“‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” is a song of hope and triumph with words by Louisa M.R. Stead (1850-1917) and music by W.J. Kirkpatrick (1838-1921), composer of “Away in a Manger” (1895).
When her daughter Lily was four years old, Stead and her family were visiting the Long Island Sound when they heard the sounds of a drowning boy. Stead’s husband, George, jumped into the water in an attempt save the child, but both died before Stead’s and her daughter’s eyes. Similar to the inspiration in time of sorrow that prompted Horatio Spafford to write “It Is Well With My Soul,” it is thought that Louisa Stead’s resolve prompted the writing of “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus.”
The hymn first appeared in Songs of Triumph, published in 1882 by the National Publishing Association for the Promotion of Holiness, and it was set to music by Methodist gospel hymn writer William J. Kirkpatrick.
Beloved for its comfort and assurance, “‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” is an ideal selection for a prelude, at offertory or communion, at a memorial service, or simply on a recital of sacred music.
Score, parts (Bb tpt. 1, Bb tpt. 2, F horn, tbn, tuba) — $12.99