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William How wrote “For All the Saints,” in 1864 for All Saints Day normally celebrated on the first Sunday in November.
“For All the Saints,” was originally titled “Saint Day Hymn—Cloud of Witnesses—Hebrews 12:1.” The hymn was intended to serve as commentary for the Apostles Creed, “I believe in the communion of saints.”
Hebrews 12:1. Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
The hymn first appeared in Hymns for Saints’ Day, and other Hymns, in 1864, a book compiled by Earl Nelson. The text had eleven stanzas and started with “Thy saints” and was later changed to “the saints.”
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Two stanzas that have been dropped are:
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Ralph Williams first composed the tune for the text in The English Hymnal of 1906. The tune name is sine nomine, and means “without a name.” One critic called the tune jazz music, but most agree that this tune is one of the finest tunes of the century.
Sources
Paul Eckert, Steve Green's MIDI Hymnal: A Complete Toolkit for Personal Devotions and Corporate Worship., Electronic ed. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1998).
Unknown book, #526, p. 356.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, 101 More Hymn Stories (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1985), p. 90.
Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications, 1990), p. 334.
