The Legacy of Charles H. Gabriel

In the early 1900s, Charles H. Gabriel (1856-1932) was the king of gospel music. He wrote the words and music for a number of hymns used by popular evangelists of his day such as Billy Sunday and his song leader, Homer Rodeheaver.

Charles’ hymns reflected a change in the style of gospel music. In the 1800s, hymns were deeply theological and often meditative. But with the revivals of Moody and Sunday, Christians learned to love songs that were fun to sing… were highly energetic… and were easy to remember.

Charles’ most well-known hymn was then “Oh That Will Be Glory for Me”. He also wrote “Send the Light”. Charles is credited with between 7000-8000 songs, 35 gospel song collections, Sunday school song books, collections for men’s and women’s choirs, and numerous cantatas, including 41 Christmas cantatas. He wrote under numerous pseudonyms, making it difficult to know the precise number of songs he wrote. And Charles is credited with writing more tunes for other texts’ writers; including “His Eye Is On the Sparrow” and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?”

One of his most impactful hymns “I Stand Amazed in the Presence” sounds like it could have been written today! This hymn focuses on a single thought… a single emotion… and celebrates it. That thought? The raw amazement at the incredible sacrifice of Christ!

Maybe we still love this song because we can identify with that amazement. How marvelous! How wonderful!