I have only a few memories from the year my family spent in the Philippines in 1955-56. I was 9 years old and I’m sure my memories were influenced by my mother, who I spent most of my time with…compared to my older brother (15) and sister (18), who enjoyed the freedom to explore a new country without too much supervision. I have shared a few of my memories in this blog. You can read them here:
https://marykisner.com/this-monkey-was-not-my-friend/
https://marykisner.com/trying-to-sneak-into-air-conditioning/
https://marykisner.com/a-christmas-surprise-in-1955/
https://marykisner.com/camel-ride-in-egypt-in-1956/
For some reason, today I was reminded of the experience of carolers coming to our door in the week before Christmas…1955 in the Philippines. I probably watched too many Hallmark movies this week where groups of folks were wandering the streets and neighborhoods in their fictional towns singing Christmas carols. If the snow was drifting down in the movie, the songs were about Dreaming of a White Christmas, and sleigh bells ringing.
I thought back to the songs I heard outside our door in the Philippines. You can be sure there were no drifting snow flakes or sleigh bells on horses on our street! The weather was warm and sultry…not cold and snowy! We heard traditional religious carols, like O Little Town of Bethlehem and Away in a Manger. The most common song…in my 9 year old memory…was Whispering Hope! I don’t recall ever hearing that song before or since…especially at Christmas. I barely remembered the tune.
Time to do a little research! First, I looked up the history of the song. It was written in 1868 by Septimus Winner (1827-1902). This article, by Pam Griffin, summarizes his life as follows:
STORY BEHIND THE SONG: From folk tunes to jail to ‘Whispering Hope’
“What could the comforting hymn “Whispering Hope” have to do with well-known little ditties such as “Listen to the Mockingbird,” “Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?” and “Ten Little Indians?” They were all written by Alice Hawthorne, one of the pseudonyms used by the 19th century songwriter Septimus Winner. The famous poet, composer and violinist, born in 1827 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the seventh child of Joseph Eastburn Winner and Mary Ann Hawthorne, a relative of Nathanial Hawthorne.
Winner, a self-taught musician, did study violin briefly around 1853 with Leopold Meignen, a former bandmaster in Napoleon’s army and a composer and conductor. Winner could play a variety of instruments, including the guitar and banjo, and became proficient in the violin by the age of 20. After graduating Philadelphia’s Central High School, he opened a music shop and gave lessons on a number of instruments and performed locally with the Cecillian Music Society and the Philadelphia Brass Band.
From 1845 to 1854, Winner and his brother, Joseph, formed a music publishing business, Winner & Shuster, which Winner continued with various partners and names until 1902. During this time, he wrote or edited 200 volumes of music for more than 20 instruments and produced more than 2,000 arrangements for violin and piano plus more than 1,500 easy arrangements for a number of instruments.
Winner, who died in Philadelphia from a heart attack in 1902 at the age of 75, was a frequent contributor to Graham’s Magazine, then edited by Edgar Allen Poe, and was the founder of Philadelphia’s Musical Fund Society. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.” By Pam Griffin (pgriffin@thedestinlog.com)
So, how about that! Next, I looked up the lyrics of the song. That helped me understand how it could fit into the Christmas spirit and the recent end of World War II. In 1955, we weren’t too far away from the end of that conflict. I found two versions of the lyrics…the original and a second version that was published as a hymn.
Original lyrics:
Lyrics published as a hymn:
Sheet Music
Finally, I went to musicnotes.com to find the easy piano version of sheet music for Whispering Hope, thinking maybe I could take it with me to our Christmas gathering at our daughter’s house. My grandson might be able to play the tune on the piano. It cost only $5 to print a copy from that website.
So, that’s the story of the song, Whispering Hope, from my memory in 1955. I found a recording of the song by Anne Murray on her album, Amazing Grace: Inspirational Favorites and Classic Hymns. I purchased the album on iTunes and will enjoy the song this season! I’ll add this song to my Christmas playlist.
Follow up
My grandson, Ben, tried to plink out the melody but he had no reference…he had never heard the song. He tried to quickly find the song on his phone so he could hear it. Not much luck! I also had trouble trying to fit the lyrics into the notes on the sheet music. He eventually lost interest in trying to help me…Christmas activities won the day! I’ll have to tackle this myself at my own keyboard.
That’s OK. He tried to help!
This weekend I’ll spend some time with my brother and Lita (his wife is from the Philippines). She should remember that Christmas long ago. Hopefully, she will remember that song too!
Merry Christmas from Mary and Bert!
WHISPERING HOPE was one of our maternal grandmother’s ( Edith Johnson Eckel) hymns. The song may have been in the music book that accompanied the pump organ. Perhaps Bert remembers it too. Now I can’t get the music out of my head!
Thanks for the information. I’ll check the book for the organ!
Hello Aunt Mary. The song that you posted, and particularly the hymn derived from it, was very touching. Thank you. Some things that caught my attention were:
(1.) All the elements of the gospel, the good news, are included—
• The love of God in His reaching us through incarnation—“Thy love is sweet music to me”.
• The forgiveness of sin, and that “Jesus has conquered forever sin with its fearful control” by the redemptive death of Christ, and the “wonderful cleansing [away of sins] thro’ His blood” which was shed for us on the cross.
• The resurrection of Christ on the third day—“glorious, risen Redeemer”.
(2.) Then, when we hear the good news, we are enlightened—“Darkness gives way to the sunlight, while His voice falls on my ear”.
(3.) And we are enabled and empowered to respond to the gospel by His grace—“like the sweet freshness of dew” (dew in the Bible often signifies the grace of God).
(4.) Following our response, repenting (turning our heart), and opening to receive Him—inviting Him to come into us—the result is not only that we are born again, but also a heart that loves His Word (“my heart thrills at His Word”) and a manner of life that is expecting and hastening the Lord’s second coming—“whispering hope of His coming”, “O to be watching and waiting; ready to welcome the Lord”).
(5.) But what touched me the most is “the dear whisper of Jesus” calling you—you were called to remember this song from so long ago, which so beautifully encapsulates the gospel; you were called to find the lyrics, not only the original, but also to search further for the hymn; you were called to purchase the album which has the recording of this hymn so you could listen to it; and you were called to make it known to friends and relatives through your blog. God’s calling is a powerful thing; it’s what distinguishes real Christians from merely religious people. Religious people may learn something about God and seek to do something for God, but those who become Christians, those who get begotten of God, are called by God Himself.
John 1:12-13—12But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, 13Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Rom. 11:29—For the gracious gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
Eph. 1:18—The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling…
Eph. 4:1—I beseech you therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
2 Tim. 1:9—Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace…
According to 1 Kings 19:11-13, God’s calling comes as a still, small voice—as a gentle whisper.
11 And the Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
May God enable and empower all who read your blog post to respond to the gospel which is embodied in this hymn and heralded across cyber space. And may God richly bless you and your family in 2025! Thanks again for sharing the memory! – Much love, P.J.B.
Wow Paul! I’m glad you found so much meaning in my simple memory. Happy New Year!
Thank you Paul for the depth and encouragement of your comments thank you Mary for the wonderful memory and research!