James McGranahan

Who was James McGranahan?

James McGranahan was a nineteenth-century American musician and composer, most known for his various hymns. He was born 4 July 1840, in West Fallowfield or Adamsville, Pennsylvania, and died 9 July 1907 in Kinsman, Ohio.

He composed over 25 hymns. For example, in one work he is listed as the composer of three notable songs: "He Will Hide Me" by Mary Elizabeth Servoss, "Revive Thy Work, O Lord" by Albert Midlane, and "Come" by a "Mrs. James Gibson Johnson"; and he composed the music for at least 39 of the 79 hymns in a work co-authored with Ira D. Sankey. McGranahan composed most of the tunes for the lyrics of Major Daniel Webster Whittle, including EL NATHAN, the tune associated with Whittle's "I Know Whom I Have Believèd".

The music of his hymn "My Redeemer," written for lyrics by P. P. Bliss, is used as the accompaniment for the Latter-day Saints hymn "O My Father."

In Hawaii, McGranahan is noted for writing the music to the hymn "I Left It All With Jesus," which, when joined to the words "Hawaii Aloha" by the Rev. Lorenzo Lyons became one of Hawaii's best known and best loved songs.