Clara H. Scott (1841–1897)

Born December 3, 1841, Clara H. Scott grew into a gifted American music teacher and composer whose steady, largely unseen work strengthened the song of the church in the nineteenth century. Her life illustrates a quiet kind of heroism: not the heroism of headlines, but of faithful service offered week after week. In an era when congregational singing helped shape doctrine in the hearts of ordinary believers, Scott devoted her skill to melodies that could be carried by common voices—simple enough to sing, sturdy enough to endure.

Service Through Sacred Song

Scott contributed to song collections associated with Horatio R. Palmer, a notable publisher and compiler of church music. These collections circulated widely in homes, schools, and congregations, helping form the musical memory of communities across America. Palmer’s work represented a broad movement to teach music and supply churches with usable hymns, and Scott’s contributions reflect a conviction that beauty and clarity belong together in worship. Her vocation as a teacher also mattered: she did not merely write music; she helped train others to participate, reminding believers that worship is not performance but shared devotion.

“Open My Eyes, That I May See”

Scott is best remembered for writing both text and tune of “Open My Eyes, That I May See,” a hymn shaped as a prayer for spiritual sight, attentive hearing, and willing obedience. Its themes echo Scripture’s insistence that true understanding is a gift from God, not a human achievement: “Open my eyes that I may see” aligns with the longing of the psalmist, “Open my eyes that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18). The hymn’s call to responsive faith also matches the pattern of discipleship: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

In Scott’s hymn, devotion begins where it must: with God’s light breaking in, the heart made teachable, and the will made ready. Her legacy endures wherever believers sing not to display themselves, but to ask for grace—and to rise from prayer into obedient life.