[Dixielandjazz] Glory, Hallelujah

[DWSI at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/2/2005 3:00:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:

But  Julia Howe 
got the melody and the concept from an older song about an  American 
abolitionist (one who wanted to end slavery) who died earlier.  The original 
lyrics about John Broiwn went as follows:

John Brown's  body lies a-mouldering in the grave,
John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in  the grave,



Bill Gunter, unfortunately made the same historical mistake many musicians  
have made on this song. According to a variety of expert sources, (I perform  
this song and tell the history each year), the words to our version were 
written  by Julia Ward Howe, a noted Boston poet of her day. The music came from an 
old  Methodist hymn, Glory Hallelujah, but nobody knows who wrote it. Before  
the John Brown that attempted to start a revolution to free the slaves by 
taking  over a federal armory at Harper's Ferry, (a very bold abolitionist who was 
 promptly captured and hung), there was a Union army sergeant by the same 
name.  The first time the words, "a-moudering in his grave," were used concerned 
this  sergeant. It was only much later, as the Civil War got underway that the 
second  John Brown was assumed to be the subject. Just thought you'd like to 
know.

Dan (piano fingers) Spink