Charles H. Gabriel

When, thirty years ago, the writer began a correspondence with a music writer whose chirography betrayed a youthful hand, he was quite certain that a brilliant future was before his correspondent. Some of the hymns which he furnished were so excellent that we were sure that a great hymn writer was about to win laurels, little suspecting that the hynm writer, excellent as he was, was to be over-shadowed by the composer, and that the subject of this sketch was to win his laurels as a music writer rather than as a literary man. We remember with some amusement some of the advice we ventured to give our young friend, who, after all, was only a few years our junior, and who was, probably, fully as capable of giving as of receiving advice, even at that early day.

Charles Hutchison Gabriel was born in Iowa, August 18, 1856, and spent the first seventeen years of his life on a farm, building up the strong constitution which has enabled him to bear the strain which must necessarily fall upon the most copious popular composer of our time. At the age of seventeen he started out to hold singing classes and institutes throughout the Southern, Western, and JSTorthern states, being thus brought into close contact with the people whose needs he so well understands how to meet. He later located in California, where he was recognized as the leading composer on the coast.

Mr. Gabriel has issued a large amount of music during the last thirty years, and we have not the space to give the long catalogue. He has been recognized as a leading writer of music for Sunday-schools, having issued twenty-four books for Sunday-schools and evangelistic meetings, his songs being found in almost every book that is issued. His first sacred song success, ” Send the Light,” is recognized as one of the best missionary songs extant, while scores of others, among which are : ” Let the Sunshine In,” ” Calling the Prodigal,” ” The Way of the Cross Leads Home,” etc., have large popularity. His ” Glory Song ” is no doubt the most popular song he ever wrote. The song may now be heard in many tongues and dialects. It has been translated into at least seventeen languages. It has appeared in print in leaflets, newspapers, magazines and books no less than 17,000,000 times. It is enjoyed by all classes and conditions from the street urchin to the nobility.

Mr. Gabriel has also been a prolific writer of anthems, having issued fourteen books in this particular line, besides many anthems prepared for other authors.

In no field, perhaps, has he done more brilliant work than in cantatas for children, of which he has written seven ^ both libretto and music. His ” Dream of Fairyland ” was exceedingly successful, and is still selling on its merits. His Christmas cantatas, of which he has Avritten thirty-eighty have all been popular, tens of thousands of many of them having been sold. He has also prepared eleven sacred cantatas for adults ; three secular operettas and 07ie sacred cantata — ” Saul, King of Israel,” which he considers his best work.

In his early days he was much interested in and a teacher of military bands, and has in print a goodly number of marches, waltzes, etc., for these organizations, beside instruction books for organ and piano, piano duets, solos, etc.

He is also the compiler of three books of music for female voices ; three for male voices ; one class book; three primary song books ; three children’s concert collections ; more than one hundred speciid day programs, etc., etc.

Mr. Gabriel’s music is nothing if not melodious. Even a comparatively commonplace theme under his pen receives some touch that gives it a perennial freshness, and while he rarely writes difficult or severe music, there is unbounded variety in it all. Having received little or no instruction, and being a self-made man, he has a style peculiarly his ow^n. Copying no teacher or instructor, but following the natural bent of his genius, he is little hampered by purely scholastic rules of form, and hence is free to produce many effects and contrasts which other composers are apt to lose; yet his freedom deserves no censure, as it amply justifies itself in every case. He gives himself wholly to composition and his work is in constant demand by the various publishers of sacred music. Personally, Mr. Gabriel is a very genial and kindly-spirited man. His large success has not spoiled him, but seems rather to have added kindliness and helpfulness to his naturally generous disposition. He has no sense of rivalry with other composers and no inclination to emphasize their limitations or shortcomings. There is probably no composer in the land who has more friends among music writers, both famous and obscure, than Mr. Gabriel.

He resides in Chicago and is one of her honored citizens. May he live long and continue to give vent to his musical genius.