"Nearer My God to Thee" by Mrs Sarah Flower Adams

       This language was the heart-utterance of Mrs. Sarah Flower Adams, daughter of Benjamin Flower, writer for The Cambridge Intelligencer, and wife of William B. Adams, an eminent engineer, and also a contributor to some of the principal newspapers and reviews.

      She was born February 22, 1805 and mother is described as a lady of talent, as was her elder sister Eliza, who was also an authoress.

      She was noted in early life for the taste she manifested for literature, and in maturer years, for great zeal and earnestness in her religious life, which is said to have produced a deep impression on those who met with her. Mr. Miller says: "The prayer of her own hymn, 'Nearer, my God, to Thee,' had been answered in her own experience. Her literary tastes extended in various directions. She contributed prose and poetry to the periodicals, and her art-criticisms were valued. She also wrote a Catechism for children, entitled 'The Flock at the Fountain' (1845 ). It is Unitarian in its sentiment, and is interspersed with hymns. She also wrote a dramatic poem, in five acts, on the martyrdom of ' Vivia Perpetua.' This was dedicated to her sister, in some touching verses. Her sister died of a pulmonary complaint in 1847, and attention to her in her affliction enfeebled her own health, and she also gradually wore away, 'almost her last breath bursting into unconscious song.'" Thus illustrating the last stanza:

"Sun, moon, and stars forgot,

Upward I fly,

Still all my son: shall be.

Nearer, my God, to Thee."

      She died August 13, 1849, eight years after the issue of her popular hymn, and was buried in Essex, England. Rev. Edwin M. Long

"Anna Weatherup sings a classic hymn, Nearer My God to Thee - performed live in the studio with String Quartet. She talks about how this and other hymns, such as Amazing Grace, hold such meaning and emotion. Orchestral arrangements by Daniel Brinsmead."

Words and Music by Anna Weatherup
Piano - Daniel Brinsmead
1st Violin - Rebecca Smith
2nd Violin - Tobias Chisnall
Viola - Alexina Hawkins
Cello - Matthew Lovett

Recorded live on July 12, 2011 at Psalter Studios, Sydney.

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