Amazing grace: 5 hymns that changed the world (1999)

For more than 200 years these treasured hymns have touched the lives of millions, for they are the most compelling music the world has ever known. These beloved songs were a product of a special union between the Spirit of God and the human heart. They were forged in the real life crucibles of tragedy, pain, and overwhelming joy. Amazing Grace was written by John Newton 25 years after he abandoned his life as an African slave trader. It is Well with My Soul poured from the broken heart of Horatio Spafford after his four daughters were killed in a tragic shipwreck. Joseph Scriven penned What a Friend We Have in Jesus after his fiancee drowned the day before their wedding. Silent Night and How Great Thou Art evolved from poems written by an Austrian parish priest and a Swedish pastor in praise and thanksgiving to their Creator. They are hymns that will endure forever. Each hymn is performed by soloists and choirs; Silent Night features the Vienna Boys Choir.