Thomas Hastings (1784 to 1872)
Albino hymnwriter.
Thomas Hastings was born in Washington, Connecticut. An albino afflicted with extreme near sightedness, Hastings nonetheless taught himself the fundamentals of music. He penned more than six hundred hymns, composed more than one thousand hymn tunes and published more than fifty collections of sacred music. He and Lowell Mason did much to shape church music in 19th-century America. He gave us the music for "Rock of Ages," "From every Stormy Wind that Blows," and "Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned upon the Savior's Brow."
