O'Kane, Tullius Clinton 03/10/1830 - 12/10/1912

Tullius Clinton O'Kane was born on March 10, 1830 in Fairfield County, Ohio. He went to Ohio Wesleyan University from which he graduated with an AB degree in 1852 and received his AM degree from his alma mater three years later.

Immediately after graduation he was offered a position on the faculty as a tutor in mathematics which he accepted and successfully filled for five years.

His musical abilities were recognized early on at the university: For years he was the musical pioneer in the daily chapel devotions. He organized and maintained a choral society at the college and was the first music teacher at Ohio Wesleyan Female College which was admitted to the university a few years ago.

His musical compositions were first published in Philip Phillips ''Musical Leaves'' in 1865 and since then few Sunday School songbooks have appeared without one or more of his compositions.

His first music book, ''Fresh Leaves'' was published in 1868. It was followed by ''Dewdrops'', ''Adoration Songs'', ''Every Sabbath'', ''Jasper and Gold'', ''Praise of the Savior'', ''Glorious Things'' and ''Morning Stars''. In 1882, in conjunction with his son Edward T. O'Kane, himself an outstanding composer and a very skilled organist, he published ''Selected Anthems'', a book designed for more advanced choirs. In collaboration with JR Sweney and "Chaplain" McCabe, he published ''Joy to the World'', a songbook for prayer meetings and from the same editors. In collaboration with W.J. Kirkpatrick, he compiled ''Songs of Delivering Love, No. 1'' (1882) and No. 2 (1884). He also released ''Songs of Praise'',''Unfading Treasures'', and ''Forward Songs''.

Some of Professor O'Kane's most famous songs are ''Glorious Fountain'', ''The Home Over There'', ''On Jordan's Stormy Banks'', ''Tell me, are you ready?'' and many others. For Mr. O'Kane, music and musical composition had always been a recreation rather than a profession. He was an excellent choir director, but his strength seems to lie in leading large congregations, Sunday schools, and social-religious gatherings in sacred songs. In his music he tried to capture the spirit of the hymn and then express it in the music he composes for it. This sometimes seems to have been almost an inspiration and could be illustrated by a reference to the circumstances under which many of his compositions were written.

from: Hymnary.org

Note: Translated from the German website Hymnary.org into English