1849–1937

Introduction

Born: May 8, 1849, near Ben­ton, Holmes Coun­ty, Ohio.

Died: Oc­to­ber 29 (Find­agrave, some sourc­es say May 27), 1937, Day­ton, Ohio.

Buried: Bear Creek-Hill­grove Ce­me­te­ry, Dayton, Ohio.

Biography

John was the son of James Ew­ing and Ruth Jane Ri­chards, and hus­band of Es­ther Belle Monce.

He stu­died mu­sic un­der lead­ing teach­ers of the day, in­clud­ing George Root.

Works

Ewing became a skilled or­gan­ist, pi­an­ist and song lead­er, a pro­li­fic com­pos­er of hymn tunes, and a ve­ry com­pe­tent mu­sic teach­er.

Before the di­vi­sions of the ear­ly 1880’s, he served as the first in­struct­or of mu­sic at the Breth­ren-af­fil­iat­ed Hunt­ing­don Nor­mal School (lat­er Ju­ni­ata Col­lege) in Hunt­ing­don, Penn­syl­van­ia.

He was en­trust­ed with the 1879 re­vi­sion of The Breth­ren’s Tune and Hymn Book (1872), the first Breth­ren hym­nal with mu­si­cal no­ta­tion, set with shape-notes. In­clud­ed were se­ven­teen hymn tunes com­posed by Ew­ing.

Peter E. Rous­sa­kis (pos­si­bly Pe­ter Ell­wood Rous­sa­kis, 1946–2020), quot­ed in the Hym­na­ry

Sources

Music

  1. Sturgis
  2. Warner
  3. We Speak of the Realms of the Blest

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