Elizabeth Joan Cosnett (17 May 1936 – 22 January 2024) was a British

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who is traditionally ...

Biography

Elizabeth Joan Cosnett was born on 17 May 1936 in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England. She was educated at

St Hugh's College, Oxford St Hugh's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a ...

and went on to become an English lecturer at the Liverpool Institute of Higher Education, retiring in 1996. Her hymns came to attention between the age of 49 and 52, rather later than the average hymnodist, when her collaborations with Ian Sharp won the 1985 and 1988

Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns, worship songs and inspirational performances in churches of varying denominations from around the UK alongside interviews and stories reflecting how Ch ...

competitions organised by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. From 1999 until her retirement in 2002, she was the Executive President of the Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Cosnett died on 22 January 2024, at the age of 87.

Output

Hymns written by Elizabeth Cosnett include: * Can we by searching find out God * Shaping spirit, move among us * We bring our children, Lord, today * What have we to show our Saviour * When candles are lighted on Candlemas Day

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cosnett, Elizabeth Joan 1936 births 2024 deaths Alumni of St Hugh's College, Oxford British Christian hymnwriters British women hymnwriters Writers from Liverpool