Thus POOR blind Bartimeus? Origins of the added word.

[Antonio James Higgins]

This is something that tripped me up when I first started singing Sacred Harp music in 2024! 

Olney Hymns, 1779 reads:

Mercy, O Thou Son of David!
Thus blind Bartimeus prayed;
Others by Thy grace are saved,
Now to me afford Thine aid...

Yet both the 1991 and 2025 editions consistently have the second line as "Thus blind poor Bartimeus prayed." I know the original better in this case,  and I think John Newton's intent was that the line should be sung with this emphasis: Thus blind Bartimeus prayed, as opposed to Bartimeus. The original also has more poetic flow.

Where did this textual change originate, and why has it never been corrected in Sacred Harp history?

Blessings,
A. J. Higgins

[Robert Vaughn]

Antonio,

I do not know where the text change originated, but can say it has been that way as long as it has been in The Sacred Harp. Would have to double-check, but I think it was added in 1850. (It was originally on page 331). There probably were hymn books that had it that way, or perhaps J. M. Day did it to suit what he felt was the flow of his music.

I believe the spelling in the KJV originally was Bartimæus (need to check that also). I find this interesting because this is a name I have heard pronounced different sorts of ways, and with either 3 or 4 syllables. Also we have a little book (7-shape) song with the name in it (not Newton's text), ON THE JERICHO ROAD by Donald McCrossan. We sang it there as Bar-tee-mee-us.

His glories sing,

Robert Vaughn 

Mount Enterprise, TX

http://baptistsearch.blogspot.com 

Ask for the old paths, where is the good way

http://mtcarmelbaptist.blogspot.com 

For ask now of the days that are past...

http://oldredland.blogspot.com 

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

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[Robert Vaughn]

Antonio, thinking about this being the text in CHARLESTOWN also, it is unlikely that J. M. Day made the change, but just picked it up out of his source. There are several hymn books on Hymnary.org that have the word "poor" in them on that line (and many that don't).

Robert Vaughn 

Mount Enterprise, TX

http://baptistsearch.blogspot.com 

Ask for the old paths, where is the good way

http://mtcarmelbaptist.blogspot.com 

For ask now of the days that are past...

http://oldredland.blogspot.com 

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

[Wade Kotter]

The addition of "blind" goes back at least to 1823:

https://archive.org/details/publicparlourcot00harr/page/38/mode/2up

I suspect there are earlier instances, possibly in earlier camp meeting songsters. Anyway, it clearly, as you point out, revolves around how Bartimeus was sung, but not necessarily its "correct" pronunciation. I'm guessing that, in America at least, it became common to pronounce (or at least sing) it as Bar-ti-meus, with "meus" contracted and pronounced as a single syllable, thus "requiring" the addition of "poor: to fill in the 7 syllable line. The tune CHARLESTOWN (originally named CHARLESTON) was first published in Pillsbury's The United States Sacred Harmony in 1799, where it was paired with "Come thou fount of ev'ry blessing." I believe the earliest appearance of this tune with the Newton text was in Carden et al The Western Harmony in 1824. I don't have access to this collection, but I suspect it used "Thus poor blind" and treated "meus" as a single syllable. This is certainly the case with CHARLESTOWN when it was added with this text to The Southern Harmony. Something in the back of my mind hints that CHARLESTOWN might have been added in the 1837 printing of The Southern Harmony, but it's definitely there in the 1840 edition, which is available at IMSLP (it's on p. 23b):

https://ks15.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/a/a7/IMSLP559075-PMLP213802-Southern_Harmony_nobts.edu_1840.pdf

I feel that the long history of the "poor blind" version with "meus" sung as a single syllable in connection with CHARLESTOWN/CHARLESTON justifies not making a change. If such a change were made, the other two tunes that use this version of the text (VILLULIA 56b and FRIENDSHIP 458) and hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of singers would be perplexed. Perhaps Will Fitzgerald or another member of the text team can comment on whether this issue was discussed during the editing process.

Wade

Dr. Wade Kotter

Retired Librarian

Independent Hymnologist and Unrestrained Loud Treble

South Ogden, UT

"Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" 

[Antonio James Higgins]

Thanks everyone!

AJH

[Robert Vaughn]

[I believe the spelling in the KJV originally was Bartimæus (need to check that also).]

I checked this via a scan of a 1611 printing of the KJV on Archive.org. The spelling there is Bartimeus, as John Newton spells/prints it. The Bartimæus printing with the ash (æ) must have come later.

Robert Vaughn 

Mount Enterprise, TX

http://baptistsearch.blogspot.com 

Ask for the old paths, where is the good way

http://mtcarmelbaptist.blogspot.com 

For ask now of the days that are past...

http://oldredland.blogspot.com 

Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/fasola-discussions/170671500.462660.1785675407893%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Wade Kotter]

Your welcome, Antonio. In my first sentence, I meant of course to say the addition of "poor," not "blind."

Wade

Dr. Wade Kotter

Retired Librarian

Independent Hymnologist and Unrestrained Loud Treble

South Ogden, UT

"Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/fasola-discussions/57213c93-46bb-4ff3-837f-87fe4457cf55n%40googlegroups.com.