Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
The authority accorded the Methodist hymnal can be detected in any version of "Kumbaya" that identifies its tune as "Desmond." Three that were mentioned in church bulletins were published by MorningStar, a company that opened in 1986 to produce ecumenical music "within the liturgical tradition." [1] At the time, non-denomination music was dominated by Contemporary Christian artists who were incorporating the aesthetics of popular songs.
The founder was a Lutheran who had worked for Concordia Publishing. [2] Rodney Schrank may have left after the Missouri Synod began suppressing liberal theologians. [3] One of the company’s first writers was the Roman Catholic Charles Callahan. [4] The other versions of "Kumbaya" were composed by Episcopalian Michael Larkin [5] and Evangelical Lutheran John Behnke.
Behnke’s "Variations for Organ on Kum Ba Yah" was the one most often mentioned in the church bulletins described in the post for 21 February 2019. Five Presbyterians used it as a prelude, as did one breakaway Presbyterian group, two Methodists, an Adventist, and a Lutheran musician.
Programs uploaded to the internet may not be the most objective source for evaluating taste. Of the large denominations, Presbyterians may be the most conscious about retaining records of their meetings. Methodists also keep archives. Other groups have different commitments to the written word.
YouTube may be more representative, since participation only depends on an individual’s access to the necessary software. Two men posted videos of themselves playing Behnke’s three movements. Mark Koskamp was performing in a concert in the Indianola, Iowa, Presbyterian church. Todd Grivetti’s concert was in the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Herndon, Virginia.
The score didn’t indicate the difficulty level, but it did require some coordination. In each movement, Behnke had the right hand play the melody, then the left; in the final two sections, the foot then took over. In "Crying," the right hand played a descant, while the two hands played chords elsewhere.
The demands for a pipe organ and a capable musician may be one reason Behnke’s arrangement was mentioned by more churches in large cities than other versions of "Kumbaya." It was played in Chicago in 2010, Boston in 2012, Memphis in 2014, and Pittsburgh in 2018.
That the urban congregations mentioned in the post for 21 February 2019 didn’t schedule "Kumbaya" may or may not be part of a preference for a professionalized service. In Oklahoma City, Robert Fasol played with a string bass and percussion accompaniment.
All but two organists played all three parts of the six-minute long piece during the prelude, but musicians made aesthetic or pragmatic decisions when it ended the service. [6] The Methodist organist in Covington, Tennessee, play all three parts, but the musician at a Brethren conference for older adults, only played the "Singing" section.
In Sioux City, Iowa, the instrumentalist at the Covenant Christian Reformed Church played "Crying" for an Offertory dedicated to "remembering the children." The musician used "Singing" for the postlude. He or she omitted the short "Praying." [7]
In 2001, Behnke transcribed the "Singing" movement for handbells, [8] but no one on the internet mentioned playing it.
Performers
John A. Behnke
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: none
Instrument: Steiner-Reck pipe organ, Concordia University Wisconsin chapel, [9] built in 1989 [10]
Instrumental Accompaniment: none
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Todd Grivetti
Instrument: Martin Ott pipe organ built in 2009 [11]
Mark Koskamp
Instrument: Dobson pipe organ built in 1982 [12]
Credits
Desmond
African-American Spiritual
Setting by John A. Behnke
Copyright © 1993 MorningStar Music Publishers
Notes on Lyrics
There were none
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Movement 1. Someone’s Praying Lord
Time Signature: 4/4 with some 6/4 measures
Tempo: Quarter note = 80 beats per minute, freely
Key Signature: no flats or sharps
Length: 29 measures
Effects: I: Flute 4'. II: Flute 8'
Movement 2. Someone’s Crying, Lord
Time Signature: 4/4 and 2/4
Tempo: Quarter note = 92 beats per minute, cantabile
Key Signature: accidentals rather than permanent flats or sharps
Length: 46 measures
Effects: I: Flute 4'. II: Flutes or Strings 8'. Ped: Solo 4'
Movement 3. Someone’s Singing, Lord
Time Signature: 6/8 with passages in 3/4 and 4/4
Tempo: Quarter note = 96 beats per minute, lively
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Length: 114 measures
Effects: I: f. II: mf. Ped: f.
Notes on Performance
Todd Grivetti
Occasion: concert, 18 May 2013
Location: the organ was in the gallery at the front of the church
Microphones: none
Clothing: white shirt, black slacks and vest
Mark Koskamp
Occasion: recital marking his 30 years at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 17 November 2013
Location: the organ was behind the altar at the front of the church
Microphones: none
Clothing: dark suit and white shirt
Notes on Movement
Both Grivetti and Koskamp sat upright as they played. Each had scores with each movement printed separately, and put finished sections at their sides on benches during the pauses between movements.
Audience Perceptions
Churches that performed Behnke’s arrangement according to their church bulletins were, in chronological order:
Midland Seventh-day Adventist Church, Midland, Michigan, 22 March 2008, Preparation
Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago, Illinois, 22 August 2010, Prelude with "There is Balm in Gilead" and "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
First United Methodist Church, Covington, Tennessee, 26 September 2010, Postlude, Paulette Palmer, organist
Old South Church, United Church of Christ, Boston, Massachusetts, 19 August 2012, "The Gathering" prelude
Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee, 26 January 2014, Prelude, Jennifer Velázquez, organist, "Praying" and "Crying" only
Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church, Coronado, California, 24 August 2014, Prelude, "Praying" and "Singing" only
Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church, Abingdon, Virginia, 15 November 2015, Prelude
St. John’s Lutheran Church, Grinnell, Iowa, 7 May 2017, Prelude
First Presbyterian Church On the Square, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, 3 September 2017, Prelude
St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1 October 2017, Prelude, Robert Fasol, organist with string bass and percussion
First United Methodist Church, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, 13 May 2018, "The Church Gathers"
Westminster Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 13 May 2018, Prelude
Covenant Christian Reformed Church, Sioux Center, Iowa, 29 July 2018, Offertory, "Crying," and Postlude, "Singing"
Individuals who performed "Kumbaya" for other occasions in chronological order were:
Linda Bryant, recital, Grinnell College, 2016
Church of the Brethren, seniors’ convention, Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, 4 September 2017, Postlude, "Singing" only
Organ Benefit Concert, First Baptist Church, Middletown, Ohio, 22 April 2014
Notes on Performers
Behnke was born in Evanston, Illinois, and attended a Lutheran high school [13] and college. His advanced music degrees were from Northwestern University. He taught at Concordia University Wisconsin [14] and played organ at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Milwaukee. [15]
After Trinity was destroyed by fire in 2018, one member of the congregation remembered, "not only was there good preaching from the pulpit, but the organist preached through his talent as well." [16]
Koscamp’s grandmother was a church organist and his mother taught him how to play piano. At Central College in Pella, Iowa, he studied math and music. During the week he worked for a financial advisor in Des Moines. On Sundays he played organ and directed the adult choir. [17]
Grivetti was raised in Richmond, Virginia, and earned his music certification from Shenandoah University. He taught music in a Sterling, Virginia, elementary school, [18] and was working on a masters in choral conducting from Florida State University in the summer. [19]
Availability
Sheet Music: John A. Behnke. "Variations for Organ on Kum Ba Ya." Saint Louis: MorningStar Music Publishers, 1993.
Album: John A. Behnke. For All Seasons, Volume 1. 1996. CD.
YouTube: Mark Koskamp. "Variations on Kum ba Yah." Uploaded by RBwebbie on 21 November 2013.
YouTube: Todd Grivetti. "Variations on Kum-Ba-Yah." Uploaded by Todd Grivetti on 7 October 2015.
End Notes
1. "MorningStar Music Publishers." Canticle Distributing website.
2. Canticle Distributing.
3. Concordia Publishing House is sponsored by the Missouri Synod. In 1974 the Synod’s president removed the president of Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis for teaching false doctrine. He and most of the faculty formed a competing seminary in Saint Louis that functioned until 1987. [20]
4. Charles Callahan. "Meditation of Kum Ba Yah." 1 in Spirituals for Keyboard. Fenton, Missouri: MorningStar Music Publishers, 1993. "Desmond." Linda Denham played the arrangement at Peekskill Presbyterian Church, Peekskill, New York, on 24 February 2013. It was used with the offertory by Immanuel Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, on 15 January 2017. Robert Haigler uploaded a version to YouTube on 25 September 2015.
5. Michael Larkin. "Kum Ba Yah." Saint Louis: Birnamwood Publications, 2006. "Based on Desmond." It was heard at New Castle Presbyterian Church, New Castle, Delaware, on 13 May 2018.
6. The retired Presbyterian minister mentioned in the post for 24 February 2019 told me the one time churches abbreviated hymns was if the sermon and run long and parishioners needed to get home. Even then, he said it wasn’t considered good form.
7. The church had no permanent musicians. A committee planned the liturgy, choral groups were temporary, and members took turns leading the singing.
8. John A. Behnke. "Kum Ba Yah. Someone’s Singing, Lord." Fenton, Missouri: Birnanwood Publications, 2001.
9. "For All Seasons, Vol. 1 by John A. Behnke." CD Baby website.
10. Pipe Organ List website. July 2012.
11. Pipe Organ Database website.
12. Dobson Organ Company website.
13. "About Me." John Behnke page on Weebly website.
14. "John Behnke." Hope Publishing website.
15. "Shepherd of the Bay Hosts Hymn Festival Sept. 30." Door County Pulse [Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin]. 21 September 2017
16. Christian Himsel. Quoted by Gary Achterberg. Ozaukee County News Graphic [Cedarburg, Wisconsin]. 17 May 2018. Reprinted as "Ties that Ran Deep" on Concordia University Wisconsin website. 17 May 2018.
17. "Mark Koscamp." Central Iowa American Guild of Organists website.
18. "Todd Grivetti." Church website.
19. "Todd’s Grad School Fund" Go Fund Me website.
20. Wikipedia. "Concordia Publishing House" and "John Tietjen."
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Hymn Aesthetics
Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Including "Kumbaya" in hymnals provided two kinds of freedom to congregations. It allowed them to sing a song that did not contain the Biblical allusions found in nineteenth century hymns, a pleasure not allowed older parishioners when they were young.
People raised in denominations where the word was supreme also were granted the liberty of editing the word. [1] In my experience, no one ever sang every verse of a hymn. Once "Kumbaya" was in the hymnal, liturgists could pick and choose stanzas, in effect, creating new songs for specific occasions.
When I mentioned this freedom from the word to a friend, the retired Presbyterian minister told me I was wrong. Presbyterians, who had resisted hymns longer than other denominations, accepted them when they were convinced they were prayers. He said, once a man or woman wrote a prayer, it could not be abridged.
He may be right. When I looked at current church bulletins discussed in the post for 21 February 2019, less than a third of ones from Presbyterian congregations listed verses, while more than three-quarters of ones from Methodists did. [2] One assumes if stanza numbers weren’t listed, the entire song was sung.
One important difference between the denomination’s hymnals was the Methodist version was six verses, while the Presbyterian one was the four that originally were published. Of those that specified verses, Presbyterians had a sense two or three verses was the appropriate length, while Methodists preferred one, three or four verses. [3]
Both denominations sang the "kumbaya" stanza most often, followed by "praying." Methodists then were likely to choose the verses that connoted joy: "singing" and Carlton Young’s "let us praise." Presbyterians, on the other hand, were next most likely to sing "crying." [4]
Individual congregations’ interpretations of "Kumbaya" ultimately were tied to when they used it. Among Methodists, Presbyterians, and the other denominations mentioned in the post for 21 February 2019, there was no clear connection between the song and the liturgical year. It was not sung in August, November, December, or January, but was sung any other time. Only Presbyterians used it during Advent. [5]
Instead of relating "Kumbaya" to the season, it sometimes was used for specific occasions. The First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, used the song "in commemoration of tomorrow’s Martin Luther King Day," [6] while Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, scheduled it during Black History month. [7] Similarly, the Disciples of Christ congregation in Mantua, Ohio, sang the Presbyterian version as a welcoming hymn on the Sunday it worshiped with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [8]
"Kumbaya" often was used as part of the children’s time that occurred early in the service, before they were dismissed for other activities. Canadians hadn’t adopted that particular innovation, but shared the view it was a children’s song. Richwood United of Drumbo, Ontario, [9] and Knox Presbyterian of Waterdown, Ontario, [10] sang verses on camping Sunday, as did Hope United Methodist of Duluth, Minnesota, [11] and First United Methodist of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. [12]
Within the service proper, it was used more often in the time before the scripture readings and sermon. Many used it as the opening hymn. Saint Mark UMC of Atlanta used the traditional term "Introit," [13] while several Presbyterian and United Church of Christ churches called it a "gathering" song. [14]
After the opening, Methodist congregations most likely sang "Kumbaya" during the period of prayers. A number combined the "praying" and "needs you" verses with "let us praise" or "crying."
Methodists used it after the "Doxology," while Presbyterians used it during the Confession and Assurance. A Pittsburgh church only used "kumbaya" and "crying," [15] while one in Columbia, South Carolina, use "kumbaya" and "praying." [16] Lutheran [17] and Methodist [18] congregations used it after the "Apostles Creed."
Many denominations used "Kumbaya" for communion [19] or the collection. [20] Saint James United Church of Saint John’s, Newfoundland, used the verses "kumbaya" and "giving" for the offertory. [21] Rock Spring Congregational Church of Arlington, Virginia, [22] used it for confirmation and a New Orleans Presbyterian church for the installing an elder. [23]
Methodists and Presbyterians were the most likely to use "Kumbaya" as a closing hymn, recessional, or sending song. [24] This was one of the times some congregations used the "come by here" verse that did not appear in hymnals. [25]
End Notes
1. John Wesley told users of his 1761 hymnal to "sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can." At first glance this sounded like a demand for obedience to the word. However, if he was paraphrasing popular texts or tunes, it may have been a warning to stay with the sacred. Young included the "Directions for Singing" in the 1989 Methodist hymnal. (Page vii. See post for 14 February 2019 for complete publication details. Wesley’s notes appeared in Select Hymns: with Tunes Annext. London: 1761. )
2. 32.5% of 40 Presbyterian bulletins listed verses, while 77.7% of 36 Methodist bulletins did.
3. Number of verses by denomination. More details on the sample were given in the post for 21 February 2019.
4. Verses of "Kumbaya" sung by denomination.
5. Date when "Kumbaya" sung by month.
6. First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, 17 January 2016, "kumbaya" verse only, before and after Prayers of the People.
7. Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, did not specify verses, Hymn of Meditation before the speaker. The pastor of this church, Vera E. Miller, was an African-American woman.
8. Mantua Center Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 10 January 2010. The phrase was also used in the spoken Call to Worship.
9. Richwood United Church, Drumbo, Ontario, 26 April 2015, printed verses "kumbaya," "crying," "praying," "singing," and "laughing" on back of the bulletin.
10. Knox Presbyterian Church, Waterdown, Ontario, 22 January 2017, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "singing" from the Methodist hymnal during children’s time.
11. Hope United Methodist Church, Duluth, Minnesota, 30 April 2017, did not specify verses sung before Old Testament reading. The message was "Around the Campfire."
12. First United Methodist Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 11 March 2018, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "let us praise."
13. Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, 19 July 2015, verses "kumbaya," "singing," and "let us praise."
14. The 1990 Presbyterian hymnal included an order of worship. It used the terms "Gathering of the People" and "Going Forth." (Page 12. See post for 17 February 2019 for complete publication details.)
15. East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 18 February 2018, hymn number only.
16. Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina, 6 March 2016, verses "kumbaya" and "praying."
17. Hope Lutheran Church, Cherryville, Pennsylvania, 20 May 2012, lyrics printed on insert that was not uploaded.
18. Swansboro United Methodist Church, Swansboro, North Carolina, 21 May 2017, hymn number only.
18. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.
20. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.
21. Saint James United Church, Saint John’s Newfoundland, 15 April 2018. This was Camping Sunday.
22. Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Arlington, Virginia, 6 May 2018, hymn number only.
23. First Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, 22 May 2016, hymn number only.
24. It was used by one Fellowship Baptist church, one Metropolitan Community Church, five Presbyterian churches, and four United Methodist Churches.
25. Centennial Park Baptist Church, Grimsby, Ontario, 8 July 2018, and First Presbyterian of Rochester, Minnesota, 17 May 2008.
Including "Kumbaya" in hymnals provided two kinds of freedom to congregations. It allowed them to sing a song that did not contain the Biblical allusions found in nineteenth century hymns, a pleasure not allowed older parishioners when they were young.
People raised in denominations where the word was supreme also were granted the liberty of editing the word. [1] In my experience, no one ever sang every verse of a hymn. Once "Kumbaya" was in the hymnal, liturgists could pick and choose stanzas, in effect, creating new songs for specific occasions.
When I mentioned this freedom from the word to a friend, the retired Presbyterian minister told me I was wrong. Presbyterians, who had resisted hymns longer than other denominations, accepted them when they were convinced they were prayers. He said, once a man or woman wrote a prayer, it could not be abridged.
He may be right. When I looked at current church bulletins discussed in the post for 21 February 2019, less than a third of ones from Presbyterian congregations listed verses, while more than three-quarters of ones from Methodists did. [2] One assumes if stanza numbers weren’t listed, the entire song was sung.
One important difference between the denomination’s hymnals was the Methodist version was six verses, while the Presbyterian one was the four that originally were published. Of those that specified verses, Presbyterians had a sense two or three verses was the appropriate length, while Methodists preferred one, three or four verses. [3]
Both denominations sang the "kumbaya" stanza most often, followed by "praying." Methodists then were likely to choose the verses that connoted joy: "singing" and Carlton Young’s "let us praise." Presbyterians, on the other hand, were next most likely to sing "crying." [4]
Individual congregations’ interpretations of "Kumbaya" ultimately were tied to when they used it. Among Methodists, Presbyterians, and the other denominations mentioned in the post for 21 February 2019, there was no clear connection between the song and the liturgical year. It was not sung in August, November, December, or January, but was sung any other time. Only Presbyterians used it during Advent. [5]
Instead of relating "Kumbaya" to the season, it sometimes was used for specific occasions. The First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, used the song "in commemoration of tomorrow’s Martin Luther King Day," [6] while Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, scheduled it during Black History month. [7] Similarly, the Disciples of Christ congregation in Mantua, Ohio, sang the Presbyterian version as a welcoming hymn on the Sunday it worshiped with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [8]
"Kumbaya" often was used as part of the children’s time that occurred early in the service, before they were dismissed for other activities. Canadians hadn’t adopted that particular innovation, but shared the view it was a children’s song. Richwood United of Drumbo, Ontario, [9] and Knox Presbyterian of Waterdown, Ontario, [10] sang verses on camping Sunday, as did Hope United Methodist of Duluth, Minnesota, [11] and First United Methodist of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. [12]
Within the service proper, it was used more often in the time before the scripture readings and sermon. Many used it as the opening hymn. Saint Mark UMC of Atlanta used the traditional term "Introit," [13] while several Presbyterian and United Church of Christ churches called it a "gathering" song. [14]
After the opening, Methodist congregations most likely sang "Kumbaya" during the period of prayers. A number combined the "praying" and "needs you" verses with "let us praise" or "crying."
Methodists used it after the "Doxology," while Presbyterians used it during the Confession and Assurance. A Pittsburgh church only used "kumbaya" and "crying," [15] while one in Columbia, South Carolina, use "kumbaya" and "praying." [16] Lutheran [17] and Methodist [18] congregations used it after the "Apostles Creed."
Many denominations used "Kumbaya" for communion [19] or the collection. [20] Saint James United Church of Saint John’s, Newfoundland, used the verses "kumbaya" and "giving" for the offertory. [21] Rock Spring Congregational Church of Arlington, Virginia, [22] used it for confirmation and a New Orleans Presbyterian church for the installing an elder. [23]
Methodists and Presbyterians were the most likely to use "Kumbaya" as a closing hymn, recessional, or sending song. [24] This was one of the times some congregations used the "come by here" verse that did not appear in hymnals. [25]
End Notes
1. John Wesley told users of his 1761 hymnal to "sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can." At first glance this sounded like a demand for obedience to the word. However, if he was paraphrasing popular texts or tunes, it may have been a warning to stay with the sacred. Young included the "Directions for Singing" in the 1989 Methodist hymnal. (Page vii. See post for 14 February 2019 for complete publication details. Wesley’s notes appeared in Select Hymns: with Tunes Annext. London: 1761. )
2. 32.5% of 40 Presbyterian bulletins listed verses, while 77.7% of 36 Methodist bulletins did.
3. Number of verses by denomination. More details on the sample were given in the post for 21 February 2019.
4. Verses of "Kumbaya" sung by denomination.
5. Date when "Kumbaya" sung by month.
6. First Presbyterian Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, 17 January 2016, "kumbaya" verse only, before and after Prayers of the People.
7. Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, did not specify verses, Hymn of Meditation before the speaker. The pastor of this church, Vera E. Miller, was an African-American woman.
8. Mantua Center Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 10 January 2010. The phrase was also used in the spoken Call to Worship.
9. Richwood United Church, Drumbo, Ontario, 26 April 2015, printed verses "kumbaya," "crying," "praying," "singing," and "laughing" on back of the bulletin.
10. Knox Presbyterian Church, Waterdown, Ontario, 22 January 2017, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "singing" from the Methodist hymnal during children’s time.
11. Hope United Methodist Church, Duluth, Minnesota, 30 April 2017, did not specify verses sung before Old Testament reading. The message was "Around the Campfire."
12. First United Methodist Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, 11 March 2018, verses "kumbaya," "praying," "needs you," and "let us praise."
13. Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia, 19 July 2015, verses "kumbaya," "singing," and "let us praise."
14. The 1990 Presbyterian hymnal included an order of worship. It used the terms "Gathering of the People" and "Going Forth." (Page 12. See post for 17 February 2019 for complete publication details.)
15. East Liberty Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 18 February 2018, hymn number only.
16. Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina, 6 March 2016, verses "kumbaya" and "praying."
17. Hope Lutheran Church, Cherryville, Pennsylvania, 20 May 2012, lyrics printed on insert that was not uploaded.
18. Swansboro United Methodist Church, Swansboro, North Carolina, 21 May 2017, hymn number only.
18. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.
20. The denominations were Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Presbyterian Church (USA), United Church of Christ, and United Methodist Church.
21. Saint James United Church, Saint John’s Newfoundland, 15 April 2018. This was Camping Sunday.
22. Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, Arlington, Virginia, 6 May 2018, hymn number only.
23. First Presbyterian Church, New Orleans, Louisiana, 22 May 2016, hymn number only.
24. It was used by one Fellowship Baptist church, one Metropolitan Community Church, five Presbyterian churches, and four United Methodist Churches.
25. Centennial Park Baptist Church, Grimsby, Ontario, 8 July 2018, and First Presbyterian of Rochester, Minnesota, 17 May 2008.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Congregational Acceptance of “Kumbaya”
Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Putting a song in a hymnal does not assure it will be sung. Indeed, one reason churches appoint committees to revise their collections is to eliminate those that have lost favor, and add the new. They tacitly admitted changes in theology were a factor when the Presbyterians dropped "Onward Christian Soldiers" and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" because of their militaristic imagery. [1]
Competing demands on denominations almost guaranteed some songs would be ignored. Since the Vatican reforms of 1963, the order of service and liturgical style have become variable. There are congregations that hold two services every Sunday, one with a choir and one with a praise band. Recent collections addressed the differences with quantity. The 1989 Methodist hymnal had 690, the 1990 Presbyterian book had 605, and the 2012 Presbyterian 853. [2]
A number of congregations publish programs for their meetings that include the hymns to be sung, often with page numbers. These page references are the simplest clue that a hymnal is used, and with the Presbyterians, which of the recent editions.
A survey of bulletins posted to the internet done on 10–11 August 2018 indicated the two denominations with hymnals that included "Kumbaya" were the most likely to have the congregation sing it. [3] 85% of the 66 Methodist churches gave a page reference, while 79% of the 38 Presbyterians did. Two-thirds of the bulletins were published in the past three years; the earliest two were from 2008. [4]
The table below indicates other denominations sang "Kumbaya," even if it was not in a hymnal. Some published lyrics in the bulletin, some included inserts, and some probably projected the music on a big screen. Since the song was known, still others may not have needed to provide any formal cues.
The survey suggested some regional preferences. "Kumbaya" most often was sung in the Atlantic states from New York to Virginia, in the South, and in the Midwest. Otherwise, it was more popular in Canada than any other section of this country. [5]
The absence of songs from the West Coast may only reflect a greater openness to technology in the service or a greater awareness of the ecological impact of paper programs. Churches elsewhere in the country might have produced bulletins, but did not post them on the web, either because an internet provider wasn’t available or because they eschewed such publicity.
The same caveats apply to denominations. No non-denominational Protestant church posted a bulletin with "Kumbaya" sung by the congregation. Since many of those congregations were large and technically savvy, I suspect most use projectors rather than photocopiers to communicate. The West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, was the only such church to mention it. It sang hymn 986 after a sermon on "The God of Relationships." [6]
No Baptist congregation associated with the Southern Baptist Convention mentioned "Kumbaya" in an on-line bulletin. The three Baptist churches in North Carolina and Virginia [7] were connected to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship that withdrew from the SBC over the latter’s refusal to ordain women. [8] The other three [9] were affiliated with the American Baptist Church that traced its history back to Roger Williams in Rhode Island. [10]
Of these churches, Saint John’s Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and University Baptist in Charlottesville, Virginia, mentioned the Methodist tune "Desmond." The First Baptist Church in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania used the Presbyterian hymn number. Central Baptist Church in Jamestown, Rhode Island and First Baptist Church in Tyron, North Carolina included the words with their bulletins. Only the Genesee Baptist Church in Rochester, New York, listed just the title.
The other congregations that sang "Kumbaya" included three with roots in German musical traditions: Lutherans, Brethren, and Mennonites. The United Church of Christ groups in the Midwest probably once were Brethren, while the ones in New England most likely were Congregational. Methodists, of course, also included a number of former Evangelical United Brethren churches.
Disciples of Christ maintained ties with the Presbyterians from whom they broke in the nineteenth century. [11] The Westminster Press offered an ecumenical version of its hymnal that had a neutral cover for an identical collection of songs for such congregations. [12]
The remaining congregations that sang "Kumbaya" were Unitarians in Detroit, [13] and Metropolitan Community Churches in Houston and Tampa. [14] Both denominations were known for their liberal theology. The Metropolitan church was especially open to gays of all sorts. [15]
Graphics
New England included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
The Atlantic region included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.
The Midwest region included Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The South included Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and everything to the east.
The Plains included Oklahoma, Kansas, and South Dakota. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
Other included New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
End Notes
1. "Presbyterians Omit ‘Warlike’ Hymns Other Lyrics Revised for New Songbook." Washington Post. 15 July 1989. Its source was Melva Costen, who chaired the revision committee for the Presbyterians. The article implied Methodists had considered dropping the two songs, but the response was so negative they were maintained.
2. Details on the Methodist hymnal appeared in the post for 14 February 2019. The Presbyterian hymnals were mentioned in the post for 17 February 2019. The Presbyterians only numbered texts that were accompanied by music. The Methodists included, and numbered, canticles, responses, recitations, and one to three measure settings. I eliminated those from my total.
3. I excluded churches where "Kumbaya" was sung by a choir, played by the organist, or performed by some other vocal or musical group.
4. Mentions of "Kumbaya" by year in Sunday church bulletins.
5. I didn’t classify Canadian churches by denomination. Five were affiliated with the United Church that merged Methodists and Presbyterians in 1925, [16] three were Knox Presbyterians, and one a closely related Disciples of Christ. The one Baptist church was affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, that did not support Fundamentalism in the 1920s. [17] The other congregation was Anglican.
6. West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, 4 February 2018. The sermon was given by Bill Allen. I could not associate song or page 986 with any hymnal or song collection.
7. First Baptist Church of Tryon, North Carolina, 28 September 2014; Saint John’s Baptist Church of Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 April 2017, and University Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Virginia, 20 October 2013.
8. Wikipedia. "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship."
9. First Baptist Church of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, 26 April 2015; Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, and Central Baptist Church of Jamestown, Rhode Island, 8 May 2016.
10. Wikipedia. "American Baptist Churches USA."
11. Wikipedia. "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."
12. The Presbyterian Church website advised: "The Presbyterian version is Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal and will be stamped with the PC(USA) seal on the spine. The ecumenical version is Glory to God: Hymns, Songs, and Spiritual Songs and will not have the seal. The contents of both editions are identical."
13. First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit, Michigan, 12 February 2012.
14. Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church of Houston, Texas, 13 March 2011, and Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, Florida, 25 February 2018.
15. Wikipedia. "Metropolitan Community Church."
16. Wikipedia. "United Church of Canada."
17. Wikipedia. "Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec."
Putting a song in a hymnal does not assure it will be sung. Indeed, one reason churches appoint committees to revise their collections is to eliminate those that have lost favor, and add the new. They tacitly admitted changes in theology were a factor when the Presbyterians dropped "Onward Christian Soldiers" and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" because of their militaristic imagery. [1]
Competing demands on denominations almost guaranteed some songs would be ignored. Since the Vatican reforms of 1963, the order of service and liturgical style have become variable. There are congregations that hold two services every Sunday, one with a choir and one with a praise band. Recent collections addressed the differences with quantity. The 1989 Methodist hymnal had 690, the 1990 Presbyterian book had 605, and the 2012 Presbyterian 853. [2]
A number of congregations publish programs for their meetings that include the hymns to be sung, often with page numbers. These page references are the simplest clue that a hymnal is used, and with the Presbyterians, which of the recent editions.
A survey of bulletins posted to the internet done on 10–11 August 2018 indicated the two denominations with hymnals that included "Kumbaya" were the most likely to have the congregation sing it. [3] 85% of the 66 Methodist churches gave a page reference, while 79% of the 38 Presbyterians did. Two-thirds of the bulletins were published in the past three years; the earliest two were from 2008. [4]
The table below indicates other denominations sang "Kumbaya," even if it was not in a hymnal. Some published lyrics in the bulletin, some included inserts, and some probably projected the music on a big screen. Since the song was known, still others may not have needed to provide any formal cues.
The survey suggested some regional preferences. "Kumbaya" most often was sung in the Atlantic states from New York to Virginia, in the South, and in the Midwest. Otherwise, it was more popular in Canada than any other section of this country. [5]
The absence of songs from the West Coast may only reflect a greater openness to technology in the service or a greater awareness of the ecological impact of paper programs. Churches elsewhere in the country might have produced bulletins, but did not post them on the web, either because an internet provider wasn’t available or because they eschewed such publicity.
The same caveats apply to denominations. No non-denominational Protestant church posted a bulletin with "Kumbaya" sung by the congregation. Since many of those congregations were large and technically savvy, I suspect most use projectors rather than photocopiers to communicate. The West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, was the only such church to mention it. It sang hymn 986 after a sermon on "The God of Relationships." [6]
No Baptist congregation associated with the Southern Baptist Convention mentioned "Kumbaya" in an on-line bulletin. The three Baptist churches in North Carolina and Virginia [7] were connected to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship that withdrew from the SBC over the latter’s refusal to ordain women. [8] The other three [9] were affiliated with the American Baptist Church that traced its history back to Roger Williams in Rhode Island. [10]
Of these churches, Saint John’s Baptist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and University Baptist in Charlottesville, Virginia, mentioned the Methodist tune "Desmond." The First Baptist Church in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania used the Presbyterian hymn number. Central Baptist Church in Jamestown, Rhode Island and First Baptist Church in Tyron, North Carolina included the words with their bulletins. Only the Genesee Baptist Church in Rochester, New York, listed just the title.
The other congregations that sang "Kumbaya" included three with roots in German musical traditions: Lutherans, Brethren, and Mennonites. The United Church of Christ groups in the Midwest probably once were Brethren, while the ones in New England most likely were Congregational. Methodists, of course, also included a number of former Evangelical United Brethren churches.
Disciples of Christ maintained ties with the Presbyterians from whom they broke in the nineteenth century. [11] The Westminster Press offered an ecumenical version of its hymnal that had a neutral cover for an identical collection of songs for such congregations. [12]
The remaining congregations that sang "Kumbaya" were Unitarians in Detroit, [13] and Metropolitan Community Churches in Houston and Tampa. [14] Both denominations were known for their liberal theology. The Metropolitan church was especially open to gays of all sorts. [15]
Graphics
New England included Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
The Atlantic region included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington DC.
The Midwest region included Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa.
The South included Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and everything to the east.
The Plains included Oklahoma, Kansas, and South Dakota. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
Other included New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Other states in the area did not have bulletins.
End Notes
1. "Presbyterians Omit ‘Warlike’ Hymns Other Lyrics Revised for New Songbook." Washington Post. 15 July 1989. Its source was Melva Costen, who chaired the revision committee for the Presbyterians. The article implied Methodists had considered dropping the two songs, but the response was so negative they were maintained.
2. Details on the Methodist hymnal appeared in the post for 14 February 2019. The Presbyterian hymnals were mentioned in the post for 17 February 2019. The Presbyterians only numbered texts that were accompanied by music. The Methodists included, and numbered, canticles, responses, recitations, and one to three measure settings. I eliminated those from my total.
3. I excluded churches where "Kumbaya" was sung by a choir, played by the organist, or performed by some other vocal or musical group.
4. Mentions of "Kumbaya" by year in Sunday church bulletins.
5. I didn’t classify Canadian churches by denomination. Five were affiliated with the United Church that merged Methodists and Presbyterians in 1925, [16] three were Knox Presbyterians, and one a closely related Disciples of Christ. The one Baptist church was affiliated with the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, that did not support Fundamentalism in the 1920s. [17] The other congregation was Anglican.
6. West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, 4 February 2018. The sermon was given by Bill Allen. I could not associate song or page 986 with any hymnal or song collection.
7. First Baptist Church of Tryon, North Carolina, 28 September 2014; Saint John’s Baptist Church of Charlotte, North Carolina, 2 April 2017, and University Baptist Church of Charlottesville, Virginia, 20 October 2013.
8. Wikipedia. "Cooperative Baptist Fellowship."
9. First Baptist Church of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, 26 April 2015; Genesee Baptist Church of Rochester, New York, 11 February 2018, and Central Baptist Church of Jamestown, Rhode Island, 8 May 2016.
10. Wikipedia. "American Baptist Churches USA."
11. Wikipedia. "Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)."
12. The Presbyterian Church website advised: "The Presbyterian version is Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal and will be stamped with the PC(USA) seal on the spine. The ecumenical version is Glory to God: Hymns, Songs, and Spiritual Songs and will not have the seal. The contents of both editions are identical."
13. First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit, Michigan, 12 February 2012.
14. Resurrection Metropolitan Community Church of Houston, Texas, 13 March 2011, and Metropolitan Community Church of Tampa, Florida, 25 February 2018.
15. Wikipedia. "Metropolitan Community Church."
16. Wikipedia. "United Church of Canada."
17. Wikipedia. "Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec."
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Presbyterian Church (USA) - Kum ba Yah
Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Presbyterians added "Kumbaya" to their hymnal in 1990. Unlike other denominations that needed to revise their song collections to reflect the diversification that came with mergers, they were responding more directly to challenges raised by changing attitudes, especially towards gender. [1]
The National Council of Churches’ New Revised Standard Version of the Bible had been published in 1989. Its primary purpose had been the elimination of inherited patriarchal language. That review provided its editors an opportunity to incorporate information from the Dead Sea Scrolls. [2]
Presbyterians had the same dual purpose. The committee eliminated what sexist pronouns they could, kept some for musical or copyright reasons, and simply dropped other hymns. They argued by eliminating the more offensive hymns, they were able to add many new ones that reflected the results of a church that had sent missionaries to many parts of the world. [3]
The denomination revised the hymnal again in 2013, but this time for more pragmatic reasons. Congregations were using large screens in place of church bulletins. [4] The year after it published the pew edition, the church released a PowerPoint edition. It cost $499, or the price of the 28 hymnals that would not be sold at $18 a piece. [5]
Since the editor was focused on presentation, David Eicher also removed the accompaniments from the pew edition. If a song was intended to be sung in unison, only one stave was published. If it used four-part harmony, then both clefs were included. That allowed room for more hymns, especially the older psalms and native songs that were always a capella. [6]
"Kumbaya" appeared with four-part harmony in both editions. The upper two parts used strict parallel thirds, with nothing in unison. The lower parts used diverging harmony at the beginning of each phrase, moving from a third, to a fifth, to octaves. Each phrase ended with two fifths on "kum ba" and an octave for "ya." No indication of tempo was included, although the 1990 "Introduction" indicated such guidance was given for tunes "new to the Presbyterian tradition." [7]
Like the Methodist hymnal mentioned in the post 14 February 2019, LindaJo McKim relegated the usual metrical information to a footnote: she called the tune KUM BA YAH and identified it as 8-8-8-5. Information on interpretation was implied in the organization: it was not a psalm and not related to the liturgical year. Instead, it was a Topical Hymn related to Life In Christ.
Glory to God dispensed with many hymnal traditions, including the generic The Presbyterian Hymnal title of the 1990 edition. The credits were moved to the bottom of the page. To make it easier to reproduce on large monitors, the two lines of music were changed to three.
The biggest change was organization. Instead of classifying texts by type, Eicher grouped them by subject and interspersed psalms, hymns, and songs. Within the three large divisions, God’s Mighty Acts, The Church at Worship, and Our Response to God, "Kumbaya" was placed in the second as a Prayer.
Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: four parts
Instrumental Accompaniment: implied with four-parts
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
1990
African-American spiritual
African Melody
2013
The African-American spiritual, first recorded in the 1920s, seems to have originated somewhere in the southern United States. It enjoyed renewed popularity during the folk revival of the 1960s, and became a standard campfire song, eventually traveling throughout the world.
TEXT and MUSIC: African American spiritual
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: not given
Verses: kumbaya, crying, singing, praying
Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none
Basic Form: four-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none
Unique Features: none
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: not given
Key Signature: two sharps
Guitar Chords: not provided
Basic Structure: strophic repetition
Singing Style: one note to one syllable except for final "Lord"
Harmonic Style: sung chords
Notes on Performers
LindaJo Horton was raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in applied voice from West Virginia University. She later earned theology degrees from Presbyterian seminaries at Pittsburgh and the University of Dubuque. [8] At the time she was selected from a pool of 200 applications to edit the 1990 edition, [9] she had experience as both a pastor and a singer. When her husband was a visiting professor in Orlando, Florida, [10] she sang with the Florida International Opera Company. [11]
Eicher was raised in a Brethren family [12] in Springfield, Ohio. [13] He earned music degrees from the Brethren’s Manchester College and the Lutherans Valparaiso University, then worked as an organist for Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. [14] He said his most important musical experiences as a child occurred in the car.
"My parents both sang. And my sister and I, when we got old enough — the great excitement was when finally my voice changed and I could sing tenor, and then we had a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The whole family would sing. One of our games in the car when we were traveling was to see how many stanzas of hymns we could sing through, without any books." [15]
Availability
Book: The Presbyterian Hymnal. Edited by LindaJo H. McKim. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990. 338.
Book: Glory to God. Edited by David Eicher. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013. 472.
End Notes
1. The 1990 hymnal committee said one of its guidelines was to assure the hymnal "is inclusive of all God’s people—sensitive to age, race, gender, physical limitations, and language" (page 9).
2. Wikipedia. "New Revised Standard Version."
3. "Presbyterians Omit ‘Warlike’ Hymns Other Lyrics Revised for New Songbook." Washington Post 15 July 1989. Melva Costen was the reporter’s source. Mary Louise Bringle mentioned the copyrights were still an impediment with the 2012 edition (See #6).
4. David Eicher. Interviewed by Leslie Scanlon. "20 Minutes with David Eicher." Presbyterian Outlook website. 17 March 2008. He said:
"(From talking with friends involved in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hymnal that came out a year and a half ago,) they were surprised at the number of congregations who were purchasing both forms of the hymnal. They were still purchasing the hardbound copies in the pews. They were also purchasing the electronic, CD-Rom format, either for projection or for dropping into a bulletin. So we’re in this transitional period."
5. Prices were found on church’s website, 3 October 2018.
6. Mary Louise Bringle. "Debating Hymns." Christian Century, April 2013.
7. "Introduction." 1990. 10.
8. "LindaJo McKim." LinkedIn.
9. Eleanor J. Stebner. "McKim, LindaJo Horton." 146 in The Westminster Handbook to Women in American Religious History. Edited by Susan Hill Lindley and Eleanor J. Stebner. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.
10. "The Rev. Dr. Donald K. McKim – Guest Lecturer." Announcement for "129th Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee." Its website. 6 May 2017.
11. Peggy Egertson. "New Presbyterian Hymnal." Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society, Berwyn, Pennsylvania. History Quarterly 28:120:July 1990. She may have been referring to the opera company of Florida International University in Miami.
12. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
13. "About David Eicher." Facebook.
14. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
15. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
Presbyterians added "Kumbaya" to their hymnal in 1990. Unlike other denominations that needed to revise their song collections to reflect the diversification that came with mergers, they were responding more directly to challenges raised by changing attitudes, especially towards gender. [1]
The National Council of Churches’ New Revised Standard Version of the Bible had been published in 1989. Its primary purpose had been the elimination of inherited patriarchal language. That review provided its editors an opportunity to incorporate information from the Dead Sea Scrolls. [2]
Presbyterians had the same dual purpose. The committee eliminated what sexist pronouns they could, kept some for musical or copyright reasons, and simply dropped other hymns. They argued by eliminating the more offensive hymns, they were able to add many new ones that reflected the results of a church that had sent missionaries to many parts of the world. [3]
The denomination revised the hymnal again in 2013, but this time for more pragmatic reasons. Congregations were using large screens in place of church bulletins. [4] The year after it published the pew edition, the church released a PowerPoint edition. It cost $499, or the price of the 28 hymnals that would not be sold at $18 a piece. [5]
Since the editor was focused on presentation, David Eicher also removed the accompaniments from the pew edition. If a song was intended to be sung in unison, only one stave was published. If it used four-part harmony, then both clefs were included. That allowed room for more hymns, especially the older psalms and native songs that were always a capella. [6]
"Kumbaya" appeared with four-part harmony in both editions. The upper two parts used strict parallel thirds, with nothing in unison. The lower parts used diverging harmony at the beginning of each phrase, moving from a third, to a fifth, to octaves. Each phrase ended with two fifths on "kum ba" and an octave for "ya." No indication of tempo was included, although the 1990 "Introduction" indicated such guidance was given for tunes "new to the Presbyterian tradition." [7]
Like the Methodist hymnal mentioned in the post 14 February 2019, LindaJo McKim relegated the usual metrical information to a footnote: she called the tune KUM BA YAH and identified it as 8-8-8-5. Information on interpretation was implied in the organization: it was not a psalm and not related to the liturgical year. Instead, it was a Topical Hymn related to Life In Christ.
Glory to God dispensed with many hymnal traditions, including the generic The Presbyterian Hymnal title of the 1990 edition. The credits were moved to the bottom of the page. To make it easier to reproduce on large monitors, the two lines of music were changed to three.
The biggest change was organization. Instead of classifying texts by type, Eicher grouped them by subject and interspersed psalms, hymns, and songs. Within the three large divisions, God’s Mighty Acts, The Church at Worship, and Our Response to God, "Kumbaya" was placed in the second as a Prayer.
Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: four parts
Instrumental Accompaniment: implied with four-parts
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
1990
African-American spiritual
African Melody
2013
The African-American spiritual, first recorded in the 1920s, seems to have originated somewhere in the southern United States. It enjoyed renewed popularity during the folk revival of the 1960s, and became a standard campfire song, eventually traveling throughout the world.
TEXT and MUSIC: African American spiritual
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: not given
Verses: kumbaya, crying, singing, praying
Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none
Basic Form: four-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none
Unique Features: none
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: not given
Key Signature: two sharps
Guitar Chords: not provided
Basic Structure: strophic repetition
Singing Style: one note to one syllable except for final "Lord"
Harmonic Style: sung chords
Notes on Performers
LindaJo Horton was raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in applied voice from West Virginia University. She later earned theology degrees from Presbyterian seminaries at Pittsburgh and the University of Dubuque. [8] At the time she was selected from a pool of 200 applications to edit the 1990 edition, [9] she had experience as both a pastor and a singer. When her husband was a visiting professor in Orlando, Florida, [10] she sang with the Florida International Opera Company. [11]
Eicher was raised in a Brethren family [12] in Springfield, Ohio. [13] He earned music degrees from the Brethren’s Manchester College and the Lutherans Valparaiso University, then worked as an organist for Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations. [14] He said his most important musical experiences as a child occurred in the car.
"My parents both sang. And my sister and I, when we got old enough — the great excitement was when finally my voice changed and I could sing tenor, and then we had a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. The whole family would sing. One of our games in the car when we were traveling was to see how many stanzas of hymns we could sing through, without any books." [15]
Availability
Book: The Presbyterian Hymnal. Edited by LindaJo H. McKim. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1990. 338.
Book: Glory to God. Edited by David Eicher. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013. 472.
End Notes
1. The 1990 hymnal committee said one of its guidelines was to assure the hymnal "is inclusive of all God’s people—sensitive to age, race, gender, physical limitations, and language" (page 9).
2. Wikipedia. "New Revised Standard Version."
3. "Presbyterians Omit ‘Warlike’ Hymns Other Lyrics Revised for New Songbook." Washington Post 15 July 1989. Melva Costen was the reporter’s source. Mary Louise Bringle mentioned the copyrights were still an impediment with the 2012 edition (See #6).
4. David Eicher. Interviewed by Leslie Scanlon. "20 Minutes with David Eicher." Presbyterian Outlook website. 17 March 2008. He said:
"(From talking with friends involved in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hymnal that came out a year and a half ago,) they were surprised at the number of congregations who were purchasing both forms of the hymnal. They were still purchasing the hardbound copies in the pews. They were also purchasing the electronic, CD-Rom format, either for projection or for dropping into a bulletin. So we’re in this transitional period."
5. Prices were found on church’s website, 3 October 2018.
6. Mary Louise Bringle. "Debating Hymns." Christian Century, April 2013.
7. "Introduction." 1990. 10.
8. "LindaJo McKim." LinkedIn.
9. Eleanor J. Stebner. "McKim, LindaJo Horton." 146 in The Westminster Handbook to Women in American Religious History. Edited by Susan Hill Lindley and Eleanor J. Stebner. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.
10. "The Rev. Dr. Donald K. McKim – Guest Lecturer." Announcement for "129th Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee." Its website. 6 May 2017.
11. Peggy Egertson. "New Presbyterian Hymnal." Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society, Berwyn, Pennsylvania. History Quarterly 28:120:July 1990. She may have been referring to the opera company of Florida International University in Miami.
12. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
13. "About David Eicher." Facebook.
14. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
15. Eicher. Quoted by Scanlon.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
United Methodist Church - Kum Ba Yah (Come By Here)
Topic: Religious Uses - Hymnals
Carlton Young included "Kumbaya" in the official Methodist hymnal in 1989. In doing so, he changed it from a song to hymn.
The format for publishing a hymn is unique. It first assumes the text and tune are separate pieces of music that can be recombined by a song leader. Thus, a hymnal always provides the meter with the text. [1] Young identified "Kumbaya" as "Irr." for irregular because the text lines did not all contain the same number of syllables. Unlike older songbooks, he did not include the 8-8-8-5 line-syllable count.
Second, a hymn tune must have name. Young called the melody "Desmond" for "Tutu, social activist and anglican Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa." [2]
Third, a hymn must have some basis in scripture. This usually requires the editor provide chapter and verse from the Bible. In this case, Young implied its meaning when he included it in the "Prayer, Trust, Hope" section. He further located it within the Wesleyan tradition by including the prayer section in the Sanctifying and Perfecting Grace subsection of the larger group of songs devoted to The Power of the Holy Spirit.
Fourth, a hymn must be in four-part harmony and suitable for an organ or piano to play as an accompaniment. In the treble clef, Young used the parallel thirds published by Cooperative Recreation Service, with a variation in the second to last measure. Instead of a "kum ba" being thirds, he made "kum" a D and C, or a second apart, and "ba" a third.
Young added the bass clef part. It followed the contours of the melody usually with a third, a fifth, and a series of octaves. This pattern was altered in the last line, when "oh" used E below middle C and a very low F.
Much of this, of course, followed from applying the rules of western harmony to the melody. Young’s desire to give the last line the feeling of an amen climax led him to modify the guitar chords from a simple F-C-G7-C to Dm-C-Gsus-G7-C.
The church copyrighted his version. To make the request legally unassailable, Young add his own final verse. It changed the basic someone+verbal+ing format to "let us" and "praise the Lord."
Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: four parts
Instrumental Accompaniment: guitar; any keyboard instrument
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
Words: Afro-American spiritual
Music: Afro-American spiritual; harm by Carlton R. Young, 1988
Harm © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: no comments
Verses: kumbaya, praying, crying, needs you, singing, praise the Lord
Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone, us
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none
Basic Form: six-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none
Unique Features: own verse in different line format
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5 labeled "Desmond"
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: not indicated
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Guitar/Autoharp Chords: C F Dm Gsus G7
Basic Structure: strophic repetition; new chords on every note of last line suggest amen form
Singing Style: one note to one syllable except for final "Lord"
Harmonic Style: sung chords
Notes on Performers
The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren in 1968. This was the first hymnal since the reorganization. When the two churches combined, the resulting UMC made both their hymnals official. [3] The 1966 Methodist one had been edited by Young, and replaced the cooperative effort of the Southern, Northern, and Methodist Protestant churches in 1935. [4]
The Hymnal Revision Committee believed this was the first "substantial revision of content and format since the 1870s." This meant it had "more singable qualities" and contained "a broader base of musical styles." That diversification included adding 70 hymns from "the Afro-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native American heritages." [5] "Kumbaya" was followed by "Sweet Hour of Prayer" from the gospel music tradition [6] and "Send Me, Lord" from South Africa. [7]
Young was the son of a southern-Ohio Methodist minister, but raised by his mother’s parents after she died. As a child he took piano lessons, and added brass and string bass when he was older. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati in 1950 before earning a degree from the Methodist seminary at Boston University in 1953. [8] His 1969 doctorate came from Ohio Northern University, [9] after he edited the 1966 hymnal.
When the church retreated from many of its traditional activities after the 1968 merger, Young was hired as an editor by Hope Publishing in 1971. [10] The shadow Methodist publisher was mentioned in the post for 16 December 2018.
Availability
Book: The United Methodist Hymnal. Edited by Carlton R. Young. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989. 494.
End Notes
1. In traditional hymnals this appeared to the right of the title; Young placed it at the right below the text.
2. Carlton Young. Email to the author, 5 January 2017.
3. Alan K. Waltz. A Dictionary for United Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991. Section on "Hymnal, The United Methodist" reproduced by United Methodist Church website.
4. Guide to the Carlton R. Young Collection of 1935 Methodist Hymnal Commission Records. Southern Methodist University, Bridwell Library website.
5. "Preface." v.
6. "Sweet Hour of Prayer." Words by WilliamWalford, 1845. Music by William B. Bradbury, 1861. 496.
7. "Send Me Lord." Words and Music were described as "Trad. South African." 497.
8. "Young, Carlton Raymond (‘Sam’)." The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology website.
9. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hymntime website.
10. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hope Publishing website.
Carlton Young included "Kumbaya" in the official Methodist hymnal in 1989. In doing so, he changed it from a song to hymn.
The format for publishing a hymn is unique. It first assumes the text and tune are separate pieces of music that can be recombined by a song leader. Thus, a hymnal always provides the meter with the text. [1] Young identified "Kumbaya" as "Irr." for irregular because the text lines did not all contain the same number of syllables. Unlike older songbooks, he did not include the 8-8-8-5 line-syllable count.
Second, a hymn tune must have name. Young called the melody "Desmond" for "Tutu, social activist and anglican Archbishop of Capetown, South Africa." [2]
Third, a hymn must have some basis in scripture. This usually requires the editor provide chapter and verse from the Bible. In this case, Young implied its meaning when he included it in the "Prayer, Trust, Hope" section. He further located it within the Wesleyan tradition by including the prayer section in the Sanctifying and Perfecting Grace subsection of the larger group of songs devoted to The Power of the Holy Spirit.
Fourth, a hymn must be in four-part harmony and suitable for an organ or piano to play as an accompaniment. In the treble clef, Young used the parallel thirds published by Cooperative Recreation Service, with a variation in the second to last measure. Instead of a "kum ba" being thirds, he made "kum" a D and C, or a second apart, and "ba" a third.
Young added the bass clef part. It followed the contours of the melody usually with a third, a fifth, and a series of octaves. This pattern was altered in the last line, when "oh" used E below middle C and a very low F.
Much of this, of course, followed from applying the rules of western harmony to the melody. Young’s desire to give the last line the feeling of an amen climax led him to modify the guitar chords from a simple F-C-G7-C to Dm-C-Gsus-G7-C.
The church copyrighted his version. To make the request legally unassailable, Young add his own final verse. It changed the basic someone+verbal+ing format to "let us" and "praise the Lord."
Performers
Vocal Soloist: none
Vocal Group: four parts
Instrumental Accompaniment: guitar; any keyboard instrument
Rhythm Accompaniment: none
Credits
Words: Afro-American spiritual
Music: Afro-American spiritual; harm by Carlton R. Young, 1988
Harm © 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
Notes on Lyrics
Language: English
Pronunciation: no comments
Verses: kumbaya, praying, crying, needs you, singing, praise the Lord
Vocabulary
Pronoun: someone, us
Term for Deity: Lord
Special Terms: none
Basic Form: six-verse song
Verse Repetition Pattern: none
Ending: none
Unique Features: own verse in different line format
Notes on Music
Opening Phrase: 1-3-5 labeled "Desmond"
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: not indicated
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Guitar/Autoharp Chords: C F Dm Gsus G7
Basic Structure: strophic repetition; new chords on every note of last line suggest amen form
Singing Style: one note to one syllable except for final "Lord"
Harmonic Style: sung chords
Notes on Performers
The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren in 1968. This was the first hymnal since the reorganization. When the two churches combined, the resulting UMC made both their hymnals official. [3] The 1966 Methodist one had been edited by Young, and replaced the cooperative effort of the Southern, Northern, and Methodist Protestant churches in 1935. [4]
The Hymnal Revision Committee believed this was the first "substantial revision of content and format since the 1870s." This meant it had "more singable qualities" and contained "a broader base of musical styles." That diversification included adding 70 hymns from "the Afro-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, and Native American heritages." [5] "Kumbaya" was followed by "Sweet Hour of Prayer" from the gospel music tradition [6] and "Send Me, Lord" from South Africa. [7]
Young was the son of a southern-Ohio Methodist minister, but raised by his mother’s parents after she died. As a child he took piano lessons, and added brass and string bass when he was older. He graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati in 1950 before earning a degree from the Methodist seminary at Boston University in 1953. [8] His 1969 doctorate came from Ohio Northern University, [9] after he edited the 1966 hymnal.
When the church retreated from many of its traditional activities after the 1968 merger, Young was hired as an editor by Hope Publishing in 1971. [10] The shadow Methodist publisher was mentioned in the post for 16 December 2018.
Availability
Book: The United Methodist Hymnal. Edited by Carlton R. Young. Nashville: The United Methodist Publishing House, 1989. 494.
End Notes
1. In traditional hymnals this appeared to the right of the title; Young placed it at the right below the text.
2. Carlton Young. Email to the author, 5 January 2017.
3. Alan K. Waltz. A Dictionary for United Methodists. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1991. Section on "Hymnal, The United Methodist" reproduced by United Methodist Church website.
4. Guide to the Carlton R. Young Collection of 1935 Methodist Hymnal Commission Records. Southern Methodist University, Bridwell Library website.
5. "Preface." v.
6. "Sweet Hour of Prayer." Words by WilliamWalford, 1845. Music by William B. Bradbury, 1861. 496.
7. "Send Me Lord." Words and Music were described as "Trad. South African." 497.
8. "Young, Carlton Raymond (‘Sam’)." The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology website.
9. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hymntime website.
10. "Carlton Raymond Young." Hope Publishing website.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
Robert Sonkin - Lord, won’t you come by here
Topic: Early Versions - Collectors
Franklin Roosevelt’s programs that hired writers and artists subsidized the collection of American folklore. The Federal Writers Project, which employed Ruby Pickens Tartt, [1] collected oral histories from African Americans born into slavery. The Farm Security Administration sent photographers to temporary villages it had established for migrants from Oklahoma.
In 1940, Robert Sonkin joined Charles Todd in California where they recorded songs in FSA camps. [2] The next year, Sonkin went to Gee’s Bend, Alabama. [3] The African-American tenant farmers, who lived on a spit of land in the Alabama River, had been left at the mercy of the Red Cross when a local store owner seized their portable goods in payment for debts in 1932. [4] The federal government became involved in 1936. [5]
The plantation that became Gee’s Bend was established in 1816 by Joseph Gee, who brought 18 slaves with him from Halifax County on the northern part of the North Carolina piedmont. The two nephews who inherited sold it to another relative, Mark Harwell Pettway, in 1845. He moved to the area, bringing another 100 slaves from North Carolina, [6] and was living in Rehoboth in 1860. [7]
Rehoboth was about 20 miles away on the only road from the Gee’s Bend peninsula. [8] The oldest person buried in one Rehoboth cemetery was Joel Godwin. [9] Family historians believe he moved to the area in 1840 from Johnston County, North Carolina. [10] That was located up the Neuse river from New Bern on the piedmont. [11] Nothing more is known, about him or any slaves he may have brought with him.
The other documented cemetery in Rehoboth had no information, other than inscriptions from the stones. The earliest born settlers were named Christian, Harwood, Malone, Roach, and Vincent. Harwood and Roach were identified as physicians. None of their names appeared after the Civil War, [12] and none appeared in Tom Blake’s list of large slaveowners in Wilcox County in 1860. [13]
Some items in an Alabama history suggest Rehoboth was an antebellum community center with a church and school on dry land, perhaps providing healthy residences for men who owned plantations on the river bottoms. For instance, Lee McMillan was born in Gee’s Bend in 1865 and "educated in the schools of Rehoboth." He became a newspaper publisher in the county seat of Camden. He married the daughter of John Humphries Malone who lived in Rehoboth before the war [14] and was buried there in 1914. [15]
Similarly, W. T. Price migrated from Virginia in 1817. Moving from town to town, he taught school in Rehoboth between 1851 and 1861. He then became a lawyer in Camden, but maintained a home in Rehoboth. [16]
Once the road from Gee’s Bend to Rehoboth was improved, African Americans gravitated toward it in clusters of houses shown on the maps. [17] Sonkin stopped at the Oak Grove Church, which was located midway between the two points on the main road. He recorded the congregation singing "Lord, won’t you come by here" and "This Little Light of Mine."
The stones in its cemetery are recent. The oldest is from 1973. The burial ground probably is older, but the markers may not have survived with legible names. The names that do exist suggest individuals from Gee’s Bend moved to the area. They included Pettway and Irby. [18] William Irby married Pettway’s daughter. [19]
However, not every one who was part of the Oak Grove community was from the Pettway plantation. Other last names in the cemetery were Calhoun, Spencer, and Young. James M. Calhoun owned 80 slaves somewhere in Wilcox County in 1860, while William F. Spencer reported 110. Three Youngs had 61, 42, and 52. [20]
The communities in Wilcox County were south of Selma in Dallas County. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Francis X. Walter bought quilts made by women in Gee’s Bend to sell it New York. Following the success of this venture, the woman organized a marketing cooperative, not unlike the ones that had been promoted by the FSA. [21]
The women since have been interviewed by museums. Their biographies suggest that while Gee’s Bend was physically isolated, individuals married people from outside the community and settled in what was called Rehoboth. Whether that was the community center, or just somewhere along the road is not known.
For instance Polly Mooney was from Gee’s Bend, but married a Bennett and lived in Rehoboth [22] where white Bennetts had been buried after the Civil War. [23] Similarly, Hannah Wilcox lived in Rehoboth where her son married America Irby and her granddaughter was Mensie Lee Pettway. [24]
Flora Moore grew up in Rehoboth where her mother was Creolo Young and her cousin was Estelle Witherspoon. [25] Both their last names appeared in the Oak Grove cemetery. [26]
People from Rehoboth, no doubt, also married people from other parts of Wilcox and nearby counties. Each household was one part of a series of overlapping kinship circles in which songs, like those recorded by Sonkin, could move from camp meetings to individuals who lived too far away to attend. They might have reached Selma, or more likely to Sumter County to the northwest where Ruby Pickens Tartt collected the same song. Its county seat was 66 miles from Camden.
Sonkin probably did not walk into the Oak Grove church alone and set up his cumbersome recording equipment in July. He was raised as an orthodox Jew in the Bronx, and was a speech specialist at City College. [27] One wonders if he would even have known the proper protocols.
He probably was taken by someone living in the FSA community. While he had experience as a field worker, they had spent even more time with nosey outsiders who sometimes brought them some benefits.
Availability
Recording: Oak Grove Church, Reboboth, Alabama. "Lord, won’t you come by here." Collected by Robert Sonkin. July 1941. Archives of American Folk Song.
Graphics
1. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Crumptonia Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. Gee’s Bend is the claw at the bottom. The map was drawn after the river was damned and much of good farm land flooded.
2. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Catherine Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. The small squares are homes or other buildings.
3. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Camden North Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. The small squares are homes or other buildings.
End Notes
1. Tartt’s WPA work was mentioned in the post for 23 January 2019.
2. "The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Collecting Expedition." Library of Congress website.
3. Amy Palmer and Judy Ng. "Robert Sonkin Alabama and New Jersey Collection." Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress, American Folklife Center, December 2005.
4. John Beardsley. "River Island." 20–33 in The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. Sponsored by Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 200. 23.
5. Beardsley. 26.
6. Wikipedia. "Boykin, Alabama." Boykin is the current name for Gee’s Bend.
7. B. J. Smothers. "Mark Harwell Pettway." Ancestry website. 6 August 1999. Rehoboth was renamed Alberta, perhaps because there’s another Rebobeth in Alabama near Dothan.
8. Beardsley. 20.
9. Mary Foster Nichols. " Joel Godwin." Find a Grave website. 11 December 2009.
10. S. Godwin Carpenter. "Godwin." Ancestry website. 26 December 1998.
11. Thomas J. Lassiter and T. Wingate Lassiter. Johnston County: Its History since 1746. Smithfield, North Carolina: Hometown Heritage Pub., 2004. Excerpts on JohnsonNC website.
12. "Rehoboth Cemetery Memorials." Find a Grave website.
13. Tom Blake. "Wilcox County, Alabama: Largest Slaveholders from 1860 Slave Census Schedules." RootsWeb website. February 2002.
14. Thomas McAdory Owen and Marie Bankhead Owen. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1921. 4:1134.
15. Charlotte Graves. "John Humphries Malone." Find a Grave website. 16 July 2012.
16. Owen. 4:1389-1390.
17. Beardsley. 12.
18. "Oak Grove Cemetery Memorials." Find a Grave website.
19. "Will of Mark H. Pettway." Transcribed by B. J. Smothers. Wilcox County Genealogy website.
20. Blake.
21. Beardsley. 32.
22. William Arnett and Paul Arnett. "On the Map." 34–49 in Museum of Fine Arts. 44.
23. Rehoboth Cemetery.
24. Arnett. 43.
25. "Quilts Portfolio." Museum of Fine Arts. 170.
26. Oak Grove Cemetery.
27. Wikipedia. "Robert Sonkin."
Franklin Roosevelt’s programs that hired writers and artists subsidized the collection of American folklore. The Federal Writers Project, which employed Ruby Pickens Tartt, [1] collected oral histories from African Americans born into slavery. The Farm Security Administration sent photographers to temporary villages it had established for migrants from Oklahoma.
In 1940, Robert Sonkin joined Charles Todd in California where they recorded songs in FSA camps. [2] The next year, Sonkin went to Gee’s Bend, Alabama. [3] The African-American tenant farmers, who lived on a spit of land in the Alabama River, had been left at the mercy of the Red Cross when a local store owner seized their portable goods in payment for debts in 1932. [4] The federal government became involved in 1936. [5]
Rehoboth was about 20 miles away on the only road from the Gee’s Bend peninsula. [8] The oldest person buried in one Rehoboth cemetery was Joel Godwin. [9] Family historians believe he moved to the area in 1840 from Johnston County, North Carolina. [10] That was located up the Neuse river from New Bern on the piedmont. [11] Nothing more is known, about him or any slaves he may have brought with him.
The other documented cemetery in Rehoboth had no information, other than inscriptions from the stones. The earliest born settlers were named Christian, Harwood, Malone, Roach, and Vincent. Harwood and Roach were identified as physicians. None of their names appeared after the Civil War, [12] and none appeared in Tom Blake’s list of large slaveowners in Wilcox County in 1860. [13]
Some items in an Alabama history suggest Rehoboth was an antebellum community center with a church and school on dry land, perhaps providing healthy residences for men who owned plantations on the river bottoms. For instance, Lee McMillan was born in Gee’s Bend in 1865 and "educated in the schools of Rehoboth." He became a newspaper publisher in the county seat of Camden. He married the daughter of John Humphries Malone who lived in Rehoboth before the war [14] and was buried there in 1914. [15]
Similarly, W. T. Price migrated from Virginia in 1817. Moving from town to town, he taught school in Rehoboth between 1851 and 1861. He then became a lawyer in Camden, but maintained a home in Rehoboth. [16]
Once the road from Gee’s Bend to Rehoboth was improved, African Americans gravitated toward it in clusters of houses shown on the maps. [17] Sonkin stopped at the Oak Grove Church, which was located midway between the two points on the main road. He recorded the congregation singing "Lord, won’t you come by here" and "This Little Light of Mine."
The stones in its cemetery are recent. The oldest is from 1973. The burial ground probably is older, but the markers may not have survived with legible names. The names that do exist suggest individuals from Gee’s Bend moved to the area. They included Pettway and Irby. [18] William Irby married Pettway’s daughter. [19]
However, not every one who was part of the Oak Grove community was from the Pettway plantation. Other last names in the cemetery were Calhoun, Spencer, and Young. James M. Calhoun owned 80 slaves somewhere in Wilcox County in 1860, while William F. Spencer reported 110. Three Youngs had 61, 42, and 52. [20]
The communities in Wilcox County were south of Selma in Dallas County. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Francis X. Walter bought quilts made by women in Gee’s Bend to sell it New York. Following the success of this venture, the woman organized a marketing cooperative, not unlike the ones that had been promoted by the FSA. [21]
The women since have been interviewed by museums. Their biographies suggest that while Gee’s Bend was physically isolated, individuals married people from outside the community and settled in what was called Rehoboth. Whether that was the community center, or just somewhere along the road is not known.
For instance Polly Mooney was from Gee’s Bend, but married a Bennett and lived in Rehoboth [22] where white Bennetts had been buried after the Civil War. [23] Similarly, Hannah Wilcox lived in Rehoboth where her son married America Irby and her granddaughter was Mensie Lee Pettway. [24]
Flora Moore grew up in Rehoboth where her mother was Creolo Young and her cousin was Estelle Witherspoon. [25] Both their last names appeared in the Oak Grove cemetery. [26]
People from Rehoboth, no doubt, also married people from other parts of Wilcox and nearby counties. Each household was one part of a series of overlapping kinship circles in which songs, like those recorded by Sonkin, could move from camp meetings to individuals who lived too far away to attend. They might have reached Selma, or more likely to Sumter County to the northwest where Ruby Pickens Tartt collected the same song. Its county seat was 66 miles from Camden.
Sonkin probably did not walk into the Oak Grove church alone and set up his cumbersome recording equipment in July. He was raised as an orthodox Jew in the Bronx, and was a speech specialist at City College. [27] One wonders if he would even have known the proper protocols.
He probably was taken by someone living in the FSA community. While he had experience as a field worker, they had spent even more time with nosey outsiders who sometimes brought them some benefits.
Availability
Recording: Oak Grove Church, Reboboth, Alabama. "Lord, won’t you come by here." Collected by Robert Sonkin. July 1941. Archives of American Folk Song.
Graphics
1. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Crumptonia Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. Gee’s Bend is the claw at the bottom. The map was drawn after the river was damned and much of good farm land flooded.
2. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Catherine Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. The small squares are homes or other buildings.
3. United States, Department of the Interior. Geological Survey. Camden North Quadrangle, Alabama. 1974. The small squares are homes or other buildings.
End Notes
1. Tartt’s WPA work was mentioned in the post for 23 January 2019.
2. "The Charles L. Todd and Robert Sonkin Collecting Expedition." Library of Congress website.
3. Amy Palmer and Judy Ng. "Robert Sonkin Alabama and New Jersey Collection." Washington, D. C.: Library of Congress, American Folklife Center, December 2005.
4. John Beardsley. "River Island." 20–33 in The Quilts of Gee’s Bend. Sponsored by Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Atlanta: Tinwood Books, 200. 23.
5. Beardsley. 26.
6. Wikipedia. "Boykin, Alabama." Boykin is the current name for Gee’s Bend.
7. B. J. Smothers. "Mark Harwell Pettway." Ancestry website. 6 August 1999. Rehoboth was renamed Alberta, perhaps because there’s another Rebobeth in Alabama near Dothan.
8. Beardsley. 20.
9. Mary Foster Nichols. " Joel Godwin." Find a Grave website. 11 December 2009.
10. S. Godwin Carpenter. "Godwin." Ancestry website. 26 December 1998.
11. Thomas J. Lassiter and T. Wingate Lassiter. Johnston County: Its History since 1746. Smithfield, North Carolina: Hometown Heritage Pub., 2004. Excerpts on JohnsonNC website.
12. "Rehoboth Cemetery Memorials." Find a Grave website.
13. Tom Blake. "Wilcox County, Alabama: Largest Slaveholders from 1860 Slave Census Schedules." RootsWeb website. February 2002.
14. Thomas McAdory Owen and Marie Bankhead Owen. History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1921. 4:1134.
15. Charlotte Graves. "John Humphries Malone." Find a Grave website. 16 July 2012.
16. Owen. 4:1389-1390.
17. Beardsley. 12.
18. "Oak Grove Cemetery Memorials." Find a Grave website.
19. "Will of Mark H. Pettway." Transcribed by B. J. Smothers. Wilcox County Genealogy website.
20. Blake.
21. Beardsley. 32.
22. William Arnett and Paul Arnett. "On the Map." 34–49 in Museum of Fine Arts. 44.
23. Rehoboth Cemetery.
24. Arnett. 43.
25. "Quilts Portfolio." Museum of Fine Arts. 170.
26. Oak Grove Cemetery.
27. Wikipedia. "Robert Sonkin."
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Julian Parks Boyd
Topic: Early Versions - Collectors
Harvard was the center for folklore studies in the United States when early versions of "Come by Here" were collected. Francis James Child began publishing his definitive collection of English and Scots ballads there in 1882. [1] His successor, George Kittredge, has been mentioned in connection with Carl Carmer [2] and John Lomax. [3] After the latter published his collection of cowboy songs, [4] Lomax encouraged others to organize state organizations to collect local lore. [5]
Among those who responded was an English professor at Trinity College, later Duke University. In 1913 Frank Brown organized the North Carolina Folklore Society. [6] Former students and society members sent him collections, which he augmented with his own field work. [7]
Julian Parks Boyd heeded his call and asked his white high school students in Alliance, North Carolina, to "collect traditional songs from their friends and families in the rural community around the school." Minnie Lee submitted a version of "O Lord. Won’t You Come by Here?" in 1926. [8]
Boyd was born in western South Carolina where his immigrant ancestor settled on land granted in 1773 by George III in what became Newberry County of the Ninety-Six District. [9] John Boyd’s son, Nathan, converted to Methodism, and became a preacher, as did his sons and grandsons. One, George McPherson Boyd, was Julian’s grandfather. [10]
Between the time Julian’s father, Robert Jay Boyd. was born in 1875 and 1900, his father held thirteen assignments. [11] Robert was living in Converse Mill Village near Spartanburg when Julian was born. [12] Whether Robert was a hand in a textile mill or a mechanic servicing equipment or held some other white-collar job is not known.
Julian’s life is a blank between his birth and his rebirth as a college graduate in 1925. The Converse mills had suffered a devastating flood just months before he was born: 4,300 people lost their jobs. [13] One rather suspects his father moved, but when and where is speculation.
Boyd’s first job out of college was in Alliance, where he stayed one school year, and used his earnings to enter the graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania. The next year he was hired to edit "The Susquehanna Company Papers for the Wyoming Historical and Genealogical Society." He then moved from historical society to historical society, until he was hired by Princeton’s library in 1940. He edited the papers of Thomas Jefferson, and, in 1952, was granted a faculty position in the history department. [14]
Duke University began publishing Brown’s collection in 1952. The editors for the ballad and song volumes were Henry Belden and Arthur Palmer Hudson. The first was active in Missouri; [15] the other taught at the University of North Carolina. [16] The music editor, Jan Philip Schinhan, was educated in Austria and joined the University of North Carolina music faculty in 1935. [17]
The first five volumes of Brown’s collection contained 112 items sent by Boyd with the names of sixteen people. Some items were anonymous, and may have been collected by Boyd himself. In addition, he sent superstitions from Ware County that were included in volumes six and seven of the Brown series.
While Brown and his editors appreciated Boyd’s work, Boyd discovered "the school board and the community in general seem to think that [collecting folksongs] is an obnoxious practice, for some uncertain reason." [18] It’s not clear what taboo Boyd broke: race, class, religion, or region.
Thirty-two items were ballads of the type publicized by Child, and made famous in 1917 by Cecil Sharp when he discovered Child ballads still existed in the southern Appalachians. [19] One would think these were not controversial.
However, the largest number of songs contributed by Boyd were religious or from minstrel shows. The two categories overlapped because many of the religious songs were humorous and/or used Negro dialect. A number in different categories were identified as "Negro fragments." Only two students did not submit materials from any of these groups: Clifton McCotter and Carlos Holton.
Some parents may have thought material from the popular stage did not belong in schools whose goals was to prepare the young for elevated positions in the local social and economic hierarchy. Others may have been offended by the implication something other than hymns could be considered important.
The county was a swampy peninsula between the Neuse and Pamlico rivers that supported no commercial crops. Before the Civil War, the largest land owner grew corn with 31 slaves. [20] Clifton’s great-grandfather’s brother, Joseph McCotter, usually had 25 adult slaves and their children on the Neuse River mouth of Broad Creek across from New Bern. [21] Farmers raised cash by producing turpentine, rosin, pitch, tar and other naval supplies needed by shipbuilders in New Bern. [22]
First Day Baptists had tried to organize on the Neuse side of the peninsula in 1740, when dissenters were banned. [23] After the American Revolution, they succeed in establishing their first church on Goose Creek in 1784. [24] The other important denomination after the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 was the Disciples of Christ. Neither they nor the Free Will Baptists were large enough to erect buildings or support full-time clergymen. Instead, the Vandemere church historians thought congregations met in private homes. [25]
During the Civil War, Union forces seized New Bern, [26] and slaves from surrounding plantations fled to the port where they worked for the military. [27] Joseph McCotter’s family remembered "The night the slaves found out they had been freed, all but one of them from the McCotter Plantation took the largest boat from its moorings and sailed away towards New Bern, NC." [28]
The government set up the James City camp for African Americans on land appropriated from an abandoned plantation. [29] After the end of Reconstruction, Democrats in the state legislature gerrymandered the state’s election districts so all the Blacks were in the one district of New Bern. To strengthen their power, they lopped off the areas of Craven and Beaufort counties with white majorities and called it Pamlico County in 1872. [30] A first cousin of Clifton’s great-grandfather, Richard Dawson McCotter, was elected to the legislature twice. [31]
In 1873, the county seat was established in Vandemere, [32] a port on the Bay River. The Baptists and Disciples were meeting in Ulysses Cicero Holton’s store. [33] The son of Clifton’s great-grandfather’s brother, John Robert McCotter, offered land for a church building in 1885. When they met, they decided to make it a Methodist building. [34]
The Methodist church had been insignificant before the Civil War, when it was seen as supporting abolitionists. The denomination had split over slavery in 1844, and after the war Southern Methodists became the church for whites. [35]
Methodist freed men were in their separate denominations, and not likely to join the mother church. [36] In contrast, Mt. Zion Free Will Baptist Church in Vendemere "once had a balcony for slaves to sit in" [37], although the denomination invited freedmen to form their own churches in 1866. [38]
Pamlico county had even less of an economic base than when it was the lowland section of Craven County. Poor farmers in the county organized against the railroads and their high tariffs. Alliance was named for the organization. [39] The populist Farmers’ Alliance movement coincided with the spread of radical forms of Holiness. The Southern Methodist church disowned the movement in 1894, and began redefining itself as the upper class alternative. Two women distinctly remembered the Vandemere church was "a very friendly church, but not a ‘shouting’ church." [40]
In Alliance, the Methodist Church was built next to the family cemetery of Clifton’s grandfather, Benjamin Franklin McCottle.
One suspects Boyd offended Methodist parents who shrank from the lower class associations of emotional churches and the informality of camp meetings where the humorous religious songs were sung.
However, he may simply have been a political pawn: a new man became county school superintendent in 1927. [41]
Graphics
"Map of Pamlico County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels." U. S. Census Bureau, July 2007. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Ruhrfisch, 4 July 2007.
End Notes
Information on the various McCotters is from Ancestry, Find a Grave, My Heritage, NC Gen, and Wiki Tree websites.
1. Francis James Child. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, ten volumes, 1882–1898.
2. Carl Carmer was discussed in the post for 23 January 2019.
3. John Lomax’s education was discussed in the post for 27 January 2019.
4. Details on Lomax’s collection of cowboy songs appeared in the post for 27 January 2019.
5. Wikipedia. "John Lomax."
6. W. E. King. "Brown, Frank Clyde." NC Pedia website. 1979.
7. Newman Ivey White. "General Introduction." 1–28 in Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore. Durham: Duke University Press, 1952. Volume 1, edited by Paul G. Brewster, et al. 14.
8. Stephen Winick. "The World’s First ‘Kumbaya’ Moment: New Evidence about an Old Song." Folklife Center News 34:3–10:Summer/Fall2010. 4.
9. George Leland Summer. Newberry County, South Carolina: Historical and Genealogical Annals. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980. 197.
10. DSM. "Robert Jay Boyd, Sr." Find a Grave website. 6 February 2011. Julian’s father.
Dowd/Powell/Bartley/Hare. "Rev George McPherson Boyd." Find a Grave website. 13 April 2006. Julian’s grandfather.
Duvall. "Rev Mark Moore Boyd." Find a Grave website. 20 April 2012. Julian’s great-grandfather.
Michael Bell. "Rev Nathan Boyd." Find a Grave website. 12 August 2010. Julian’s great-great-grandfather.
11. Watson Boone Duncan. "Rev. Geo. M. Boyd." 55–56 in Twentieth Century Sketches of the South Carolina Conference, M.E. Church, South. Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Conference, 1901.
12. Wikipedia. "Julian P. Boyd."
13. Sharon. "Clifton Manufacturing, SC." Sharon Scrapbook website. 26 October 2010.
14. James Russel Wiggins. "Julian Parks Boyd." American Antiquarian Society Proceedings 90:291–299:1980. 291.
15. Rebecca B. Schroeder. "Belden, Henry Marvin." Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Edited by Lawrence O. Christensen, William E. Foley, and Gary Kremer. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999. 52–53.
16. "Arthur Palmer Hudson Papers, 1915-1967." University of North Carolina , Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library website.
17. "Schinhan, Jan Philip, 1887-1975." Social Networks and Archival Context website.
18. Winick. 4.
19. Cecil James Sharp and Olive Dame Campbell. English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1917.
20. Joe A. Mobley. Pamlico County: A Brief History. Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1991. 17.
21. Linda Dail. "Descendants of Hezekiah McCotter." NC Gen website.
22. Mobley, Pamlico. 4.
23. Mobley, Pamlico. 11. First Day Baptists, in fact, were Anabaptists.
24. "Craven County, North Carolina Genealogy." Family Search website.
25. Annette Hill Jones, Gladys Ford Sodoma, and Salona Jensen McCotter. The History of Vandemere United Methodist Church. Baltimore: Otter Bay Books, 2010. 13.
26. Mobley, Pamlico. 36.
27. Mobley, Pamlico. 38.
28. Dail.
29. Joe A. Mobley. James City. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1981.
30. Mobley, Pamlico. 50–53.
31. Mobley, Pamlico. 93.
32. Jones. 20. The county seat later was moved to Bayboro.
33. Jones. 13. I couldn’t learn enough about Carlos or Ulysses Holton to define their kinship.
34. Jones. 15.
35. Jones. 15. "At that time in history, the Methodist Churches attended by whites in the New Bern District area were Methodist Episcopal Churches, South."
36. Jones. 15.
37. Jones. 18.
38. T. F. Harrison and J. M. Barfield. History of the Free Will Baptists of North Carolina. Ayden, North Carolina: Free Will Baptist Press, 1898. 265, 266.
39. Mobley, Pamlico. 95.
40. Mrs. Vera and Mrs. Trixie. Quoted by Jones. 17.
41. Mobley, Pamlico. 114. Herbert C. Banks replaced Taylor B. Attmore.
Harvard was the center for folklore studies in the United States when early versions of "Come by Here" were collected. Francis James Child began publishing his definitive collection of English and Scots ballads there in 1882. [1] His successor, George Kittredge, has been mentioned in connection with Carl Carmer [2] and John Lomax. [3] After the latter published his collection of cowboy songs, [4] Lomax encouraged others to organize state organizations to collect local lore. [5]
Among those who responded was an English professor at Trinity College, later Duke University. In 1913 Frank Brown organized the North Carolina Folklore Society. [6] Former students and society members sent him collections, which he augmented with his own field work. [7]
Julian Parks Boyd heeded his call and asked his white high school students in Alliance, North Carolina, to "collect traditional songs from their friends and families in the rural community around the school." Minnie Lee submitted a version of "O Lord. Won’t You Come by Here?" in 1926. [8]
Boyd was born in western South Carolina where his immigrant ancestor settled on land granted in 1773 by George III in what became Newberry County of the Ninety-Six District. [9] John Boyd’s son, Nathan, converted to Methodism, and became a preacher, as did his sons and grandsons. One, George McPherson Boyd, was Julian’s grandfather. [10]
Between the time Julian’s father, Robert Jay Boyd. was born in 1875 and 1900, his father held thirteen assignments. [11] Robert was living in Converse Mill Village near Spartanburg when Julian was born. [12] Whether Robert was a hand in a textile mill or a mechanic servicing equipment or held some other white-collar job is not known.
Julian’s life is a blank between his birth and his rebirth as a college graduate in 1925. The Converse mills had suffered a devastating flood just months before he was born: 4,300 people lost their jobs. [13] One rather suspects his father moved, but when and where is speculation.
Boyd’s first job out of college was in Alliance, where he stayed one school year, and used his earnings to enter the graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania. The next year he was hired to edit "The Susquehanna Company Papers for the Wyoming Historical and Genealogical Society." He then moved from historical society to historical society, until he was hired by Princeton’s library in 1940. He edited the papers of Thomas Jefferson, and, in 1952, was granted a faculty position in the history department. [14]
Duke University began publishing Brown’s collection in 1952. The editors for the ballad and song volumes were Henry Belden and Arthur Palmer Hudson. The first was active in Missouri; [15] the other taught at the University of North Carolina. [16] The music editor, Jan Philip Schinhan, was educated in Austria and joined the University of North Carolina music faculty in 1935. [17]
The first five volumes of Brown’s collection contained 112 items sent by Boyd with the names of sixteen people. Some items were anonymous, and may have been collected by Boyd himself. In addition, he sent superstitions from Ware County that were included in volumes six and seven of the Brown series.
While Brown and his editors appreciated Boyd’s work, Boyd discovered "the school board and the community in general seem to think that [collecting folksongs] is an obnoxious practice, for some uncertain reason." [18] It’s not clear what taboo Boyd broke: race, class, religion, or region.
Thirty-two items were ballads of the type publicized by Child, and made famous in 1917 by Cecil Sharp when he discovered Child ballads still existed in the southern Appalachians. [19] One would think these were not controversial.
However, the largest number of songs contributed by Boyd were religious or from minstrel shows. The two categories overlapped because many of the religious songs were humorous and/or used Negro dialect. A number in different categories were identified as "Negro fragments." Only two students did not submit materials from any of these groups: Clifton McCotter and Carlos Holton.
Some parents may have thought material from the popular stage did not belong in schools whose goals was to prepare the young for elevated positions in the local social and economic hierarchy. Others may have been offended by the implication something other than hymns could be considered important.
The county was a swampy peninsula between the Neuse and Pamlico rivers that supported no commercial crops. Before the Civil War, the largest land owner grew corn with 31 slaves. [20] Clifton’s great-grandfather’s brother, Joseph McCotter, usually had 25 adult slaves and their children on the Neuse River mouth of Broad Creek across from New Bern. [21] Farmers raised cash by producing turpentine, rosin, pitch, tar and other naval supplies needed by shipbuilders in New Bern. [22]
First Day Baptists had tried to organize on the Neuse side of the peninsula in 1740, when dissenters were banned. [23] After the American Revolution, they succeed in establishing their first church on Goose Creek in 1784. [24] The other important denomination after the Cane Ridge Revival of 1801 was the Disciples of Christ. Neither they nor the Free Will Baptists were large enough to erect buildings or support full-time clergymen. Instead, the Vandemere church historians thought congregations met in private homes. [25]
During the Civil War, Union forces seized New Bern, [26] and slaves from surrounding plantations fled to the port where they worked for the military. [27] Joseph McCotter’s family remembered "The night the slaves found out they had been freed, all but one of them from the McCotter Plantation took the largest boat from its moorings and sailed away towards New Bern, NC." [28]
The government set up the James City camp for African Americans on land appropriated from an abandoned plantation. [29] After the end of Reconstruction, Democrats in the state legislature gerrymandered the state’s election districts so all the Blacks were in the one district of New Bern. To strengthen their power, they lopped off the areas of Craven and Beaufort counties with white majorities and called it Pamlico County in 1872. [30] A first cousin of Clifton’s great-grandfather, Richard Dawson McCotter, was elected to the legislature twice. [31]
In 1873, the county seat was established in Vandemere, [32] a port on the Bay River. The Baptists and Disciples were meeting in Ulysses Cicero Holton’s store. [33] The son of Clifton’s great-grandfather’s brother, John Robert McCotter, offered land for a church building in 1885. When they met, they decided to make it a Methodist building. [34]
The Methodist church had been insignificant before the Civil War, when it was seen as supporting abolitionists. The denomination had split over slavery in 1844, and after the war Southern Methodists became the church for whites. [35]
Methodist freed men were in their separate denominations, and not likely to join the mother church. [36] In contrast, Mt. Zion Free Will Baptist Church in Vendemere "once had a balcony for slaves to sit in" [37], although the denomination invited freedmen to form their own churches in 1866. [38]
Pamlico county had even less of an economic base than when it was the lowland section of Craven County. Poor farmers in the county organized against the railroads and their high tariffs. Alliance was named for the organization. [39] The populist Farmers’ Alliance movement coincided with the spread of radical forms of Holiness. The Southern Methodist church disowned the movement in 1894, and began redefining itself as the upper class alternative. Two women distinctly remembered the Vandemere church was "a very friendly church, but not a ‘shouting’ church." [40]
In Alliance, the Methodist Church was built next to the family cemetery of Clifton’s grandfather, Benjamin Franklin McCottle.
One suspects Boyd offended Methodist parents who shrank from the lower class associations of emotional churches and the informality of camp meetings where the humorous religious songs were sung.
However, he may simply have been a political pawn: a new man became county school superintendent in 1927. [41]
Graphics
"Map of Pamlico County North Carolina With Municipal and Township Labels." U. S. Census Bureau, July 2007. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by Ruhrfisch, 4 July 2007.
End Notes
Information on the various McCotters is from Ancestry, Find a Grave, My Heritage, NC Gen, and Wiki Tree websites.
1. Francis James Child. The English and Scottish Popular Ballads. Boston: Houghton Mifflin and Company, ten volumes, 1882–1898.
2. Carl Carmer was discussed in the post for 23 January 2019.
3. John Lomax’s education was discussed in the post for 27 January 2019.
4. Details on Lomax’s collection of cowboy songs appeared in the post for 27 January 2019.
5. Wikipedia. "John Lomax."
6. W. E. King. "Brown, Frank Clyde." NC Pedia website. 1979.
7. Newman Ivey White. "General Introduction." 1–28 in Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore. Durham: Duke University Press, 1952. Volume 1, edited by Paul G. Brewster, et al. 14.
8. Stephen Winick. "The World’s First ‘Kumbaya’ Moment: New Evidence about an Old Song." Folklife Center News 34:3–10:Summer/Fall2010. 4.
9. George Leland Summer. Newberry County, South Carolina: Historical and Genealogical Annals. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1980. 197.
10. DSM. "Robert Jay Boyd, Sr." Find a Grave website. 6 February 2011. Julian’s father.
Dowd/Powell/Bartley/Hare. "Rev George McPherson Boyd." Find a Grave website. 13 April 2006. Julian’s grandfather.
Duvall. "Rev Mark Moore Boyd." Find a Grave website. 20 April 2012. Julian’s great-grandfather.
Michael Bell. "Rev Nathan Boyd." Find a Grave website. 12 August 2010. Julian’s great-great-grandfather.
11. Watson Boone Duncan. "Rev. Geo. M. Boyd." 55–56 in Twentieth Century Sketches of the South Carolina Conference, M.E. Church, South. Columbia, South Carolina: South Carolina Conference, 1901.
12. Wikipedia. "Julian P. Boyd."
13. Sharon. "Clifton Manufacturing, SC." Sharon Scrapbook website. 26 October 2010.
14. James Russel Wiggins. "Julian Parks Boyd." American Antiquarian Society Proceedings 90:291–299:1980. 291.
15. Rebecca B. Schroeder. "Belden, Henry Marvin." Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Edited by Lawrence O. Christensen, William E. Foley, and Gary Kremer. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1999. 52–53.
16. "Arthur Palmer Hudson Papers, 1915-1967." University of North Carolina , Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library website.
17. "Schinhan, Jan Philip, 1887-1975." Social Networks and Archival Context website.
18. Winick. 4.
19. Cecil James Sharp and Olive Dame Campbell. English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1917.
20. Joe A. Mobley. Pamlico County: A Brief History. Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1991. 17.
21. Linda Dail. "Descendants of Hezekiah McCotter." NC Gen website.
22. Mobley, Pamlico. 4.
23. Mobley, Pamlico. 11. First Day Baptists, in fact, were Anabaptists.
24. "Craven County, North Carolina Genealogy." Family Search website.
25. Annette Hill Jones, Gladys Ford Sodoma, and Salona Jensen McCotter. The History of Vandemere United Methodist Church. Baltimore: Otter Bay Books, 2010. 13.
26. Mobley, Pamlico. 36.
27. Mobley, Pamlico. 38.
28. Dail.
29. Joe A. Mobley. James City. Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, 1981.
30. Mobley, Pamlico. 50–53.
31. Mobley, Pamlico. 93.
32. Jones. 20. The county seat later was moved to Bayboro.
33. Jones. 13. I couldn’t learn enough about Carlos or Ulysses Holton to define their kinship.
34. Jones. 15.
35. Jones. 15. "At that time in history, the Methodist Churches attended by whites in the New Bern District area were Methodist Episcopal Churches, South."
36. Jones. 15.
37. Jones. 18.
38. T. F. Harrison and J. M. Barfield. History of the Free Will Baptists of North Carolina. Ayden, North Carolina: Free Will Baptist Press, 1898. 265, 266.
39. Mobley, Pamlico. 95.
40. Mrs. Vera and Mrs. Trixie. Quoted by Jones. 17.
41. Mobley, Pamlico. 114. Herbert C. Banks replaced Taylor B. Attmore.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
Robert Winslow Gordon
Topic: Early Versions - Collectors
Robert Winslow Gordon collected four songs with "come by here" south of Savannah near the mouth of the Altamaha river in 1926. He then was living in Darien, and did most of collecting within an hour’s drive. [1] Darien was the county seat of McIntosh County, shown in red in the map.
He had begun his folk-music studies at Harvard with George Kittredge. [2] Gordon took a job at Berkeley in 1917, where he collected shanties from local seamen. During his 1925 sabbatical leave, he sought folk songs in Asheville, North Carolina. In 1926, he rejoined his wife in Darien. [3]
Deborah Kodish said Gordon became friendly with a deaconess in a Darien African-American church, who introduced him to other singers. He established more credibility when he treated a rattlesnake bite for the uncle of a woman who worked for his wife. [4]
I suspect he also was able to interview other people who had worked for his wife’s family. His father-in-law, Robert Porter Paul, had been secretary-treasurer for the Hilton and Dodge Lumber Company [5] that one time had been "the largest timber firm on the U. S. east coast." [6] When a Hilton girl married a prominent politician, wedding guests stayed at Paul’s house. [7] It probably was one of many times the family hired local African-Americans to supplement its household staff.
Thomas Hilton’s mother’s brother was the first to arrive in the United States as a machinery salesman in the 1830s. [8] Robert Lachlison probably was from Preston, a major textile town in Lancashire. While his son was born in Charleston in 1837, [9] he settled in Philadelphia where he and his brother James had a machine shop. [10] Later they all moved to Savannah.
Thomas Hilton migrated to Darien in 1855, [11] after a long strike in Preston. [12] His parents followed. His father, also Thomas, built a sawmill on Cat Head Creek. [13]
After the Civil War, Hilton built a new mill with his father and brother. In the early years, farmers up the Altamaha cut trees, lashed them into rafts, and floated them down to Darien where the Hiltons bought them. [14]
Meantime, the president of the Macon and Brunswick Railroad suggested a northern lumberman buy 300,000 acres of woodland on tributaries of the Altamaha. William Dodge built two mills to ship wood to the coast. It also floated logs to Darien where they were moved to his mill on Saint Simons Island. [15] Dodge died in 1883, [16] and his son Norman merged with Hilton in 1889. [17]
The racial composition of the labor force rarely was mentioned by historians. Small land owners disputed the titles purchased by Dodge’s Georgia Land and Lumber, [18] which made it hard to recruit them as workers. Dodge sent sawyers from his closed mill in Pennsylvania, and, by 1889, was using convict labor. [19] The company also recruited African-Americans from North Carolina for its turpentine works. [20]
Animosities never subsided in the area, and broke into a race riot in Eastman in 1882. It occurred during an African-American camp meeting that attracted 3,000. [21] I found nothing on the internet to identify the sponsors. Many came by excursion trains that may have been provided by the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. It had purchased the Macon and Brunswick the previous year [22] and was working to increase its revenues. [23]
The coastal population was overwhelmingly African American, and so were the men who worked in the mills. Buddy Sullivan said in 1870 "blacks held 67 of the 76 jobs in the labor positions at sawmills around Darien and Duboy Island" where Hilton had operations. [24]
Similarly, writers for Coastal Illustrated found, on Saint Simons Island in 1900, "the majority of African Americans were farmers, farm laborers, or day-laborers. Prince Williams was an engineer at the sawmill while forty others listed their occupations as laborers at the sawmill." [25]
Thomas’s son Joseph remembered in 1951, after the sawmills had closed, that "these old mills in good locations, particularly Lower Bluff and St. Simons, had crews, many of whom, both white and colored, had never worked anywhere else—just grown up there. Most of them owned their own homes." [26]
The day laborers mentioned by Coastal Illustrated probably included the men who worked on the wharves. Lydia Parrish was told:
"Ships from everywhere came for the sawed lumber. Julia once told me she had seen as many as thirty-five vessels lined up at The Mills in the days when the Hilton-Dodge Lumber Company was at the peak of its production. [. . .] as many as twenty-five Negroes would ‘roll ballast’–which means, as can be imagined, that the stones with which the windjammers came loaded were landed at temporary dock, and rolled in wheelbarrows to waste land." [27]
Joseph recalled:
"The boss stevedores were men of brawn and skill. The stevedore ‘hands’ as all laborers about loading jobs, booms and saw mills were called, were all colored, carefully picked and trained, many being wonderful physical specimens.
"Each gang of stevedore hands had a leader who sang a line of a chantey song, the others coming in on the short chorus, then with a ‘Ho’ all heaved together on the big stick in perfect time. This same system of singing when the combined efforts of a gang was needed to move heavy timbers, was used in loading coastwise vessels, and I never heard of a boss stevedore interrupting it." [28]
Parrish gathered information on stowing lumber, and asked men to sing some of the songs they had used. [29]
Joseph remembered the stevedores "lived in different places, some in or near Darien, others at a settlement beyond The Ridge, known as ‘Connigan Bridge’ and a settlement on the northern end of Sapelo Island, called ‘Sapelo High Point’." [30]
The good lumber was nearly gone in 1900. [31] Hilton and Dodge absorbed its rivals, [32] while cutting back production. [33] Skilled loggers and sawmill workers probably began moving to other states that were hiring. The company closed in 1916.
Joseph said he worked for others and that, at one mill upriver from Savannah, "most of the top jobs at this place were filled by men from our old mills on the coast." [34] By 1920, only two men on Saint Simons worked in a sawmill. [35]
Graphics
David Benbennick. "Map of Georgia highlighting McIntosh County." Wikimedia Commons. 12 February 2006.
End Notes
1. Deborah G. Kodish. "Introduction." Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection 1922-1932. Washington: Library of Congress, 1978.
2. Wikipedia. "George Lyman Kittredge." He was mentioned in the posts for 23 January 2019 and 27 January 2019.
3. Kodish.
4. Kodish.
5. Robert P. Paul, Secretary and Treasurer. Letter to Corp of Engineers, 18 November 1886. In Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, to the Secretary of War, for the Year 1887. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887. Part 2. 1202–1203. Paul died in 1914.
6. Buddy Sullivan. Early Days on the Georgia Tidewater. Darien, Georgia: McIntosh County Board of Commissioners, 1990. 441.
7. The Atlanta Constitution. January 3, 1892. 15.
8. Thomas Hilton. "High Water on the Bar." Savannah: 1951. 51–66 in Buddy Sullivan. High Water on the Bar. Darien: The Darien News, 2009. 51.
9. "Lachlison, James." Georgia Historical Society website.
10. William Harden. "Capt. James Lachlison Foster." 2:987–988 in A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1913. 2:987.
11. "Hilton Family Papers." Georgia Historical Society website.
12. Wikipedia. "Preston, Lancashire."
13. Hilton. 52.
14. Sullivan, Early Days. 349–350, 444.
15. Wilber W. Caldwell. The Courthouse and the Depot. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2001. 250.
16. Caldwell. 251.
17. Harden. "Joseph Hilton," 2:715–716. 2:716.
18. Scott Thompson. "The Dodge Lands." Pieces of Our Past website. 25 July 2009.
19. Mark V. Wetherington. The New South Comes to Wiregrass Georgia, 1860-1910. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1994. 130.
20. Wetherington. 119.
21. Lucian Lamar Knight. Georgia’s Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends. Atlanta: Byrd Printing Company, 1913. 706.
22. Wikipedia. "Macon and Brunswick Railroad."
23. Caldwell said activities by the East Tennessee set off a "new wave of lumbering" (251).
24. Sullivan, Early Days. 333.
25. "Forgotten Past." Coastal Illustrated. 25 January 2012. 12.
26. Hilton. 62.
27. Lydia Parrish. Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands. New York: Creative Age Press, 1942. Reprint edition, Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1992. 200–201. Her source was Julia Armstrong.
28. Hilton. 58.
29. Parrish. On stowing lumber, 202; "Call Me Hangin’ Johnny" used to load lumber, 203; "Pay Me My Money Down," 208; "Raggedy Leevy" used to block lumber, 212; "Anniebelle" to load lumber, 222.
30. Hilton. 58. The Ridge was higher land above Darien. Thomas moved his family there to avoid diseases bred in the rice field (Hilton, 54). The Pauls also lived there [7].
31. Sullivan, Early Days. 351.
32. Harden. "Joseph Hilton," 2:716-717. 2:717
33. Sullivan, Early Days. 542, 561.
34. Hilton. 64.
35. Coastal Illustrated.
Robert Winslow Gordon collected four songs with "come by here" south of Savannah near the mouth of the Altamaha river in 1926. He then was living in Darien, and did most of collecting within an hour’s drive. [1] Darien was the county seat of McIntosh County, shown in red in the map.
Deborah Kodish said Gordon became friendly with a deaconess in a Darien African-American church, who introduced him to other singers. He established more credibility when he treated a rattlesnake bite for the uncle of a woman who worked for his wife. [4]
I suspect he also was able to interview other people who had worked for his wife’s family. His father-in-law, Robert Porter Paul, had been secretary-treasurer for the Hilton and Dodge Lumber Company [5] that one time had been "the largest timber firm on the U. S. east coast." [6] When a Hilton girl married a prominent politician, wedding guests stayed at Paul’s house. [7] It probably was one of many times the family hired local African-Americans to supplement its household staff.
Thomas Hilton’s mother’s brother was the first to arrive in the United States as a machinery salesman in the 1830s. [8] Robert Lachlison probably was from Preston, a major textile town in Lancashire. While his son was born in Charleston in 1837, [9] he settled in Philadelphia where he and his brother James had a machine shop. [10] Later they all moved to Savannah.
Thomas Hilton migrated to Darien in 1855, [11] after a long strike in Preston. [12] His parents followed. His father, also Thomas, built a sawmill on Cat Head Creek. [13]
After the Civil War, Hilton built a new mill with his father and brother. In the early years, farmers up the Altamaha cut trees, lashed them into rafts, and floated them down to Darien where the Hiltons bought them. [14]
Meantime, the president of the Macon and Brunswick Railroad suggested a northern lumberman buy 300,000 acres of woodland on tributaries of the Altamaha. William Dodge built two mills to ship wood to the coast. It also floated logs to Darien where they were moved to his mill on Saint Simons Island. [15] Dodge died in 1883, [16] and his son Norman merged with Hilton in 1889. [17]
The racial composition of the labor force rarely was mentioned by historians. Small land owners disputed the titles purchased by Dodge’s Georgia Land and Lumber, [18] which made it hard to recruit them as workers. Dodge sent sawyers from his closed mill in Pennsylvania, and, by 1889, was using convict labor. [19] The company also recruited African-Americans from North Carolina for its turpentine works. [20]
Animosities never subsided in the area, and broke into a race riot in Eastman in 1882. It occurred during an African-American camp meeting that attracted 3,000. [21] I found nothing on the internet to identify the sponsors. Many came by excursion trains that may have been provided by the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. It had purchased the Macon and Brunswick the previous year [22] and was working to increase its revenues. [23]
The coastal population was overwhelmingly African American, and so were the men who worked in the mills. Buddy Sullivan said in 1870 "blacks held 67 of the 76 jobs in the labor positions at sawmills around Darien and Duboy Island" where Hilton had operations. [24]
Similarly, writers for Coastal Illustrated found, on Saint Simons Island in 1900, "the majority of African Americans were farmers, farm laborers, or day-laborers. Prince Williams was an engineer at the sawmill while forty others listed their occupations as laborers at the sawmill." [25]
Thomas’s son Joseph remembered in 1951, after the sawmills had closed, that "these old mills in good locations, particularly Lower Bluff and St. Simons, had crews, many of whom, both white and colored, had never worked anywhere else—just grown up there. Most of them owned their own homes." [26]
The day laborers mentioned by Coastal Illustrated probably included the men who worked on the wharves. Lydia Parrish was told:
"Ships from everywhere came for the sawed lumber. Julia once told me she had seen as many as thirty-five vessels lined up at The Mills in the days when the Hilton-Dodge Lumber Company was at the peak of its production. [. . .] as many as twenty-five Negroes would ‘roll ballast’–which means, as can be imagined, that the stones with which the windjammers came loaded were landed at temporary dock, and rolled in wheelbarrows to waste land." [27]
Joseph recalled:
"The boss stevedores were men of brawn and skill. The stevedore ‘hands’ as all laborers about loading jobs, booms and saw mills were called, were all colored, carefully picked and trained, many being wonderful physical specimens.
"Each gang of stevedore hands had a leader who sang a line of a chantey song, the others coming in on the short chorus, then with a ‘Ho’ all heaved together on the big stick in perfect time. This same system of singing when the combined efforts of a gang was needed to move heavy timbers, was used in loading coastwise vessels, and I never heard of a boss stevedore interrupting it." [28]
Parrish gathered information on stowing lumber, and asked men to sing some of the songs they had used. [29]
Joseph remembered the stevedores "lived in different places, some in or near Darien, others at a settlement beyond The Ridge, known as ‘Connigan Bridge’ and a settlement on the northern end of Sapelo Island, called ‘Sapelo High Point’." [30]
The good lumber was nearly gone in 1900. [31] Hilton and Dodge absorbed its rivals, [32] while cutting back production. [33] Skilled loggers and sawmill workers probably began moving to other states that were hiring. The company closed in 1916.
Joseph said he worked for others and that, at one mill upriver from Savannah, "most of the top jobs at this place were filled by men from our old mills on the coast." [34] By 1920, only two men on Saint Simons worked in a sawmill. [35]
Graphics
David Benbennick. "Map of Georgia highlighting McIntosh County." Wikimedia Commons. 12 February 2006.
End Notes
1. Deborah G. Kodish. "Introduction." Folk-Songs of America: The Robert Winslow Gordon Collection 1922-1932. Washington: Library of Congress, 1978.
2. Wikipedia. "George Lyman Kittredge." He was mentioned in the posts for 23 January 2019 and 27 January 2019.
3. Kodish.
4. Kodish.
5. Robert P. Paul, Secretary and Treasurer. Letter to Corp of Engineers, 18 November 1886. In Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, to the Secretary of War, for the Year 1887. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887. Part 2. 1202–1203. Paul died in 1914.
6. Buddy Sullivan. Early Days on the Georgia Tidewater. Darien, Georgia: McIntosh County Board of Commissioners, 1990. 441.
7. The Atlanta Constitution. January 3, 1892. 15.
8. Thomas Hilton. "High Water on the Bar." Savannah: 1951. 51–66 in Buddy Sullivan. High Water on the Bar. Darien: The Darien News, 2009. 51.
9. "Lachlison, James." Georgia Historical Society website.
10. William Harden. "Capt. James Lachlison Foster." 2:987–988 in A History of Savannah and South Georgia. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1913. 2:987.
11. "Hilton Family Papers." Georgia Historical Society website.
12. Wikipedia. "Preston, Lancashire."
13. Hilton. 52.
14. Sullivan, Early Days. 349–350, 444.
15. Wilber W. Caldwell. The Courthouse and the Depot. Macon: Mercer University Press, 2001. 250.
16. Caldwell. 251.
17. Harden. "Joseph Hilton," 2:715–716. 2:716.
18. Scott Thompson. "The Dodge Lands." Pieces of Our Past website. 25 July 2009.
19. Mark V. Wetherington. The New South Comes to Wiregrass Georgia, 1860-1910. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1994. 130.
20. Wetherington. 119.
21. Lucian Lamar Knight. Georgia’s Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends. Atlanta: Byrd Printing Company, 1913. 706.
22. Wikipedia. "Macon and Brunswick Railroad."
23. Caldwell said activities by the East Tennessee set off a "new wave of lumbering" (251).
24. Sullivan, Early Days. 333.
25. "Forgotten Past." Coastal Illustrated. 25 January 2012. 12.
26. Hilton. 62.
27. Lydia Parrish. Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands. New York: Creative Age Press, 1942. Reprint edition, Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1992. 200–201. Her source was Julia Armstrong.
28. Hilton. 58.
29. Parrish. On stowing lumber, 202; "Call Me Hangin’ Johnny" used to load lumber, 203; "Pay Me My Money Down," 208; "Raggedy Leevy" used to block lumber, 212; "Anniebelle" to load lumber, 222.
30. Hilton. 58. The Ridge was higher land above Darien. Thomas moved his family there to avoid diseases bred in the rice field (Hilton, 54). The Pauls also lived there [7].
31. Sullivan, Early Days. 351.
32. Harden. "Joseph Hilton," 2:716-717. 2:717
33. Sullivan, Early Days. 542, 561.
34. Hilton. 64.
35. Coastal Illustrated.
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