Enduring Praise Hymn’s Message: Hope Builds People Up

New York is home to so many musicals. It had been the nurturing place of music being taught in schools, and one of the forerunners was the conductor and teacher, William Bradbury.

Bradbury composed the music for “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”, which was penned by Edward Mote. Bradbury is one of the most eminent composers in America, whose family manufactured Bradbury pianos and he was a pillar of sacred and secular music (he published 59 music books). He improved his skills by studying abroad and always bringing home the knowledge for the benefit of America’s Broadway Tabernacle “Juvenile Musical Festivals”, which was a sought after community event in New York. His style of Sunday school music was the ideal of many musicians and his songs cherished by children.

Bradbury brought joyful music to My “Hope Is Built On Nothing Less”, which is a popular praise hymn. The theme is based on writer Edward Mote’s evolution of faith. His family did not bring him up as a believer. But in his youth, he became the cabinetmaker’s assistant, and because the cabinetmaker was Christian and Mote was truly open learning about Christ, Mote attended worship gatherings. He eventually had a cabinet business of his own. He loved Christian music and had scribbled four verses of the only hymn he would ever create. He had written the line “My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less” and placed the paper in his pocket. A friend invited him to come over his and his ill wife’s house. In spite of her illness she wished to pray and sing a hymn since it was a Sunday and she could not attend service. But his friend couldn’t find the hymn book, so Mote offered the song in his pocket and the wife was so happy after that, so she requested a copy of it. Encouraged that his song was able to lift their spirits, Mote got a few copies of it made, to freely give away. When he was 55, Mote proceeded to England from America. By then he was already a Baptist minister.