Elisha A. Hoffman: hymns of the altar and the blood

Elisha Albright Hoffman spent more than sixty years in the ministry - as an Evangelical Association preacher and, from his ordination in 1873 until his retirement in 1922, as a Presbyterian pastor - and wrote well over two thousand hymns. The catalogue reflects the second of those careers: 89 scores, about 51 minutes of music and 25,143 notated notes. Forty-nine entries carry lyrics.

The most-viewed titles are revival standards, 'Is your all on the altar?', 'Are you washed in the blood?' and 'I Must Tell Jesus', the last of them filed twice under different capitalisation. Almost all sit at complexity index 1 (49 entries), with 25 at index 0 and 15 at index 2, so nothing here asks for a virtuoso.

About Elisha A. Hoffman

Hoffman was born on 7 May 1839 in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, the son of an Evangelical Association minister. He trained at Union Seminary in New Berlin, Pennsylvania, and worked for eleven years at the association's publishing house in Cleveland before being ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1873. He held pastorates in Ohio, at the First Presbyterian Church in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and finally at Cabery, Illinois, from 1911 until his retirement in 1922. He died in Chicago on 25 November 1929.

He edited more than fifty songbooks, from The Evergreen (1873) and Spiritual Songs for Gospel Meetings (1878) to the Pentecostal Hymns series and Jubilant Voices, and wrote both words and music for most of his hymns. 'Are You Washed in the Blood?' dates from 1878, 'I Must Tell Jesus' from 1894 and 'Is Your All on the Altar?' from 1905. He also supplied the words of 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms', for which Anthony J. Showalter wrote the music.

The catalogue is vocal, short and repetitive in form: 49 of the 89 files include lyrics, and the typical piece is a strophic hymn with a refrain. Two files titled 'I Must Tell Jesus' appear to be the same hymn catalogued twice rather than two settings. Difficulty stays low because the tunes are written for congregational singing rather than for the recital platform.

Listening and playing notes

Hoffman's hymns are built for a room, not a concert hall. The stanzas are syllabic and the refrains repeat, so a congregation learns the tune on the first pass; the player's job is to keep the pulse firm and the harmony unobtrusive. Watch the dotted rhythms in the revival pieces, which are easy to smear. In 'Is Your All on the Altar?' the refrain carries the argument, so give it a little more weight than the verse. Where a score is a quartet arrangement, check the voice leading before adding keyboard.

Selected scores

  1. Is Your All on the Altar?

    Dated 1905, with the opening line 'You have longed for sweet peace'; the refrain turns the title into a question put to the singer.

  2. Are You Washed in the Blood?

    A revival hymn of 1878 and one of the most widely reprinted of his songs.

  3. Give Him the Glory

    A refrain hymn in the revival idiom and the third most-viewed Hoffman file in the catalogue.

  4. Is Thy Heart Right with God?

    Another interrogative hymn, in the same searching mode as 'Is Your All on the Altar?'.

  5. I Must Tell Jesus

    Written in 1894; by Hoffman's account the refrain came from his advice to a distressed parishioner who did not know what to do.

  6. The Christmas Bells Peal Merrily

    One of two Christmas pieces among the most-viewed Hoffman titles.

  7. Would You Know Why I Love Jesus

    A testimony hymn; the catalogue adds his name to separate it from other settings of the same question.

  8. The Savior Seeks to Enter In

    An invitation hymn on the image of Christ standing at the door; the file credits him as 'Rev. E. A. Hoffman'.

  9. An Heir to a Throne Am I

    A hymn of adoption, taking up the New Testament language of believers as heirs.

  10. Send Me Forth, O Blessed Master

    A missionary hymn in the revival idiom, one of the few Hoffman titles here that addresses sending rather than salvation.

Questions about Elisha A. Hoffman

How many Hoffman scores are in the catalogue?

There are 89, about 51 minutes of music and 25,143 notated notes. Forty-nine entries carry lyrics.

Did Hoffman write the music as well as the words?

For most of his hymns, yes. The notable exception is 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms', where he wrote only the words and Anthony J. Showalter the music.

Why does 'I Must Tell Jesus' appear twice?

The files differ only in capitalisation, so they are almost certainly the same hymn catalogued twice; compare the first page before printing.

Is 'Are You Washed in the Blood?' also known by a shorter title?

It is often listed as 'Washed in the Blood', the form used in some hymnals and in the 1929 obituary notices.

Browse all 89 scores

Catalog editions and arrangements attributed to Elisha A. Hoffman.

Related composer collections

Ira David SankeyRobert LowryWilliam Howard Doane

Sources