Bennett Mintern Swaffield

Life

Born: 1796

Died: 1854

Biography
Bennett Mintern Swaffield was baptised at St. Mary's, Beaminster on 3 July 1796, the son of Joseph Swaffield and Ann (née Mintern).

In 1818, two of Swaffield's psalm tunes (both settings of parts of Psalm 119 in the metrical New Version) were published in Richard Garbett's Sacred Harmony. Swaffield appears among the subscribers to this book, as 'Swaffield, Mr. B. M. St Austle'.

Swaffield published a collection of Twenty Five Original Melodies in 1822. This work contains 23 psalm tunes with texts from the New Version, two settings of the Sanctus, two settings of 'Glory be to thee, O Lord' marked as 'Doxologies, between the Epistle and Gospel' (referring to the Book of Common Prayer communion service), a setting of the responses to the Ten Commandments from the communion service, a chant, and a dismission. The psalm tunes include the two previously published in Garbett's Sacred Harmony.

Twenty Five Original Melodies was dedicated by Swaffield to 'the Reverend Thomas Scott Smyth, A.M. Vicar of St Austell and St. Blazey, Cornwall and late Fellow of Oriel College, Oxford': the dedication is dated 'St Austell, June 1822'. The book was published by subscription, and the subscribers include Richard Garbett, Samuel Chapple and Charles William Hempel.

Swaffield married Helena Walker on 5 July 1827 at St. Austell, and was buried there on 17 October 1854.

View the Wikipedia article on Bennett Mintern Swaffield.

List of choral works

• How blest is he who ne'er consents
• My hiding place, my refuge tower
• O God, my gracious God, to thee
• To my request and earnest cry

 
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Publications

• Twenty Five Original Melodies, London: for the Author, (1822).

External links

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