2 God Is in His Holy Temple
Anonymous
Based on Hab. 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” The hymn, whose authorship is anonymous, is a call to silence and reverence as the worshipper bows in the presence of God.
MUSIC. The origin of the popular and useful tune, AUTUMN, has been in dispute. Some books refer to it as a Spanish melody, and others have seen in the tune a reminiscence of a psalm-tune found in the Genevan Psalter of 1551. It is ascribed here to one, Louis von Esch, but Dr. Robert McCutchan, editor of the Methodist Hymnal and author of Our Hymnody, says: “There is no basis whatever for ascribing it to any other than Barthélémon.”
Francois H. Barthélémon was born in Bordeaux, July 27, 1741, and died in London, July 20, 1808. He gave up his position as an officer in the French army to make music his profession and became a composer and distinguished violinist and conductor in England. Most of his compositions were of a secular nature. His other church pieces are “Morning Hymn” (25) and “Ballerma” (146, 585). Late in life Barthélémon joined the Swedenborgian Church. He died of paralysis at the age of 67.