Come join us for our Spring Concert on Saturday, April 5th, 2025, at 7:00 PM at First Baptist Church Marietta. Please read the page and scroll to the bottom for tickets.
Hymn tunes included in the upcoming Spring concert.
- Alas and Did My Savior Bleed (Songs of the Cross)
- Amazing Grace
- America the Beautiful
- Brethren, We Have Met to Worship
- Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
- Doxology
- Great is Thy Faithfulness
- Holy, Holy, Holy
- How Great Thou Art
- In the Garden
- It is Well With My Soul
- Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
- A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
- My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
- On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand
- Softly and Tenderly
- There is a Fountain
- Victory in Jesus
- Were You There?
- What Wondrous Love is This
- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
More information about “What Wondrous Love Is This”…
The hymn originates from the Appalachian region of the United States in the early 1800s. While hymnals were not commonplace at the time, the lyrics were first published in two different camp meeting songbooks in 1811, one in Lynchburg, Virginia, and the other in Lexington, Kentucky.
Because hymn books were rare, authors would often write lyrics that were simple and repetitive to aid congregations in learning the songs. This was not indicative of a poor writer, rather the repetition served to increase retention of the words and message.
The tune of the hymn was similar to a 1701 English song, “The Ballad of Captain Kidd,” which recounted the exploits of a sailor who had been executed for piracy. Many other popular songs had also been set to the same melody. In this way, the tune was memorable and easy to learn, much like “The Star-bangled Banner” or “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” each coming from old drinking songs.
Furthermore, the song was discovered by composer William Walker during his travels in Appalachia and published in 1835 in his collection of shape note hymns, The Southern Harmony. Shape note singing was a popular form of musical notation using shapes to denote different pitches. Since most people in that day could not read music, shape notes made it possible for everyone to sing.
More information about “Amazing Grace”, “Brethren, We Have Met Together”, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, “How Great Thou Art”, “It Is Well with My Soul”, “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks I Stand”
Marietta Pops Orchestra is a community orchestra designed to draw together musicians from the Marietta, Georgia area to rehearse and perform quality orchestral music for the enjoyment of our audiences and the musical fulfillment of our performers. Our commitment to musical excellence fosters our members’ lifelong love of music and our performances seek to enrich the musical life of the community.