To God Be the Glory

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To God Be the Glory is a hymn with lyrics by Fanny Crosby^[1] and tune by William Howard Doane, first published in 1875.

It appears to have been written around 1872 but was first published in 1875 in Lowry and Doane's song collection, Brightest and Best.^[2] It was already popular in Great Britain before publication. Ira Sankey had introduced it there during Moody's 1873-1874 evangelistic campaigns.^[3]

The song failed to achieve wide usage in the United States and was included in very few hymnals. In 1954 Cliff Barrows, song leader for Billy Graham, was handed a copy with the suggestion that it be added to the song book for the London Crusade. It was so popular that he included it again later that year in the Crusade in Nashville, Tennessee. The audience responded enthusiastically and from that time on, he used it regularly. With this exposure, the song rapidly became familiar to Christians worldwide and is included in most modern hymnals.^[4]