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Civil War Songs and Hymns
Music refines the taste, purifies the heart, and elevates our nature. It does more: it soothes in sorrow, tranquillizes in passion, and wears away the irritabilities of life. It intensifies love, it fires the patriotism, and makes the altar of our devotion burn with a purer, holier flame...when wealth and fame and worldly honor are felt to be nothing; when the aims and ambitions and aspirations which were wont to rouse up all the energies of nature toward their accomplishment fail of their accustomed power, music renders the burden of sickness light, and makes us all oblivious of pain and suffering.
-- W.W. Hall, M.D., Hall's Journal of Health for 1862
A Civil War Music Treasury
One of the sorrow spirituals, "Go Down, Moses," was first sung during the Civil War.
Later, it was sung by The Jubilee Singers for President Ulysses S. Grant.
The President turned aside from pressing public duties to give them audience at the White House, assure them of his interest in their work, and hear them sing "Go down, Moses."
--The Story of the Jubilee Singers by J.B.T. Marsh, 1880
Black men assembled in "rejoicing meetings" all over the land on the last night of December 1862, waiting for the stroke of midnight to bring freedom to those states in the secessionist states. At the contraband camp [for runaway slaves] in Washington., D.C., the assembled blacks sang over and over again:
"Go down, Moses...Let my people go."-- Eileen Southern, The Music of Black Americans: A History, page 236
This Listener's Guide with lyrics and historical information about the music
is available as a PDF sent by email attachment and includes two additional audio files at no extra charge.
- Titles in this book:
- DIXIE’S LAND (or DIXIE)
- LINCOLN AND LIBERTY
- THE BONNIE BLUE FLAG
- JOHN BROWN and BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
- GO DOWN, MOSES (1862)
- +A PRAYER FOR THE CAPTIVE (1862)
- CUMBERLAND GAP
- GOOBER PEAS
- LORENA
- ALL QUIET ALONG THE POTOMAC
- +Hymn: THE PURE, THE BRIGHT, THE BEAUTIFUL (1863) - Stephen Foster
- +Hymn: OVER THE RIVER (1863) – Stephen Foster
- +Hymn: GIVE US THIS DAY (1863) – Stephen Foster
- +Hymn: WHAT SHALL THE HARVEST BE (1863) – Stephen Foster
- WE ARE COMING, FATHER ABRAAM, 300,000 More (1863) – Stephen Foster
- WILLIE HAS GONE TO THE WAR – Stephen Foster
- WEEPING, SAD AND LONELY (WHEN THIS CRUEL WAR IS OVER)
- WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME (1863)
- HYMN OF PEACE (1869)
- +Hymn: THEY WHO SEEK THE THRONE OF GRACE - Roger Hall
+ = Premiere Recording
- The Listener's Guide (PDF) with lyrics and historical information
about the 20 songs and hymns is available here for $11.95.
Two audio files are included at no extra cost:
Famous songwriter, Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864)
Audio No. 1: "John Brown and Battle Hymn of the Republic"- original choral editions
Audio No. 2: "Give Us This Day" - Stephen Collins Foster hymn
- You can pay by credit card
payable to PineTree Productions
through safe and secure PayPal.
To order the Listener's Guide and with free audio examples
click on the "Add to Cart" button:
Important!
After you have made your payment,
to insure proper delivery of the book (pdf)
and the two music examples
send your email address to:
Order the accompanying CD:
AMRC CD 0014 --
all the songs and hymns from the Listener's Guide available directly from the American Music Recordings Collection -- click here
"Lincoln and Liberty"
Music From Abraham Lincoln's Lifetime
This book was written by Roger Lee Hall for the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial in 2009. It has been revised and expanded on a multi-media computer disc with background information about Lincoln's love of music, Abraham Lincoln portrait gallery, and an album of music
written during Abraham Lincoln's lifetime.To order your copy of this special informational book -- click here
Would you like to schedule an entertaining and enlightening music lecture or workshop for your college, church or historical organization by music preservationist, Roger Lee Hall, about Civil War songs and hymns? Included in his presentation is the story behind the famous Civil War song,
"Battle Hymn of the Republic," and other Civil War songs
plus rarely heard Civil War era hymns by Stephen Foster.
To inquire about a program by Roger Lee Hall,
write for details and speaker's fee to:Civil War music lecture or workshop
An interview with composer, John Frizzell
about his film score for GODS AND GENERALS
Civil War music related links on this site
"Angel of Peace" - The Boston Peace Jubilees
"John Brown (also known as: John Brown's Body)"
"Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground"
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" - A Civil War Song Marches On
Please help support the Center for American Music Preservation.
Order this limited edition AMRC CD
which includes the beautiful song,
"Farewell Father, Friend and Guardian"
the official funeral song sung at the funeral of
President Abraham Lincoln in 1865
© 2012 (Updated: 2024) PineTree Productions. All Rights Reserved for material on this site.