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The Alleghanians  company of vocalists was one of the most popular harmony groups of its day, and it enjoyed a very long career.  Yet there has never been a bibliography of Alleghanians scores or a published list of songs sung by the Alleghanians as far as I know.  The closest thing, I imagine, would be a songster table of contents or a library catalog somewhere.  So this modest start is a small step for Web publishing but may be a giant leap for Alleghanians scholarship.  Time permitting, I will add a score citation often enough that this should become a substantial document reasonably soon.

This Web page will not be limited to score citations, though most entries will be for printed sheet music which is known to exist and which is known to be commonly accessible to one degree or another.  But Web publications are far more interactive than their print counterparts, and some of the entries on this page will be queries to readers.  Has the melody for "The Song of Labor," for instance, somehow been preserved?   Someone out there may know and be willing to share this information.  So this document has an entry for "The Song of Labor," even though a published score may or may not exist.  Finally, a type of entry which I call a song-list citation may serve a variety of purposes, not least of which is to simply make note of an important repertoire item in the absence of known sheet music.  In many of these cases, new lyrics were set to a previously existing, normally very well known melody.  All an interested party needs to do is match a tune from one source  -  and oftentimes the source is one's own memory  -  to a new or previously unfamiliar set of lyrics.  Song-list citations of this sort can be very useful, in the absence of a printed score or in instances when, for whatever reason, sheet music may be difficult to access.

All Among the Barley

"All Among the Barley."  Lyrics: A. T.  Music: Elizabeth Stirling.  First line of text: "Come out, 'tis now September, The hunter's moon's begun."  Chorus: "All among the Barley, Who would not be blithe, When the free and happy Barley is smiling on the scythe."  [Philadelphia]: Lee & Walker.  1871.

• Having gone through a few lists of 19th-century poets and lyricists, the only plausible match I have found so far for this "A. T." is Alfred Tennyson.  If you have a better idea or if you have knowledge on this question and you would be willing to share your thoughts, please e-mail us by way of the contact link near the bottom of the Web page.
• Twentieth-century mass media, and radio in particular, drowned out a phenomenal amount of traditional culture, replacing it with elements of a commercial pop culture.  Though much was gained from mass media, much also was lost.  An earlier form of mass media, printing, behaved quite differently.  The printing press was in widespread use for centuries while culture of varying degrees of antiquity continued to flourish.  And old-fashioned materials, including song lyrics, folk recitations, and common sayings, found their way onto broadsides and into newspaper columns.  Instead of being replaced, this traditional matter was preserved for future learning, enjoyment, and use.  Several songs sung by the Alleghanians had long lives or some sort of precedent well before they appeared in published scores or on the American concert stage.  "All Among the Barley" looks to be one of them.
• "All Among the Barley" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the score being presented as a scanned image.   An April 11, 2007, search of the American Memory website, on this song's title, produced eighty-four hits.  This edition of "All Among the Barley" came through as the first hit in the hitlist.

Alleghanians Boat Glee

"Alleghanians' Boat Glee." Lyrics: Author unknown. Music: Wm. H. Oakley. First line of text: "Row! row! Brothers row! O'er the waves we'll go Like an arrow swiftly glancing, 'Tis a summer night." First line of refrain: "Then ply the oar and leave the shore, With songs the time beguiling." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1849.

• "Alleghanians Boat Glee" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the score being presented as a scanned image.   A March 14, 2007, search of the American Memory Web site, on this song's title, produced two hits.  The copy used in this study includes the cover mentioned often in these pages, which shows the three original men of the Alleghanians plus, in an uncaptioned picture at the top, a woman who looks to be Carrie Hiffert.

The Aurora Waltzes

"The Aurora Waltzes Composed for the Piano Forte by Labitzky."  Music: Joseph Labitzky.  Philadelphia: A. Fiot.   1840.

• "Played Upon the Swiss Bells by the Alleghanians."
• Beyond all doubt, one of the highest of the high points of the Alleghanians' decades-long career was a tour to California, on to Hawaii, through the South Seas of the Pacific, and back home by way of South America.  "The Aurora Waltzes" was one of the features of this tour, which was well under way by mid-year 1858 and may possibly have gotten started as early as 1857.  Pianist Frank Stoepel (more formally recorded as Franz Stoepel) was a group member through this tour, and one might wonder whether he may have accompanied the bell players on piano.  He appears to have been an accomplished musician, on the other hand, and perhaps he joined in on bells for a purer ensemble sound.  Either way, Stoepel is well worth mentioning here, as he was, along with Carrie Hiffert, a big hit on this amazing Alleghanians tour.
• The only copy of this score known to me is at the Duke University library.

Behold, the Day of Promise Comes

"Behold, the Day of Promise Comes." Lyrics: Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. First line of text: "Behold, the day of promise comes, Full of inspiration, The blessed day by prophets sung, For the healing of the nations." No later than 1852.

• "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes" is a slightly watered-down version of the durable Hutchinson Family reform anthem, "Right Over Wrong," with lyrics by Jesse Hutchinson, Jr.  The Alleghanians did not always sing Jesse's songs to Hutchinson Family melodies.  Sometimes group members substituted music of their own, such as in the case of William H. Oakley's musical setting of "Uncle Sam's Farm."  So, we simply do not know for certain what tune the Alleghanians used for "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes" unless and until a source is unearthed which tells us.  That said, I would not hesitate to sing "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes" to the Hutchinson Family's published "Right Over Wrong" melody.  The Alleghanians had countless opportunities over a period of a few decades to say that they sang this song to a different tune, and this study uncovered not a single such example.  See "Right Over Wrong: Coming Right Along: Song and Chorus." Music: Hutchinson Family (Vocal Group). Lyrics: Jesse [Hutchinson, Jr.]. First line of text: "Behold the day of promise comes Full of inspiration." First line of chorus: "The good time, the good time, the good time's coming on." New York: Horace Waters. 1855.   When searching for Hutchinson Family music, it is seldom necessary to look beyond the marvelous collection at the Dartmouth College library, and this is no exception.
• Very, very few of the songs from Miriam G. Goodenow's days with the Alleghanians survived in the group's repertoire into the mid-1870s and beyond.  "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes" is one of those that did.

Ben Bolt

"Ben Bolt: A Favorite Song." Lyrics: T. Dunn English. Music: R. Sinclair. First line of text: "O don't you remember sweet Alice, Ben Bolt, Sweet Alice, with hair so brown." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1850.

• "Ben Bolt" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the score being presented as a scanned image.  A March 14, 2007, search of the American Memory site on this song's title produced a hefty seventy-five hits.   A second search on  -  ben bolt r sinclair  -  produced a much more workable hitlist of six entries, two of which appear to be quite irrelevant, probably leaving four entries to consider.  The copy used in this study, strange to say, has for a "cover" the cover of the 1850 Alleghanians songster.

Come Once Again

"Come Once Again: Song and Chorus." Lyrics and music: George S. Weeks (New York). First line of text: ["Come to me darling, Come once again."]   First line of chorus: ["Come to me, darling, Come once again."]   London: Weekes & Co. 1874.

• "Sung by the composer at the concerts of the 'Alleghanians.'"
• This George S. Weeks and the well-known singing evangelist by the same name and of the same era had enough in common that it is tempting to think they may have been the same person.  But would the singing evangelist write songs for minstrel companies as evidently this George S. Weeks did?   There is much, at present, we do not know regarding Alleghanians history.
• The Worldcat record of this London edition of "Come Once Again" does not list any institutional holders.
• "Come Once Again" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the score being presented as a scanned image.   March 29, 2007, searches of the American Memory Web site, on this song's title and on the name of the songwriter, each produced well over 2,000 hits.   Mercy!   Fortunately, in each hitlist the 1877 San Francisco edition was the very first hit, while in each list the 1876 New York edition came in second.  There is no guarantee, I suppose, that it will always turn out this way; but these two versions of the score were very easy to find, against all odds, in late March 2007.  Why the Library of Congress attributed the San Francisco edition to the year 1877 is a small mystery.  The copyright year is clearly given as 1876, and no year is printed elsewhere on any of the pages of this edition of the sheet music.

Come Where the Fountains Play

"Come Where the Fountains Play: Cavatina." The subject from La Favorita by Donizetti. Written and arranged by George Linley. First line of text: "Come, where the fountains play." New York: William Hall & Son. Score is dated, by the publisher's address, to the years, 1848-1858.

• The only copy of this score known to me is owned by the library of the University of Pittsburgh.

Dearest Spot of Earth to Me Is Home

"Dearest Spot of Earth to Me Is Home." [Lyrics and music: W. T. Wrighton.] First line of text: "The dearest spot of earth to me is home sweet home." Boston: G. P. Reed & Co. 1855.

• "Dearest Spot of Earth to Me Is Home" is one of the great hits of the era.  Copies of this score are all over, and the song was also included in anthologies of Victorian sentimental songs.  Anyone looking is likely to have little if any trouble finding a copy.  "Dearest Spot of Earth," for instance, is among the holdings of the Boston Public Library, Dartmouth College, Duke University, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia.  No doubt this list could go on and on.

The Emigrant's Tribute to America

"The Emigrant's Tribute to America." Lyrics and music: J. Hilton Jones. New York: J. E. Gould & Co. 1850.

• The only copy of "The Emigrant's Tribute to America" known to me is at the University of Michigan library.

Good Bye, Sweetheart, Good Bye:   Alphabetized as if written, "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye."

The Good Old Days of Yore

"The Good Old Days of Yore." Lyrics: Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. First line of text: "How my heart is in me burning, And my very soul is yearning." Hutchinson Family score dated 1850.

• The Alleghanians did not always sing Jesse Hutchinson, Jr., songs to Hutchinson Family melodies.  Sometimes group members substituted music of their own, such as in the case of William H. Oakley's musical setting of "Uncle Sam's Farm."  So, we simply do not know what tune the Alleghanians used for "The Good Old Days of Yore" unless and until we are explicitly told.  That said, if I were performing a program of Alleghanians songs, I would not hesitate to sing the Hutchinson Family's published melody for "The Good Old Days of Yore."  The Alleghanians had countless opportunities over a period of a few decades to say that they sang this song to a different tune, and this study uncovered not a single such example.  See "Good Old Days of Yore: Song of Home," lyrics: Jesse [Hutchinson, Jr.]. Music: Judson [J. Hutchinson]. First line of text: "How my heart is in me burning, And my very soul is yearning." Boston: G. P. Reed & Co. 1850.  This edition of the "Good Old Days of Yore" sheet music is among the holdings of the libraries at Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia.
• Sometime in the late 1860s or early 1870s, the concert repertoire of the Alleghanians was given a major overhaul.  But at least two songs by Jesse Hutchinson, Jr., were kept.  One of these pieces was "Right Over Wrong," which the Alleghanians called "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes."  The other Jesse song the Alleghanians continued singing, when so much else from the group's early days was discarded, is "The Good Old Days of Yore."  It is quite possible the Alleghanians sang this song more often than the Hutchinsons did.

Good Bye, Sweetheart, Good Bye

"Good Bye, Sweetheart, Good Bye: Favorite Ballad." Lyrics: Folkestone Williams. Music: John Liptrot Hatton. First line of text: "The bright stars fade, the morn is breaking." Richmond, VA: Geo. Dunn & Comp'y. 1863.

• The title of this song was commonly hyphenated as "Good-bye, Sweetheart, Good-bye" or shortened to "Good-bye, Sweetheart."  Since the old sense seems to have been to treat "good bye" as a unit and the modern sense is to treat it as a single word, "goodbye," I alphabetize this song as if the title was written, "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye."
• Evidently the commonly accepted spelling of the name of this composer is John Liptrott Hatton.
• The full name of Folkestone Williams is Robert Folkestone Williams.
• "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye" originated no later than 1851, but it seems to have had a later burst of popularity, especially in the South, during the Civil War years.  The Alleghanians entertained with "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye" during Reconstruction.  It seems likely the point was not only to sing songs group members thought were good but also to promote national reconciliation by this Northern troupe performing material that meant a great deal to Southern people.
• Given its popularity in the states of the old Confederacy, it should come as no surprise that copies of this printed sheet music are among the holdings of Southern institutions such as the Boston Athenaeum, the Library of Virginia, the University of Virginia, and the Virginia Historical Society library.  A later edition  -  San Francisco: Sherman & Hyde, 1871  -  is owned by the San Francisco Public Library.  It is implied by both John W. Hutchinson and Samuel B. Spinning that the Alleghanians went on a West Coast tour, probably in the 1871-1872 range, causing one to wonder whether the company picked up "Goodbye, Sweetheart, Goodbye" from the 1871 San Francisco edition of the score.

Green Old Hills

"Green Old Hills."  "The words from The Message Bird." Music: Joseph P. Webster. First line of text: "Green old hills our country's glory, Proudly in the midst ye stand." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1852.

• "Green Old Hills" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the sheet music being presented as a scanned image.   An April 6, 2007, search of the American Memory website on the score's title produced 876 hits.  Mercifully, the score, "Green Old Hills," was at the very top of the hitlist.

The Herdsman's Song

"The Herdsman's Song." Composed by Jakob Niklas Ahlstrom. First line of text: "Come hither, come hither, my pretty herd." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1850.

• "The Herdsman's Song," if anything, is better known by the nickname, "Jenny Lind's Echo Song."
• "The Herdsman's Song" may be found at the libraries of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Hour of Parting

"The Hour of Parting: A Duett." Lyrics: Elizabeth Anne White. Music: Bellini. First line of text: "Sad hour of parting! too quickly here!" Boston: Oliver Ditson. 1852.

• Copies of this score are in the collections of libraries at Dartmouth College, the University of Kentucky, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pittsburgh.

I Know a Bank Whereon the Wild Thyme Blows

"I Know a Bank Whereon the Wild Thyme Blows: A Popular Duet." Lyrics: Shakespeare. Music: Charles E. Horn. First line of text: "I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows." New York: F. Riley. 1845.

• The only copy of a score of "I Know a Bank" which I can place is at the library of the University of Pittsburgh.

I Wandered by the Brookside

"I Wandered by the Brookside."  [Lyrics: Richard Monckton Milnes.]  Music: James Hine. First line of text: "I wander'd by the brookside, I wandered by the mill; I could not hear the brook flow, The noisy wheel was still." New York: William Hall & Son. 1848.

• I first accessed this score online, if my note is accurate, way back in the 1990s at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Music Library via www.lib.unc.edu/music/eamalpha/eam-h.html.  That  is a long time ago as far as the Web is concerned.  Postings are put up and taken down.  Addresses change.  If you should have trouble with this link, please e-mail us about it by way of the contact link down toward the bottom of the page.  Meanwhile, hardcopy of this sheet music edition is available at the University of Michigan library.

The Ivy and Elm

"The Ivy and Elm." Lyrics: Martin F. Tupper. Music: Joseph P. Webster. First line of text: "An elm tree of old stood lonely and cold, Where wintry winds blew high." First line of chorus: "Ha ha! together we are bold and strong, Together we are right when the world goes wrong." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1852.

• "The Ivy and Elm" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the sheet music being presented as a scanned image.   An April 9, 2007, search of the American Memory website on the score's title produced just six hits.  The score, "The Ivy and Elm," was the first entry in the hitlist.

The Ivy Green

"The Ivy Green: A Ballad." Lyrics: "Boz" [Charles Dickens]. Music: Henry Russell. First line of text: "A dainty plant is the ivy green." New York: James L. Hewitt & Co. 1838.

• "The Ivy Green" is probably a good deal more widely held than any list I can pull together could show.  It is, after all, the combined work of famed English novelist Charles Dickens and one of the single most important figures in American music history, Henry Russell  -  also English by birth.  Nonetheless, this does not get me off the hook from posting a list.  So, here it is.  "The Ivy Green" is among the holdings of libraries at Ashland University in Ohio, Dartmouth College, Duke University, the New York Historical Society, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

Jenny Lind's Echo Song:   See "The Herdsman's Song."

Jessie Mowbray

"Jessie Mowbray: Scotch Ballad." Lyrics and music: George Linley. First line of text: "Gentle Jessie Mowbray! Mind ye of that silent glen." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. N.d.

• A copy of this edition of the "Jessie Mowbray" score is at the library of the University of Michigan.   A cataloguer at the University of Michigan library dated this edition tentatively to the years 1854-1855 without saying why.

Kathleen Mavourneen

"Kathleen Mavourneen." Lyrics: Mrs. Crawford. Music: F. Nicholls Crouch. First line of text: "Kathleen Mavourneen! the grey dawn is breaking." In Joe Mitchell Chapple. Heart Songs: Dear to the American People, 376-378. Boston: Chapple Publishing Company. 1909.

• The full names of the writers of "Kathleen Mavourneen" are Louisa Macartney Crawford, lyrics, and Frederick William Nicholls Crouch, music.
• "Kathleen Mavourneen" was a very popular song in its day  -  so much so that its publication history appears to be as extensive as it is chaotic, and sorting out the various printed sheet music editions of "Kathleen Mavourneen" would be a chore unto itself.  Citing the version in the highly accessible, classic Heart Songs seems most sensible.

The Last Rose of Summer

"The Last Rose of Summer."  [Lyrics: Thomas Moore.]   [Tune: "Groves of Blarney."]  First line of text: "'Tis the last rose of summer left blooming alone."  [1813]. In Joe Mitchell Chapple. Heart Songs: Dear to the American People, 146. Boston: Chapple Publishing Company. 1909.

Meet Me by Moonlight Alone

"Meet Me by Moonlight Alone." Lyrics and music: Joseph Augustine Wade. [First line of text: "Meet me by moonlight alone."] London: F. T. Latour.   [1826].

• My notes are failing me as to why I thought this edition of "Meet Me by Moonlight Alone" would be the one to cite.  As a broadside ballad, this song has the potential of being very, very  old.  So I may have been interested in the early date attributed to this sheet music edition.  But the most accessible copy, which is at the library of the University of Pittsburgh, seems to be J. Augustine Wade "Meet Me by Moonlight: Ballad" (New York: Firth, Pond & Co., [1848-1855?]).

Milkmaid's Marriage Song

"Milkmaid's Marriage Song." Lyrics: Alice Carey. Music: M. Keller. First line of text: "Come up, my speckle face!" Boston: White, Smith & Co. 1869.

• The only copy of the "Milkmaid's Marriage Song" recorded in my notes is in the collection of the library at Brown University.

My Own Native Land

"My Own Native Land." [Lyrics: William F. Brough.] Music: Wm. B. Bradbury. First line of text: "I have roamed over mountain, I've crossed over flood." In N. H. Aitch, comp. and ed. The Golden Book of Favorite Songs: A Treasury of the Best Songs of Our People, 23. 10th ed. Chicago: Hall & McCreary Company. 1915.

• "Oh! It Was Not My Own Native Land" seems to be the original title of this essential Alleghanians song.  So which title do you suppose group members used for this piece?   Obviously neither.  The Alleghanians tended to call this piece "Our Dear Native Land."  Call it what you like, this is one of the most interesting songs the group regularly performed.  I would not even consider pulling together a program of songs sung by the Alleghanians without including "My Own Native Land."
• This remarkable production was originally "Written and Adapted to a German Air."  This new melody, composed by William B. Bradbury, features a change in time signature from the original 6/8 to a surprising 4/4.

Nora O'Neal

"Nora O'Neal." Lyrics and music: Will S. Hays. First line of text: "Oh! I'm lonely tonight, love, without you." First line of chorus: "Oh! don't think that ever I'll doubt you." New York: J. L. Peters. 1866.

• "Nora O'Neal" by William Shakespeare Hays is very widely included in institutional holdings.  Copies are owned, for instance, by Dartmouth College, Duke University, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the San Francisco Public Library, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Virginia, Yale University, and no doubt many more libraries, museums, historical societies, and research organizations.  Face it, "Nora O'Neal" was a big hit.

Oh! Home of My Boyhood, My Own Country Home

"Oh! Home of My Boyhood, My Own Country Home." Lyrics: Isaac R. Shepard. Music: Thomas Bricher. [First line of text: "Oh! home of my boyhood, my own country home, I love it the better wherever I roam."] Boston: Oliver Ditson. 1847.

• "Isaac R. Shepard"  actually turns out to be Isaac F. Shepard.
• "Oh! Home of My Boyhood, My Own Country Home" is in the collections of libraries at Dartmouth College, Florida State University, Reed College, and the University of Michigan.

Oh How I Love My Mountain Home

"Oh How I Love My Mountain Home." Lyrics credited in some sources to Joseph P. Webster. Music: Joseph P. Webster. First line of text: "O how I love my mountain home, Its woodland hills and murm'ring rills." First line of chorus: "Then give oh give me back my mountain home." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1852.

• Printed sheet music for "Oh How I Love My Mountain Home" is among the holdings of the libraries at the University of Kentucky and the University of Pittsburgh.

Oh May'st Thou Dream of Me

"Oh, May'st Thou Dream of Me." Lyrics: Author unknown. Music: Composer unknown. First line of text: "See o'er Verona's heights, love, slow sinks the waning moon." No later than 1873. In Boosey's Musical Cabinet No. 83. New York: Boosey. N.d.

• This Boosey publication, which is also said to contain "I Know a Bank," is in the collection of the library at Brown University.

The Old Fashioned Bible

"The Old Fashioned Bible." [Lyrics: Author unknown.] Music: Wm. H. Oakley. [First line of text: "How painfully pleasing the fond recollections."] New York: W. H. Oakley & Co. 1856.

• My own Alleghanians files, strange to say, show only a single institutional holder of this title: the University of Michigan library.  This is hard to account for, since the popular "Old Fashioned Bible" was in the Alleghanians' repertoire for many years, including some years of heavy touring.

Old Folks at Home

"Old Folks at Home: Ethiopian Melody." [Lyrics and music: Stephen C. Foster.] First line of text: "Way down upon de Swanee ribber, Far, far away." First line of chorus: "All de world am sad and dreary." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1851.

• There is no beating Stephen Collins Foster, America's greatest songwriter; and "Old Folks at Home" is the classic of his classics.  This song probably pretty much defines the librarian term, "widely held."  Between various sheet music editions and appearances in diverse songbooks, this Foster composition was and still is all over the place.  If I needed an early, authoritative copy of this song, though, I would not go looking all over the place: I would make a beeline for the library at the University of Pittsburgh.  The score citation I settled on  -  the one copied here  -  records an edition which is owned by the University of Pittsburgh and also by libraries at Duke University, Florida State University, and the University of Cincinnati.  It would probably be pointless to pull together a list of all the institutions that own "Old Folks at Home."  It would be far better to use a little space to note a simply wonderful Stephen Foster tribute album, Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster (CD, American Roots Publishing 591594-2, 2004).  Though by no means perfect, Beautiful Dreamer was lovingly done.  Anyone and everyone interested in American music should own this record.  Late in life, most of Foster's new productions did not come within a moon-shot of his loftiest work.  Yet, among the last things he did before dying was write the gem, "Beautiful Dreamer."  Only Stephen Foster could have written such a song practically on his deathbed.  The man was truly amazing.

Right Over Wrong:   See "Behold, the Day of Promise Comes."

Roll On Silver Moon

"Roll On Silver Moon." Lyrics: Author unknown. (See note below.)  Music: Sloman. First line of text: "As I stray'd from my cot at the close of the day 'Mid the ravishing beauties of June." First line of chorus: "Roll on silver moon point the trav'ler his way While the nightingale's song is in tune." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1848.

• Evidently "Roll On Silvery Moon" was a broadside ballad which was known by several different titles.  The lyrics must be anonymous.
• The melody used for this version of "Roll On Silver Moon" is credited in scores simply to "Sloman," while the given name is not given.  It is a contrary individual who will not give a given name.  A supposition was once made that this music must have been composed by Charles Sloman, and the attribution to Charles Sloman, for many, has stuck.  Yet a much stronger case has been made for crediting this tune to Jane Sloman, and it is my firm belief that she was the composer.
• The New York Daily Tribune once paid a nice tribute to the work of the Alleghanians in the cause of music.  Professor Dale Cockrell of Vanderbilt University, whose name most visitors to this page will already know quite well, deserves similar acknowledgment for his efforts in the cause of music.  He has produced two delightful albums so far, in his "Little House"/Pa's Fiddle series: Happy Land and the recent The Arkansas Traveler.  A fine recording of "Roll On Silver Moon," performed by Judith Edelman and the Blair String Quartet, appears on The Arkansas Traveler (CD, www.pasfiddle.com, 2006).  Further, if you do not absolutely love  Elizabeth Cook, who contributed "Old Dan Tucker" to The Arkansas Traveler, I will be absolutely amazed.
• Though this score is dated 1848, a commonly-available cover depicts the three male founding members of the Alleghanians along with a woman who looks to be Caroline Hiffert.  She was with the Alleghanians in 1858 and for many years after.  Evidently Carrie Hiffert sang in an earlier edition of the group, while Richard Dunning was still a member; but dating information for such a lineup is not widely known, if it is currently known at all.  So the cover of this score and other score covers like it present a certain mystery.
• The only copy known to me of the edition of the published sheet music cited here is among the holdings of the University of Pittsburgh library.

Sad Hour of Parting:   See "The Hour of Parting."

The Sailor Boy; or, I Am a Merry Sailor Lad

"The Sailor Boy; or, I Am a Merry Sailor Lad." Lyrics from the Philadelphia Saturday Courier. Music: W. C. Peters. [First line of text: "Oh I am a merry sailor lad, With a heart both light and free."] Baltimore: W. C. Peters. 1843.

• "The Sailor Boy; or, I Am a Merry Sailor Lad" is in the collection of the library of the University of Michigan.

San Francisco Thrill

"San Francisco Thrill: Schottische."  Music: Frank Stoepel.  San Francisco: A. Kohler. 1859.

• The only library holding of "San Francisco Thrill" turned up by this study is at the University of California at Berkeley.

The Seasons: A Farmer's Song

"The Seasons: A Farmer's Song." Lyrics: Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. "From a popular air." First line of text: "Oh sweet the spring, with its merry ring." New York: C. G. Christman. 1846.

• "As performed by the Hutchinson Family, in New-York City & State and throughout New England generally with universal acceptance."
• "Also sung with unbounded applause by the Alleghanians."
• This edition of "The Seasons" is in the collection of the University of Pennsylvania library.

The Ship on Fire!

"The Ship on Fire!: A Descriptive Scena." Lyrics: Charles Mack[a]y. Music: Henry Russell. First line of text: "The storm o'er the ocean flew furious and fast, And the waves rose in foam at the voice of the blast." New York: Atwill. [1840].

• This early edition of "The Ship on Fire" is among the holdings of the library at Hebrew Union College in Ohio.

Sleeping I Dreamed Love

"Sleeping I Dreamed Love: Quartett." Lyrics: Mrs. M. E. Hewitt. Music: W. V. Wallace. First line of text: "Sleeping, I dream'd love, dream'd love, of thee." New York: Firth, Hall & Pond. 1847.

• Printed sheet music for "Sleeping I Dreamed Love" is among the holdings of Birmingham Southern College in Alabama, Boston Public Library, Dartmouth College, the San Francisco Public Library, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, the University of Virginia, and the library of the Virginia Historical Society.

The Song of Labor

"The Song of Labor." Lyrics: Frances D. Gage. Music: Composer unknown. First line: "I love the banging hammer, The whirring of the plane." First line of chorus: "Ho! brothers, shout! brothers, In the cheerful call." No later than 1852.

• "The Song of Labor," sometimes for some reason called "The Voice of Labor," is a piece that the Alleghanians and Joshua Hutchinson had in common.  It seems to have originated in 1851 or 1852, with the earliest dated references to it, so far, coming from early 1852.  If you know where the melody may be found or even the name of the composer and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the page.

Strike the Harp Gently

"Strike the Harp Gently." Lyrics and music: I. B. Woodbury. First line of text: "Strike the harp gently." New York: Firth, Pond & Co. 1849.

• Copies of the "Strike the Harp Gently" printed sheet music are among the holdings of libraries at Dartmouth College, the Historic New Orleans Collection, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Virginia.

Uncle Sam's Farm

"Uncle Sam's Farm." Lyrics: Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. Music: William H. Oakley. First line of text: "Oh of all the mighty nations in the east or in the west, The glorious Yankee nation is the greatest and the best." First line of chorus: "Then come along, come along, make no delay, Come from every nation, come from every way." Boston: G. P. Reed. No later than 1852.

• I am not aware of an institutional holder of this Alleghanians' version of "Uncle Sam's Farm."  If you know of a copy at a library, museum, historical society, or other research organization and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the page.

Was There Any Harm in That

"Was There Any Harm in That?: Ballad." Lyrics: Geo. Cooper. Music: C. F. Shattuck. New York: J. L. Peters. 1872.

• "Was There Any Harm in That" is available at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the score being presented as a scanned image.   A March 26, 2007, search of the American Memory Web site, on this song's title, produced far, far too many hits  -  611  -  but mercifully, the "Was There Any Harm in That" score came in at the top of the list.

What Shall I Say

"What Shall I Say."  Lyrics: Josephine Pollard.  Music: D. Frank Tully.  New York: Wm. A. Pond & Co.   1870.

• The Hutchinson Family, according to biographer Carol Brink, sang a song called "What Shall I Say."  Do you know whether this is the same song as the one by that title sung by the Alleghanians?   If you do and you would be willing to share your information, please e-mail us by way of the contact link toward the bottom of the page.
• "What Shall I Say" is in the collection of the library at Pennsylvania State University.

When the Corn Is Waving, Annie, Dear

"When the Corn Is Waving, Annie, Dear: Song With Chorus Ad Lib." Lyrics: Author unknown. Music: Blamphin. First line of text: "When the corn is waving, Annie dear." First line of chorus: "The corn is waving Annie, dear." Philadelphia: J. L. Carncross & Co. 1869.

• This edition of the score is in the collection at the library of Dartmouth College.  An 1869/1870 San Francisco edition is among the holdings of the San Francisco Public Library.

When the Moon on the Lake Is Beaming

"When the Moon on the Lake Is Beaming: A Song." Lyrics and music: Stephen C. Massett. First line of text: "When the moon on the lake is beaming, And the night is calm and still." Boston: Oliver Ditson. 1842.

• This score dates from 1842  -  four years before the original Alleghanians lineup came together.  Later, an edition was published "As sung by the Alleghanians."  A library cataloguer somewhere, whose work is represented in a Worldcat record for this title, took the later score to have originated in the range, 1859 to 1862.  This band was outside the United States most of this time, on a tour from New York to San Francisco to Honolulu, through the South Seas of the Pacific, and back home by way of South America.  If this printed sheet music was issued during the group's Pacific tour or right after, it may have an interesting story to tell if we can only be sensitive enough to catch it.
• This edition of "When the Moon on the Lake Is Beaming" is held by the libraries at Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia.  The "as sung by the Alleghanians" edition is at the University of Michigan library.

Where Shall the Soul Find Rest

"CHANT - Where Shall the Soul Find Rest?"  Lyrics: Charles Mackay. Arranged as a chant by J. M. B. First line of text: "Tell me, ye winged winds, that round my pathway roar." In Songs and Quartettes, Sung by the Alleghanians, 16. [New York]: Message Bird Office. 1850.

• The official title of this piece is actually "Where Can  the Soul Find Rest?"   This song is based on a Charles Mackay poem, "The Inquiry."
• "J. M. B." is a way James M. Boulard of the Alleghanians often gave his "name."
• "CHANT - Where Shall the Soul Find Rest" is available in Songs and Quartettes, Sung by the Alleghanians at "American Memory From the Library of Congress," each page of the songster being presented as a scanned image.  A March 15, 2007, search of the American Memory site on  -  chant where shall the soul find rest  -  produced ten hits, one relevant and nine not.  Now, perhaps this is naive, but one might think a search on the name of a song in a songster would produce, in the hitlist, an entry featuring either the title of the song or the title of the songster.   But  for reasons known only to members of the Library of Congress staff or perhaps to their contractors, hits for any of the individual titles in this songster always come up under "Our glorious union, for ever!"  So, be forewarned and alert when searching this Library of Congress site for "CHANT - Where Shall the Soul Find Rest."  It is there to be found.  It is easy to miss.
• It is interesting that the Alleghanians performed and even published "Where Shall the Soul Find Rest" as a chant.  But this piece was far better known as a song, with music by John C. Baker, to be sung in harmony; and it seems about certain that the Alleghanians also performed it this way.   Score: "Where Can the Soul Find Rest." Lyrics: Charles Mackay. Music: J. C. Baker. First line of text: "Tell me, ye winged winds that round my pathway roar." First line of chorus: "The loud winds dwindled to a whisper low." Boston: Oliver Ditson. 1847.  This edition of the published sheet music is among the holdings of Dartmouth College, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Virginia.

Material about musician and Alleghanians-connection  J. B. Packard,  which was originally in this file, has been moved to the "Part Two" Web page.  A link to Part Two appears just below.