| Onward, Christian Soldiers | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music from The Hymnal Army and Navy | |
| Genre | Hymn |
| Written | 1871 |
| Text | Sabine Baring-Gould |
| Based on | 2 Timothy 2:3 |
| Melody | "St Gertrude" by Arthur Sullivan |
"Onward, Christian Soldiers" is a 19th-century English hymn. The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865, and the music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871. Sullivan named the tune "St Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune.[1][2] The Salvation Army adopted the hymn as its favoured processional.[3] The piece became Sullivan's most popular hymn.[1] The hymn's theme is taken from references in the New Testament to the Christian being a soldier for Christ, for example II Timothy 2:3 (KJV): "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."
- ^ a b Sullivan, Marc. "Discography of Sir Arthur Sullivan: Recordings of Hymns and Songs" Archived 24 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine. 11 July 2010, accessed 9 September 2011
- ^ "Conjubilant With Song: Sir Arthur Sullivan" Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 13 May 2008
- ^ Branston, John. "Christian Soldiers: The Salvation Army brings humility and $48 million to the fairgrounds discussion" Archived 6 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Memphis Flyer, 18 November 2005