Joseph Lincoln Hall

Joseph Lincoln Hall (1866–1930), usually credited as J. Lincoln Hall, was an American gospel-song composer, organist, teacher, conductor, editor, and music publisher based in Philadelphia. Hymnary's biographical record describes him as the son of musical parents, a choir director from his youth, a University of Pennsylvania music graduate, and an active song leader and choral conductor. He also belonged to Seventh Street Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Hall used several pseudonyms in his publishing work, including Maurice A. Clifton and Arthur Wilton.

Hall became an important figure in the commercial and congregational gospel-song culture of his era. With Irvin H. Mack he helped establish the Hall-Mack Publishing Company, and he wrote or arranged hundreds of gospel songs while editing and compiling songbooks. His catalog includes hymn texts and tunes as well as cantatas, anthems, and larger sacred works; Hymnary indexes works such as Christ Is My Portion Forever and Sitting at the Feet of Jesus among his texts. He also participated in collections such as New Songs of the Gospel and Songs of Faith and Triumph. His setting for Does Jesus Care? is one representative example of a much broader career devoted to sacred music, publishing, and congregational song.