Negro Folk Music U.S.A.

Courlander, Harold. Negro Folk Music U.S.A. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2019.

First published in 1963, Negro Folk Music, U.S.A. remains an interesting read on the history of African-American songs. Courlander studies the characteristics of the lyrics as well as the rhythms and instrumentations of the songs. He compares the instruments of the American South to those in Africa in regards to comparable sounds. He covers genres from ballads to Gospel songs to the blues. He often includes snippets of songs with lead lines or simply texts of songs in the text. The book concludes with lead notes and lyrics to several African-American songs of multiple genres. The weakness is the lack of chord notations along with those lead lines. Dover should be commended for republishing the work. Many persons will find it an interesting work to add to their private collections, and many libraries may replace worn copies. I received an electronic copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Blog Caroling: O Holy Night

One of my favorite singers is Gerald Wolfe who sings lead with the group Greater Vision. There are two Christmas songs that he sings that are among my favorites. One of these is the song written by Lanny Wolfe called "Cherish That Name." I couldn't find a YouTube recording sung by Gerald of it so I opted to go with the other one, "O Holy Night."

According to Wikipedia, "O Holy Night" was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847, but the version we know came to be in 1855 when John Sullivan Dwight, a Unitarian minister, created a version for singing based upon the French song.

O HOLY NIGHT

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
'Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Music, Music, Music

The theme for the Carnival of Genealogy is Musical Instruments.

Musical Instruments! Do you play a musical instrument or did one of your family members? What instrument did you or they play? If no one in the family played an instrument, tell what is your favorite instrument or band and what is your least favorite one.

I do play several instruments. I began playing the piano when I was in the second grade. My first piano teacher was a lady named Mrs. Price. I really don't remember much about her. I only took from her one or two years. I later took piano lessons from Margaret Oliver who had been my elementary school music teacher until her retirement. All of us loved Mrs. Oliver. I remember the year after she left that we had a young music teacher named Miss West that we really didn't like that much. She just didn't measure up to Mrs. Oliver's standards. I took piano for several years from Mrs. Oliver. Something I've been told since I've been doing genealogy is that Mrs. Oliver's husband was part of the Oliver family who had lived in Cades Cove when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created. I really want to research his family when I get a chance since I live so close. Many records will be in Knoxville or at the park library in the visitor center. I never knew him because she was a widow when I first met her in elementary school. When the opportunity came to take from a pastor in a nearby town who played beautifully by ear arose, I took lessons from him. He was an excellent teacher, and I learned more about accompanying and techniques from him than I'd learned up to that point from my previous teachers. After he went to the mission field, I did take from one other lady, but that was short-lived because I was learning nothing from her that I couldn't do on my own.

I also play the organ. When I finished my seminary studies, I went to work for a church in Nashville, Tennessee as a director of children's education. The organist had a habit of running late on Sunday evenings because of his job selling musical instruments in one of the mall stores. I began going into the sanctuary and practicing during breaks during the day and with extra time on my lunch break. One night the organist wasn't there by 6 p.m. so the pastor had me play. I was scared to death since I really had not played the organ that much, but I made it through the service fine. I continued to practice and gained some confidence before I had to do it again in the next week or two. I still play the organ about once a year for a service.

Band was a big thing in Amory, Mississippi where I grew up. We joined the band in the 6th grade. There was never a question of what instrument I would be playing. I had been given my sister-in-law's flute and piccolo. When we got to the 8th grade, we had to audition to be able to continue in the high school band. Our high school had traditionally received all superior ratings in the band contests, so it was a big deal to be able to continue. My sister-in-law died of cancer during my middle school years. I still have her flute and piccolo. I did get a newer flute when I got into high school. I think that I can still play the Panther Fight Song and the Stars and Stripes Forever by memory on the piccolo. The disadvantage of playing the piccolo during marching season was that your fingers on your gloves had to be cut way back. During those Christmas parades where the temperature was below freezing, that was a rather frigid experience on those metal keys.

I also should not neglect to mention that the voice can be a musical instrument. I sing a lot. At one time, I might have said that I sing "all the time." I generally sing tenor in our church choir. I sing tenor or alto in ensembles. I have been known to sing soprano, baritone, and bass as well. I can't hit really high notes, and I have to use a technique I learned from a bass singer to hit notes below a certain point to reach them, but I can stretch that range an extra half octave lower with that technique if needed. The tenor range is the most comfortable for me.

My favorite instruments are probably the tenor saxophone or the oboe. I love the tenor sax on jazz tunes. Actually I like any saxophone. I love the oboe on classical.

I love music. I've been told that my Cockrell family ancestors were very musical. Bob Franks wrote an article about the musical talents in his Cockrell branch which is from the same family as mine. I'm happy to say that one of my nephews is also very talented musically. He plays guitar and piano.

Christmas Music

What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?

We had a few Christmas albums at the house growing up. I know one of them had Gene Autry singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Another had a version of "I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus". I think there was one of hymns, and a Perry Como Christmas album.

Some of my favorite Christmas songs were the ones I heard when I was in the Tupelo Mall. Songs like "The Christmas Song," "Winter Wonderland," and "Let It Snow."

I have quite the collection of Christmas albums now too. Some of my favorites are Bing Crosby's White Christmas, The Carpenters' Christmas album (I am away from my collection at the moment and can't check the titles), Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas album (the original one - I haven't heard their new one yet although I did hear a cut from it on the radio today), Kenny G's Christmas album, Amy Grant's Christmas Album (the first one that had "Tennessee Christmas," "Heirlooms," and "Emmanuel" on it), and the Talleys' Christmas album from about 1989 - give or take a couple of years.

As far as favorite songs, as far as religious ones, I would have to say my two favorites are on Greater Vision's Christmas album. Both feature Gerald Wolfe, their lead singer. The two cuts are "Cherish That Name" and "O Holy Night." As far as secular, I have to go with Amy Grant's "Tennessee Christmas" as far as more recent ones. I love a lot of the classic songs too. I think it's hard to pick a favorite Christmas song, because I love most of them.

Caroling? Our youth group used to go. I was going to go in the park this year in Morristown, but I wasn't well enough yet to go. It sounded like fun.

Christmas Church Services

Did your family attend religious services during the Christmas season? What were the customs and traditions involved?

I grew up in the Bible Belt. We went to church every time the doors were open, so yes, we attended any services held during the Christmas season. However, we did not have Christmas Eve services at our church unless it happened to fall on Sunday night or Wednesday night while I was growing up. About the only tradition at the church in which I grew up was the children's Christmas pageant. Once in a blue moon, we might put together a cantata, but it was rare. As a musically-inclined person, I wish we had done more musicals or cantatas, but realistically, I know that the talent just wasn't in our church to pull one off.

In fact, it was not until I moved to Cincinnati in the mid-1980s that I even knew what an advent wreath was. I guess the church in which I grew up considered that too Catholic or something. All, or maybe I should say most, of the Protestant churches in the Cincinnati area observed Advent. I was told it was because there were so many Catholics in the Cincinnati area that there were many former Catholics in all the churches to which this custom was very special. Now that I'm back in the South, I have to admit that I do sometimes miss the way Advent was celebrated in that area.

When I was in Cincinnati, one of the other "new" traditions for me was a "Chrismon" tree. This was a tree that we'd decorate each year with symbols that had to do with Jesus. I remember cross-stitching Alpha and Omega (the Greek Letters) one year for it. All the symbols were in gold and white. There was a special Sunday evening service where the tree was decorated. We have a Chrismon tree at my church in Tennessee, but I'm not sure who decorates it. It just usually appears by the first of December.

As an adult, I've always been a part of the music program at whatever my home church was at the time. I participate as a choir member in the musical we are doing that year. I've already mentioned The Living Christmas Tree. That is what we do at the church where I'm a member now. It combines a musical and drama, and I sing tenor. [I came down with a cold this year right before the Living Christmas Tree. Our music minister saw me on the night of the first performance after I'd been out for both dress rehearsals and asked how I was. I opened my mouth and started talking. He said, "Oh, my, you're a bass." He asked last night if I was better. I told him that I might be up to baritone. He laughed.] Tonight is the last performance for this year. I believe that they will place it online, and if that is the case, I'll post a link when it is available. I just haven't been able to find the picture from a few years back that I used to have.

Next Sunday, I'll be singing at my Mom and Dad's church. I will probably sing "Cherish That Name" and "O Holy Night."

Fruitcake

Did you like fruitcake? Did your family receive fruitcakes? Have you ever re-gifted fruitcake? Have you ever devised creative uses for fruitcake?

Fruitcake: the original gift that keeps on giving.

I don't have a lot of use for fruitcakes. I think that Kirk Talley in his "Fruitcake" (recorded on his Talley Ho, Ho, Ho album in the late 1990s) gave some of the best potential uses for fruitcakes when he suggested using them as doorstops or paperweights. I haven't checked to see if the song is available for download on iTunes, but you can purchase it via Kirk's store or get the song itself at Walmart.com for 88 cents. Trust me; the song is worth the 88 cents. I won't tell you what he eventually does with the fruitcake, but he's got some other creative uses in the song.

One of the salesmen who called on Mom at the hospital gave her a fruitcake one year for Christmas. Mom was working one night when we needed to take some sort of dessert for a Christmas event at the church. Dad called Mom to see if we could take her fruitcake to which she readily agreed. It was one of those fruitcakes that was in a narrow rectangular gold box. One of the men in the church asked Dad to get him "another glass of that fruitcake." Apparently, it was well-soaked. I think that's the last time we ever took fruitcake to church.

I've been fortunate that I've never received a fruitcake that I've had to regift. I would, however, give it to someone who eats fruitcake if I did receive one. I can eat a few bites of fruitcake if I'm in a social situation where it would be rude not to do so, but it is far from being my favorite Christmas food, and I could never make it through a whole one.

Nearing Extinction

This is not a post about an endangered biological species. According to an article posted at Entrepreneur.com, record stores, newspapers (at least in paper format), and used bookstores are facing extinction. Remnil at the Ann Arbor District Library blog thinks that the independent bookstore is in more danger than the used bookstore. I've noticed the doors shutting on lots of record stores as MP3s become the medium of choice for music lovers. (Should we even call them record stores? Very few of them have "vinyl" anymore.) I can also see the change in the ways that news is being delivered; however, I have a little bit of hope that small community papers might actually survive. The Sunday paper might survive longer than the weekday paper if they would give it a shot! As far as used bookstores, I see no decrease in their popularity in the Knoxville area. I think some of the smaller ones might not survive, but the larger ones like McKay's in Knoxville seem to still be thriving. Independent bookstores are becoming less plentiful in the days of Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million. I think there are some markets where these can still survive with careful marketing and with targeting special audiences. (At least, I hope they will survive.) I will admit that I buy most of my new books online but it's because I'm only aware of two bookstores in Morristown. One of those is small and in the mall way on the other side of town. I don't go to the mall that often. (I much prefer the newer malls that are more like shopping centers where you can go to a single store without having to hope you can find a parking place close to the entrance closest to the store you want to visit and hoping you remembered exactly where the store is.) The other is the Christian bookstore. I do go there some, but they don't sell history books or mysteries (except for a handful of Christian mysteries) which are the two categories of books from which I purchase the most new books. Although I love Borders and Barnes & Noble in Knoxville and Books-A-Million in Sevierville, it's far easier and usually cheaper to just order them online. There are even a couple of independent bookstores I like in Knoxville. I really don't want to see bookstores of any type extinct.

One bright spot from the article . . . telemarketing calls are also on the extinction list!