How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
The choir of York Minster
Tune – “St. Peter” by Alexander Reinagle
[[] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gytGndHEMZY ]
John Newton, the author of this hymn, said that How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds was inspired by Song of Songs 1:3: ‘Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out’ (NIV).
These are the words, though not all the verses are always sung:
1 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer’s ear!
It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds,
and drives away our fear.
2 It makes the wounded spirit whole
and calms the troubled breast;
’tis manna to the hungry soul,
and to the weary, rest.
3 Dear Name, the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding Place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!
4 By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.
5 Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.
6 Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.
7 Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death!
It is usually sung to the tune St Peter by Alexander Robert Reinagle (1756-1809) who was born in Portsmouth to a Hungarian professional musician father and a Scottish mother. He studied music with his father, then in Edinburgh. At first he made a living in the shipping industry, but in 1786 he decided to try his fortune as a professional musician in the newly independent United States of America. He travelled to New York and later moved to Philadelphia, where he helped revitalise the musical life of the city, introducing the works of Haydn and Mozart as well as his own compositions.
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