A Tale of Hope
The piece tells the story of Chicago lawyer and Presbyterian church elder Horatio Gates Spafford.
In 1873, the Spafford family planned a vacation to England, but last-minute business demands prevented Horatio from sailing with them. Tragedy struck when the ship collided with an iron sailing vessel while crossing the Atlantic, killing 226 people, including all four of Spafford’s daughters. His wife, Anna, survived the tragedy, and upon arriving in Cardiff, Wales, she sent a telegram to Spafford that simply read "Saved alone."
Shortly afterwards, as Spafford travelled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write the hymn It Is Well with My Soul as his ship passed near where his daughters had died.
The hymn was subsequently set to music by fellow American Philip Bliss, with the tune named after the ship on which Spafford's daughters died, Ville du Havre.
Composer Steven Ponsford has chosen to portray this story in a substantial composition for brass band. Much of the early music is turbulent, reflecting the long voyage, and then the disaster that claimed Spafford’s daughters. After a darker ‘Grave’ section, the hymn It Is Well With My Soul softly emerges, with the piece ending on a note of optimism and hope.