Typical of the country singers of early Americanspiritual folk-songs is this group of their leadersin Winston County, Alabama. For over fifty years their Fourthof July singings have gone on uninterruptedly at Helicon,where this picture was taken in 1927.
The “big singings” take place at county seats and in even larger centers.Here the country folk join in song with those who, though they live in the cities, have grownup in the same rural musical tradition. The Alabama State Sacred Harp Singing Associationwas pictured in its 1929 summer session in the court house in Birmingham, Alabama.
Spiritual Folk-Songs
of Early America
Two Hundred and Fifty Tunes and Texts
With an Introduction and Notes
Collected and Edited
by
GEORGE PULLEN JACKSON
DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.
NEW YORK
Published in Canada by General PublishingCompany, Ltd., 30 Lesmill Road, Don Mills,Toronto, Ontario.
Published in the United Kingdom by Constableand Company, Ltd., 10 Orange Street, LondonW. C. 2.
This Dover edition, first published in 1964, isan unabridged and unaltered republication of thework first published by J. J. Augustin, Publisher,New York City, in 1937.
The publisher is grateful to the University ofVirginia Library for furnishing a copy of the bookfor purposes of reproduction.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 64-8268
Manufactured in the United States of America
Dover Publications, Inc.
180 Varick Street
New York 14, N.Y.
TO THE MEMORY
OF MY WIFE
INEZ EMELINE WRIGHT JACKSON
Preface
The ancestors of the bearers of the Southern tradition of folk-music began invery ancient times the practice of singing religious songs to folk-tunes. Nor mustone think that this custom showed a lack of respect for religion. On the contrary,it rather emphasized the respect and love of the folk for their traditional music. Astheir most loved and treasured possession, they brought this noble musical heritageand laid it on the altar of their worship. There is a strong probability that thispractice has continued unbroken for at least thirteen centuries. William of Malmsbury,writing in the twelfth century, gives an anecdote of St. Aldhelm, the Anglo-Saxonabbot of Malmsbury during the seventh century, which he took from thenotebook of King Alfred the Great, which was extant at that time. Accordingto this story, the Saint would station himself on a bridge in the guise of a gleemanand would collect an audience by singing popular songs. He would then graduallyinsert into his entertainment the words of the holy scriptures and so lead his hearersto salvation. The chronicl