunes to
words written by other authors.
Adapted from Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White, Companion to the
Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal, pp. 558, 627, 628. Used with permission.
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