Anna B. Hoppe
Her Life and Hymnody
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Lutheran University Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2019
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Publisher's Description
Anna B. Hoppe is one of the most prolific Lutheran hymn writers of the early 20th century. She composed hundreds of hymns along with opinion pieces and devotional writing. All the while, she lived quietly in Milwaukee, working as an office secretary and volunteering in various roles at her church. Despite her humble life, she became acquainted with several important Lutheran church musicians and pastors of her day and they, impressed by her work, helped to "spread the news" about her remarkable achievements. Today Lutherans still know her through just a few of her hymns--"O Son of God, in Galilee" (LSB 841, LW 400, LBW 426), "For Jerusalem You're Weeping" (LW 390), and "Rise, Arise" (CW 30). Hoppe's major collection, Songs of the Church Year: Hymns on the Gospel and Epistle Texts and Other Songs (published in 1928 by Augustana Book Concern, 334 pages in hard cover) is still listed on amazon.com, but copies are scarce. You will find in these pages two inspiring stories of perseverance. One is the broader context of Lutherans in America finding their way, making the transition to English, enduring the suspicions of Germans during World War I, most of its members just getting by in hard times. Singled out is the story of Anna Hoppe, unmarried and living with her family, having only a grade school education, working in menial jobs, and serving in her church. But, all the while, also keeping up with the larger issues of the day and of Christianity in the world and finding creative expression of her deeply felt faith in original poems which she humbly offered to the wider Church.
Endorsements (3)
“With copious quotations Elisabeth Urtel tells the story of the life and vocation of the faithful hymn writer Anna Hoppe, with evaluative comments about her hymns. This study gives insights into the challenges and contingencies of Hoppe s period and the hymnic themes that transcend them. We owe Urtel our gratitude both for the detail about Hoppe and her hymns, and for the perspective it provides about the nature of hymnody.”
“This book shares the life and faith of a German-Lutheran nightingale. Hoppe continues to be an inspiration not only for her poetry, but also for her mature and well-informed faith, her willingness to give public witness to the pure Gospel, and her modeling of the vocation of a citizen as evident in letters to the editor of her local newspaper. Hoppe s hymns may appear in future hymnals or serve simply as examples for future poets. Either way, the Church is blessed.”
“As much of the Synodical Conference began shifting from German to English at the dawn of the 20th century, one hymn writer gave voice to this strand of American Lutheranism above them all Anna Hoppe. Based on primary sources, Urtel s work opens up the world of this prodigious female hymn writer, whose hymnody she describes as specifically Biblical and correspondingly Lutheran in under-standing. There is much to be learned from this superb volume.”
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