Walter Anderson - Come By Here (Kum Ba Yah)

Topic: Kumbaya 1955-1961
Lynn Rohrbough implied the interest in Black spirituals was increasing when he told Clare Lovejoy Lennon on 15 November 1956:

“Some years ago we put out this little Look Away and are considering a revision.  Can you think of any songs from your home community that should be included?” [1]

That is a modest description for what must have been a major project.  He listed twenty people on the Advisory Editorial Committee, including Marion Downes, [2] Rosa Page Welch, [3] and Olive Williams. [4]  Many others taught music in Black colleges.

The editor, Walter Anderson, built on the Williams collection discussed in the post for 22 January 2023.  The only songs he dropped from the main book were not religious: “Li’l Liza Jane” and “Mr. Banjo.”

Beyond that, all but six appeared in academic or popular collections edited by Rosamund Johnson, [5] Nathaniel Dett at Hampton Institute, [6] James Work at Fisk Institute, [7] Edward Boatner for the African American’s National Baptist Convention, [8] and Nicholas Ballanta on Saint Helena Island. South Carolina. [9]

One was Marion Downs’ arrangement of “A-men,” and two were arranged by Anderson. [10] Three were more popular:  “Children, Go Where I send Thee” was related to “Green Grow the Rushes.” [11]  “O Won’t You Sit Down” had been popularized by the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet Singers in 1937. [12] “I Want To Die Easy” was recorded by Josh White. [13]

In addition to spirituals, the collection included some game and work songs.  Of the 45 spirituals, 31 already were in the CRS repertoire and used by editors of songbooks for Methodist [14] and Evangelical and Reformed churches, [15] the Young Women’s Christian Association, [16] the Camp Fire Girls, [17] 4-H, [18] and the American Camping Association. [19]  Only two new ones were accepted between 1955 and 1957 by Methodists. [20]  Two of those were CRS versions of existing Girl Scout songs. [21]

Rohrbough reissued the collection with the same subtitle, 50 Negro Folk Songs, but it included 56.  In most cases, Anderson had printed one song to a page.  The reissue, eliminated empty space and dropped the names of the Advisory Committee. [22]

Two songs were dropped: “I Want Two Wings” and “Won’t You Sit Down.”  Six of the eight new songs were in existing folk song collections, although one, “He’Got the Whole World in His Hands” had been recorded by Marian Anderson in 1952. [23]  A version by Laurie London [24] rose to second place on Billboard’s popular music chart in April of 1958. [25]

“Oh, My Lovin’ Brother” has the fragmentary quality of songs collected by Newman Ivey white. [26]

The eighth song was “Come by Here.”  The plate no longer said it was from Angola, but did not yet have a replacement credit.  Anderson’s selection of the song for this collection may have cemented its heritage as a spiritual for CRS.

One of the new songs, “I’m Gonna Sing,” had been used earlier. [27]  Two, beside “Kumbaya” and “He’ Got the Whole World” were used by editors before 1960. [28]  Three were ignored by the songbooks I’ve seen. [29]

In 1963, the collection was revised.  This time the cover said it had 56 Negro Folk Songs, but, in fact, had 57: “Rocka My Soul” was added on the back cover.  It came from another spiritual collection Rohrbough published in 1961 for Joseph Jones. [30]

The last edition swapped six songs, and all met the same criteria as those removed.  The plate for “Kum Ba Yah” was the one then current that described it as a “Spiritual.”

Performers
Vocal Soloist: single melodic line

Credits
None given

Notes on Lyrics
Language: English

Pronunciation: “Koom-bah-yah,” same as that published in Indianola Sings, which is reproduced in the post for 29 May 2022

Verses: kumbaya, crying, singing, praying; same verses and same order as those published in Indianola Sings

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; the melody is the same as Indianola Sings
Time Signature: 3/4
Tempo: slowly
Key Signature: no sharps or flats
Basic Structure: strophic repetition
Singing Style: one syllable to one note except for final “Lord”
Ending: none

(Continued in post dated 5 February 2023.)

End Notes
Unless otherwise noted, songbooks were published by Cooperative Recreation Service of Delaware, Ohio.

1.  Lynn Rohrbough.  Letter to Mrs. Claire Lennon, 15 November 1956.  Copy courtesy of Bruce Greene of World Around Songs.

2.  Marion Downes is discussed in the post for 22 January 2023.
3.  Rosa Page Welch is discussed in the posts for 31 January 2022 and 5 February 2023.
4.  Olive Williams is discussed in the post for 22 January 2023.

5.  J. Rosamund Johnson.  Utica Jubilee Singers Spirituals.  Philadelphia: Oliver Ditson Company, 1930.  This is mentioned in the post for 2 August 2021.

CRS cited J. Rosamond Johnson.  Rolling along in Song.  New York: The Viking Press, 1937.

6.  R. Nathaniel Dett.  Religious Folk-Songs of the Negro.  Hampton, Virginia: The Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, 1927.

CRS cited R. Nathaniel Dett.  The Dett Collection of Negro Spirituals.  Chicago: Hall and McCreary, 1936.

7.  John W. Work.  American Negro Songs.  New York: Publishers, 1940.  This is cited by CRS.

J. B. T. Marsh.  The Story of the Jubilee Singers with Their Songs.  London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1875.

8.  Edward Boatner.  Spirituals Triumphant Old and New.  Nashville, Tennessee: National Baptist Convention, Sunday School Publishing Board, 1927.

9.  Nicholas George Julius Ballanta-(Taylor).  Saint Helena Spirituals, for Penn Normal, Industrial and Agricultural School.  New York: G. Schirmer, 1925.

10.  “Lord, Lord, Lord” and “Sinner, You Know.”  The first is discussed in the post for 5 February 2023.

11.  “Children, Go Where I Send Thee.”  Wikipedia website, accessed 4 January 2023.

12.  Norfolk Jubilee Quartet Singers.  “Sit Down, Sit Down, I Can’t Sit down.”  Decca 62397.  Recorded 15 July 1937. [31]

13.  Joshua White.  “Lord I Want To Die Easy.”  Conqueror 8455.  24 November 1933.  [Discogs entry.]

14.  Joyful Singing, for The National Convocation of the Methodist Youth Fellowship.  This is discussed in post for 20 February 2022.

Wisconsin Hymns and Folks Songs, order from Walter Eyster or Lowell Rekdal.

Sing It Again!, for Methodist Board of Education.  This is discussed in the post for 9 February 2021.

World Fellowship through Song, edited by Eleanor Gough, E. O. Harbin, Ruth Carey, and F. A.  Lindhorse for United Methodist Church, Clear Lake Recreation School in Des Moines, Iowa.

Melody in Michigan, for Detroit Area of the Methodist Youth Fellowship.  This is discussed in the post for 20 February 2022.

Larry Eisenberg.  Lift Every Voice.  This is discussed in the post for 9 February 2020.

15.  Songs of Many Nations, for Evangelical and Reformed Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  1944.  This is discussed in the post for 20 February 2022.

16.  Sing Along the Way, edited by Marie Oliver for the YWCA’s Woman’s Press.  Editions from 1942, 1951, and 1956.  This is discussed in the post for 20 March 2022.

17.  Joyful Singing, Campfire Girls Edition.  Two undated editions are discussed in the post for 20 March 2022.

18.  Music of One World, edited by Max V. Exner for Iowa Extension Music Office.  This is discussed in the post for 18 December 2022.

19.  A. C. A. Song Book, for American Camping Association, Chicago, Illinois.  This is discussed in the post for 28 May 2023.

20.  “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel” and “Standing in the Need of Prayer.”

21.  “All Night, All Day” and “Certainly Lord” are in Mary A. Sanders.  Sing High, Sing Low.  New York: 1946.  The songbook is discussed in the post for 4 December 2022.

22.  Rohrbough made similar changes when he reissued Anderson’s African Song Sampler.  This is discussed in the post for 15 January 2023.

23.  Marian Anderson.  “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.”  Marian Anderson Sings Eleven Great Spirituals.  RCA Victor LRM 7006.  14 May 1952.  [Discogs entry.]  She performed it on a television special in 1953. [32]

24.  Laurie London.  “He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands.”  Eric Records AR 208.  1957. [Discogs entry.]

25.  “Laurie London.”  Discogs website.

26.  Newman I. White.   American Negro Folk Songs.  Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1928.  Unlike the other academic collections, this contains no music.  It does contain citations to other works which they do not.  It is the best place to look if one want to see texts of spirituals before they are polished and standardized.

27.  “I’m Gonna Sing.”  41 in Lift Every Voice, edited by Larry Eisenberg for Methodist Church, Inter-Division Committee on Music and Education.  As mentioned in the post for 9 February 2020, Eisenberg left the church’s employment in 1952.

28.  “Let Us Break Bread Together” and “Wade in the Water.”

The collections I consulted were:

1956.  Music Makers, for Camp Fire Girls.

1956.  Wesley Woods Sings, The Methodist Church, Erie Conference Board of Education, Meadville, Pennsylvania.

1957.  Chansons de Notre Chalet, edited by Marion A. Roberts for Our Chalet, Adelboden, Switzerland.  This is discussed in posts for 27 November 2022 and 4 December 2022.

1957.  Sing Along, edited by Mary Wheeler, Lura Mohrbacher, and Augustus D. Zanzig for the National Board of the YWCA in New York.  This is discussed in the post for 11 December 2022.

1957. The Bridge of Song, edited by Max V. Exner for the Iowa State College Extension Music Program.  This is discussed in the post for 18 December 2022.

1958.  Sing It Again, for The Methodist Church, General Board of Education.

1958.  Lake Poinsett Fellowship Songs.

1958.  Let’s All Sing, edited by Walter Anderson, Annabeth Brandle, Larry Eisenberg, and Anna Woolf for The American Camping Association.  This is discussed in the post for 4 June 2023.

1958.  Rejoice and Sing, for a group of Presbyterian churches.  Dated by plate.

1959.  Guiana Sings, edited by Frederick Hilborn Talbot for 4-H Clubs of British Guiana.  This is discussed in the post for 7 August 2022.

1959.  Cache of Songs for Alaska.

29.  “Oh, My Lovin’ Brother,” “We Shall Walk through the Valley,” and “Rise Up, Shepherds.”  The last is a Christmas song; many songbooks do not include seasonal music.

30.  “Rocka My Soul.”  30 in Great Day: Negro Spirituals as Sung and Directed by J. T. Jones.  Jones was with the United Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

31.  Discography of American Historical Recordings on-line database.  University of California, Santa Barbara website.

32.  “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.”  Wikipedia website, accessed in 13 January 2023.