Edward Harwood (of Darwen)

Edward Harwood (of Darwen) (1707–1787) was an English composer of hymns, anthems and songs. His setting of Alexander Pope’s revolutionary The Dying Christian (Vital spark of heav’nly flame) was enormously popular at one time and was widely performed at funerals, of nobility and commoners alike. Biography Edward Harwood was born at Hoddlesden, near Darwen, Lancashire, in 1707. His early training was as a hand-loom weaver, but he subsequently became a professional musician in Liverpool. His first collection of psalmody, A set of hymns and psalm tunes, was published in London in 1781, and a second collection, entitled A Second Set of Hymns and Psalm Tunes was published at Chester in 1786. Both collections were widely well-received. He died a year after publishing his second collection, in 1787. Vital Spark Harwood’s setting of Pope’s ode Vital spark of heav’nly flame was first published in Harwood’s A set of hymns and psalm tunes: it is written in the style of a glee, and in the original publication is written for the most part for three voices (two trebles and bass), with a fourth (tenor) part being added for the last few bars only. It was, however, often arranged for the more usual