Johnnie Vinson is a conductor, educator, and prolific composer/arranger based in Alabama. After music study at Auburn University and the University of Mississippi, he was the Director of Bands at Auburn University for 36 years. He retired in 2007, earning Emeritus status, and has devoted even more of his time to composition ever since. He has more than 400 compositions and arrangements to his name. This and his time with the Auburn bands have earned him membership in the American Bandmasters Association, the Alabama Bandmasters Hall of Fame, and many other accolades. Learn more about him at Auburn University, his website, and Hal Leonard.

Vinson created his arrangement of Nettleton in 2007. He explains (from the score, with links added by me):

Nettleton is the title of an early American hymn tune whose origin is uncertain. Some sources list the composer as John Wyeth (1770-1858), a Massachusetts printer and lay musician. The tune first appeared in print under the title “Hallelujah” in Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Songs, Part Second which was published in 1813. Other sources attribute the tune’s composition to the Rev. Asahel Nettleton (1783-1844), a noted American evangelist of the early eighteenth century for whom it was obviously titled.

The tune, whose form is a-a-b-a, has undergone some changes over time. Early versions were noted in 3/2 time (or even 4/4), while today it is usually found in 3/4. Earlier printings often had the cadence of the “b” section on the sixth scale degree, but today this phrase normally ends on the higher tonic.

In hymn-tune collections of the 1830s and 1840s, the tune is found with various text settings under the titles “Female Pilgrim“; “Know, My Soul“; “Parting Friends, Return Again”; and “Scriptures Blessing.” The tune is widely found in modern hymn books under the title “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” This title is taken from the first line of lyrics written by Robert Robinson (1735-1790).

This setting of Nettleton for concert band was commissioned by and is dedicated to the Thompson Middle School Band of Alabaster, Alabama, and its directors, Connie and Tim Hammond. It was written and scored during October, 2007, and was premiered by the Thompson Middle School Band during a special concert for the participants of the Alabama Music Educators Association Conference in January, 2008.

This excerpt from the book Folk Songs of the Catskills sheds more light on the tune. Here is Vinson’s arrangement, with score:

See more about Vinson’s arrangement at Music Room, the Wind Repertory Project, Hal Leonard, and J. W. Pepper.

Here is “Come Thou, Font of Every Blessing” in a contemporary arrangement:

Another arrangement for chorus and orchestra: