P. P. Bliss

P. P. Bliss

Philip Paul Bliss (9 July 1838 – 29 December 1876) was an American composer, conductor, writer of hymns and a bass-baritone Gospel singer. He wrote many well-known hymns, including "Hold the Fort" (1870), "Almost Persuaded" (1871); "Hallelujah, What a Saviour!" (1875); "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning"; "Wonderful Words of Life" (1875); and the tune for Horatio Spafford's "It Is Well with My Soul" (1876). Bliss was a recognized friend of D. L. Moody, the famous Chicago preacher. Bliss died in the Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster on his way to one of Moody's meetings. An outspoken Abolitionist, he served as a Lieutenant during the American Civil War. Bliss's house in Rome, Pennsylvania, is now operated as the Philip P. Bliss Gospel Songwriters Museum.

Birth and Death Data: Born July 9, 1838 (Clearfield County), Died December 29, 1876 (Ashtabula)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1897 - 1946

Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company	Matrix No.	Size	First Recording Date	Title	Primary Performer	Description	Role
Berliner	1767	7-in.	8/13/1897	Almost persuaded	Steve Porter	Male vocal solo	composer, lyricist
Berliner	4278	7-in.	June 1897-Oct. 1898	Almost persuaded	Haydn Quartet	Male vocal quartet	composer, lyricist
Berliner	0646	7-in.	10/20/1899	Almost persuaded	J. J. Fisher	Male vocal solo	composer, lyricist
Berliner	01230	7-in.	4/19/1900	Almost persuaded	Haydn Quartet	Male vocal quartet	composer, lyricist
Victor	[Pre-matrix A-]110	7-in.	7/11/1900	Almost persuaded	Haydn Quartet	Male vocal quartet	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-2704	10-in.	8/7/1905	Let the lower lights be burning	Harry Macdonough ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with organ	composer
Victor	B-3812	10-in.	9/18/1906	It is well with my soul	Handel Mixed Quartet	Mixed vocal quartet, unaccompanied	composer
Victor	B-3923	10-in.	10/25/1906	Almost persuaded	Harry Macdonough ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	E-3923	8-in.	10/25/1906	Almost persuaded	Harry Macdonough ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-8064	10-in.	6/16/1909	Eternity	Whitney Brothers Quartet	Male vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-8213	10-in.	9/7/1909	The light of the world is Jesus	Whitney Brothers Quartet	Male vocal quartet	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-8889	10-in.	4/25/1910	Glasses up and shout	Mendelssohn Glee Club	Male vocal chorus	composer
Victor	C-9949	12-in.	2/14/1911	Windows open toward Jerusalem	Mrs. J. Darr	Female vocal solo, with piano	composer
Victor	B-13246	10-in.	5/7/1913	Almost persuaded	Percy Hemus ; Harry Macdonough	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Victor	B-14712	10-in.	4/15/1914	Come out, Mr. Sunshine	Christine Miller	Female vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-20962	10-in.	11/12/1917	Hållen fästet tills jag kommer	Brooklyn Svenska Mans Kvartetten	Male vocal quartet, with organ	composer
Victor	B-22074	10-in.	7/26/1918	Nästan en kristen	Brooklyn Svenska Mans Kvartetten	Male vocal quartet, with organ	composer
Victor	B-23580	10-in.	1/15/1920	Let the lower lights be burning	Elsie Baker ; Olive Kline	Female vocal duet, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Victor	B-25822	10-in.	11/26/1921	Beinah gewonnen	Methodist Ministers Quartet	Male vocal quartet, with organ	composer
Victor	B-31288	10-in.	10/30/1924	Eternity	Shannon Quartet	Male vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer
Victor	B-31351	10-in.	11/24/1924	Sök ej Kristus bland de döda	Joseph Lycell	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Victor	BVE-33936	10-in.	11/24/1925	It is well with my soul	Louise Homer	Contralto vocal solo, with male vocal quartet and pipe organ	composer
Victor	BVE-36264	10-in.	9/18/1926	I will sing of my Redeemer	Perry Kim ; Einar Nyland	Male vocal duet, with guitar and mandolin	lyricist
Victor	BVE-36687	10-in.	11/15/1926	The bee and the butterfly	Erva Giles	Female vocal solo, with piano	composer
Victor	BVE-39507	10-in.	7/8/1927	Sometime we'll understand	Mark Andrews	Pipe organ solo	composer
Victor	BVE-49182	10-in.	12/12/1928	Brightly beams	Taskiana Four	Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied	lyricist, composer
Victor	BVE-57321	10-in.	10/25/1929	It is well with my soul	Pace Jubilee Singers	Mixed vocal chorus, with organ	composer
Victor	BVE-82815	10-in.	7/30/1934	I will sing of my Redeemer	Jenkins Family	Mixed vocal trio, with guitar and mandolin	lyricist
Victor	BVE-82839	10-in.	7/31/1934	Let the lower lights be burning	Smith’s Sacred Singers	Male vocal ensemble, with piano	composer, lyricist
Victor	PD6VB-2239	10-in.	5/28/1946	Let the lower lights be burning	Harmoneers Quartet	Male vocal quartet, with piano	composer
Columbia	441	10-in.	ca. 1901-Sept. 1902	Almost persuaded	S. C. Porter	Chimes solo	composer
Columbia	441	7-in.	ca. 1901	Almost persuaded	S. C. Porter	Chimes solo	composer
Columbia	3556	10-in.	between 1906 and January 1907	Let the lower lights be burning	Harry Anthony ; James F. Harrison	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Columbia	4269	10-in.	approximately 1909	It is well with my soul	Henry Burr ; Frank C. Stanley	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Columbia	4363	10-in.	between January and April 1910	Waiting and watching	Harry Anthony ; James F. Harrison	Male vocal duet, with orchestra	composer
Columbia	4910	10-in.	approximately 1910	Wonderful words of life	Henry Burr	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	lyricist, composer
Columbia	39477	10-in.	7/8/1914	Let the lower lights be burning	Chautauqua Preachers’ Quartette	Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied	composer, lyricist
Columbia	39479	10-in.	7/8/1914	Hold the fort	Chautauqua Preachers’ Quartette	Male vocal quartet, unaccompanied	composer
Columbia	30845	12-in.	9/16/1911	Where he leads me	Gipsy Smith	Male vocal solo, with cello obbligato and organ	composer
Columbia	36936	12-in.	4/23/1914	What a saviour	Andrea Sarto	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	composer
Columbia	W140486	10-in.	3/31/1925	A plainsman's song	Associated Glee Clubs of America	Male vocal chorus	composer
Columbia	W140949	10-in.	9/17/1925	Almost persuaded	Anthony and Harrison	Male vocal duet, with instrumental trio	composer, lyricist
Columbia	W141299	10-in.	11/23/1925	Let the lower lights be burning	Dixie Jubilee Singers	Mixed vocal chorus, with piano	lyricist, composer
Columbia	141430	10-in.	12/23/1925	Almost persuaded	The Gospel Singers	Vocal ensemble, with piano	lyricist, composer
Columbia	W143885	10-in.	4/4/1927	I will sing of my Redeemer	Smith’s Sacred Singers	Male vocal ensemble, with piano	lyricist
Columbia	W146110	10-in.	4/17/1928	Let the lower lights be burning	Smith’s Sacred Singers	Male vocal ensemble, with piano	composer, lyricist
Columbia	W150015	10-in.	2/25/1930	Pull for the shore	William McEwan	Male vocal solo, with violin and organ	composer, lyricist
Columbia	CCO4707	10-in.	12/17/1946	Let the lower lights be burning	Old Hickory Singers ; Claude Sharpe	Male vocal quartet, with string band	composer, lyricist
OKeh	S-7862	10-in.	Apr. 1921	Let the lower lights be burning	Helen Clark ; Joseph A. Phillips	Female-male vocal duet, with string trio and organ	lyricist, composer
OKeh	S-70216	10-in.	Oct. 1921	Wonderful words of life	Albert Chiaffarelli ; Charles Hart ; Elliott Shaw	Male vocal duet, with organ	composer, lyricist
OKeh	S-70282	10-in.	10/27/1921	Almost persuaded	Virginia Burt ; Jane Neilson	Female vocal duet, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
OKeh	W80587	10-in.	3/19/1927	Let the lower lights be burning	Jenkins Family	Mixed vocal trio, with guitar and mandolin	composer, lyricist
OKeh	W402568	10-in.	8/7/1929	My Redeemer	O.S. Gabehart ; Chas. Richardson	Male vocal duet, with guitar	lyricist
OKeh	W403167	10-in.	10/17/1929	My Redeemer	Bertha Hewlett ; Holland R. Wilkinson	Male vocal solo, with piano	lyricist
OKeh	[OK cat 1282-A]	10-in.	approximately mid-1919	Almost persuaded	Reed Miller ; Frederick J. Wheeler	Male vocal duet	composer, lyricist
Brunswick	3970	10-in.	approximately July 1920	Almost persuaded	Elizabeth Lennox ; Marie Tiffany	Female vocal duet, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Brunswick	E3936	10-in.	10/14/1926	I will sing of my Redeemer	Robert A. Gardner ; Lester McFarland	Male vocal duet, with guitar and mandolin	lyricist
Edison	2980	10-in.	Mar. 1914	Let the lower lights be burning	Metropolitan Quartet	Male vocal quartet	composer, lyricist
Edison	4371	10-in.	12/28/1915	I will sing of my Redeemer	Metropolitan Quartet	Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra	lyricist
Edison	5304	10-in.	1/19/1917	Eternity	Apollo Quartet of Boston	Male vocal quartet	composer
Edison	6809	10-in.	5/27/1919	Almost persuaded	Thomas Chalmers	Male vocal solo, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Edison	6875	10-in.	7/16/1919	It is well with my soul	Anna Case ; Criterion Quartet	Soprano vocal solo and male vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer
Edison	7730	10-in.	1/10/1921	The light of the world is Jesus	Metropolitan Quartet	Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Edison	8358	10-in.	2/6/1922	We're going home to-morrow	Metropolitan Quartet	Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer
Edison	9217	10-in.	10/22/1923	What shall the harvest be?	Metropolitan Quartet	Mixed vocal quartet, with orchestra	composer
Edison	9363	10-in.	2/4/1924	Waiting and watching for me	Helen Clark ; Roy Roberts	Vocal duet (contralto and baritone), with orchestra	lyricist
Edison	10830	10-in.	2/15/1926	Hold the fort	Edward Allen	Tenor vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble, with orchestra	composer
Edison	10831	10-in.	2/15/1926	Pull for the shore	Edward Allen	Tenor vocal solo and mixed vocal ensemble, with orchestra	composer, lyricist
Edison	11452	10-in.	1/19/1927	Let the lower lights be burning	Frederick Kinsley	Pipe organ solo	composer
Vocalion	13704-13705	10-in.	9/17/1924	My Redeemer	George Reneau	Male vocal solo, with guitar and harmonica	lyricist

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bliss, P. P.," accessed October 31, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/100347.

Bliss, P. P.. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/100347.

"Bliss, P. P.." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 31 October 2024.