John Bacchus Dykes was born March 10, 1823. He is the composer of this tune and also of his most famous tune “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. ” Reginald Heber’s widow found among her dead husband’s papers, the words to one of the most powerful and beautiful hymns ever written but years would pass before the lines took their place in worship service around the world.

In 1861, a publisher rediscovered the words. He asked John Bacchus Dykes to furnish him with a tune. It made sense for him to turn to John who had a natural aptitude for music (he graduated with a music master that same year). He came from an evangelical background (father and grandfather) as well as musical family—his uncle an organist and his sister a poet and a hymnodist. John had been a church organist since he was 10 and also played the violin. He was co-founder and president of the Cambridge University Musical Society.

After John read the words to Holy, Holy, Holy, it took him 30 minutes to write the tune “Nicea” which today carries the praise of the Trinity to Christians everywhere.

The year after he composed this famous tune, John was appointed vicar of Saint Oswald, to put him in charge of the parish. He was 39 and had already held several lesser church posts. John’s parishioners came to love him. His bishop however did not care for John‘s views. John was “high-church. ” This meant that he stressed the continuity of the Church of England with the Roman Catholic church from which it had it has sprung. He believed that church and monarchy had divine rights which were being washed away by modern changes. There was a long-lasting disagreement between John and his bishop because of this.

Charles Baring, his bishop, refused to provide John with any help for his growing parish unless he would agree to conduct his services in a “low-church” style. He would have to get rid of clerical collars, stop burning incense and not turn his back on the congregation during the church service. John did not agree to do so and was left to handle the parish by himself, a task which exhausted him. Nonetheless, in addition to his regular duties, he managed to write over 300 hymn-tunes. These included some of the Christian faith’s most favorite hymns:

“Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee, ” “Take My Life and Let it Be, ” and “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say” among others.

Worn out by his labors and constant friction with his bishop, John died on January 22, 1876. He was just 53 years old. Those who loved and admired him raised $10, 000 to support his widow and his children. He shares a grave with Mabel, his youngest daughter who died of scarlet fever in1870. Dyke’s grave is now the only marked grave in what is now a children’s playground.

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