Description
Listen to the beginner piano arrangement of Low in the Grave (Christ Arose).
Robert Lowry (March 12, 1826 – November 25, 1899) was an American professor of literature, a Baptist minister and composer of gospel hymns. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 12, 1826 and studied theology at the University at Lewisburg (now Bucknell University) and on graduating, in 1854, became ordained as a Baptist minister.
He is most remembered as a composer of gospel music and a hymn writer, including working with Fanny J. Crosby. He was responsible for around 500 compositions, including “Nothing But the Blood,” “Christ Arose” (“Low in the Grave He Lay”), “Shall We Gather At The River?,” and “How Can I Keep From Singing?” He also wrote the music and refrain for “Marching to Zion” (words by Isaac Watts).
Despite his success as a hymn writer, it was as a preacher that Lowry would have preferred to be recognized. He once stated: “Music, with me has been a side issue… I would rather preach a gospel sermon to an appreciative audience than write a hymn. I have always looked upon myself as a preacher and felt a sort of depreciation when I began to be known more as a composer.”
* This hymn arrangement is also available in our books:
