How Can I Keep from Singing?

The text of this popular American hymn first appeared in The New York Observer (1868), titled "Always Rejoicing," and attributed to "Pauline T." William Bradbury included it in Bright Jewels for the Sunday School, published in 1869. Bradbury died a year before the collection was in print. Robert Lowry, a Baptist preacher and hymn writer, was its designated editor. In that hymnal, the initials "R.L." appear above the music where the composer is credited, but the space for the author of the text is blank. This new imaginative setting for SATB choir and orchestra draws on the hymn's inspiring theme of peace through faith, even in times of trial.