Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Brethren, We Have Met Together

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Text
  
by George Atkins

Melody
  
Holy Manna

Meter
  
87 87 D

Published
  
1819 (lyrics) 1825 (tune)

"Brethren, We Have Met Together" is one of the oldest published American folk hymns. The lyrics were written by George Atkins and first published in 1819. The traditional tune, Holy Manna, is a pentatonic melody in Ionian mode originally published by William Moore in Columbian Harmony, a four-note shape-note tunebook, in 1829. Like most shape-note songs from that century, it is usually written in three parts.

It is commonly sung as the opening song at shape-note singing events.

Lyrics

The lyrics, from Southern Harmony, are:

References

Brethren, We Have Met Together Wikipedia