Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus

Helen Howarth Lemmel (1863–1961) was a world-class vocalist, educator, and hymn writer whose career spanned the continents of Europe and North America. Born in England as the daughter of a Methodist minister, she moved to the United States as a child. Her early career in Seattle as a music critic led to an influential encounter with the legendary contralto Ernestine Schumann-Heink, who encouraged her to study in Germany. After four years of intensive vocal training in Europe, Lemmel returned to America as a professional concert singer and a popular fixture on the Chautauqua circuit.

Lemmel’s sophisticated musical background eventually found a home in the evangelical movement. She joined the faculty of the Moody Bible Institute as a vocal teacher and became a key musical asset for evangelist Billy Sunday. She directed a women’s choral group that traveled with Sunday during the height of his career, and she even compiled a hymnal that Sunday used for over a decade. Her ability to blend classical vocal technique with the accessibility of gospel music made her a unique force in early 20th-century church music.

She is most globally recognized for the 1922 hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" (originally titled "The Heavenly Vision"). The hymn was inspired by a gospel tract given to her by a missionary friend, Isabella Trotter, which contained the phrase: "So then, turn your eyes upon Him, look full into His face and you will find that the things of earth will acquire a strange new dimness." Lemmel recounted that the melody and lyrics seemed to flow into her mind simultaneously, resulting in a chorus that has since been included in hundreds of hymnals and translated into dozens of languages.

After retiring to Seattle, Lemmel remained active in her local church and continued writing until her death at the age of 97. Over her long life, she authored approximately 500 hymns and various musical stories for children. Her legacy is defined by a transition from the prestigious concert halls of Europe to the revival tents of the American Midwest, always using her "gifted voice" both literally and through her pen, to direct the focus of her audience toward the divine.