Nehls, When The Saint Go Marching In

[steltz]

http://imslp.org/wiki/O_When_the_Saints ... s,_Ulrich)

Nehls clearly acknowledges himself as the arranger of this, not the composer, so the "(Nehls,_Ulrich)" needs to be changed to something else. However, it isn't going to be easy to decide what.

This song had its origins in gospel music, but has taken on a folk music quality, because of its popularity, so I'm not sure "When the Saints Go Marching In (Folk Songs, American) will work. Problem is, I can't think of anything else that would be better.

Ideas?

[Carolus]

I was discussing this very issue with P.davydov recently in the wake of a series of arrangements from Michel Rondeau. The general practice of libraries would appear to place arrangements of this nature under the name of the arranger when the tune is of unknown authorship. This rubric does not apply in the case of a composed tune which has become so popular that it takes on a folk quality - like Franz Gruber's Stille nacht - which goes under the real composer's category.

I just looked up this tune in James Fuld's most useful little volume, The Book of World-Famous Music (pages 641-642). Apparently, the work first appeared in 1896 on page 59 of a collection entitled Songs of the Soul No.2, for Use in Sunday Evening Congregations, Revivals - edited by James M. Black. The music is attributed here to James M. Black and the words to Katharine E. Purvis. The song also appeared in a number of later gospel collections - most often attributed as a "Negro Spiritual". The earliest collections (pre-1905) appear to maintain attribution to Black as composer. Fuld also mentions the song as surfacing in the Bahamas, described as a song native to Treasure Island in a 1927 collection entitled The Island Song Book. This probably should be attributed to James M. Black, who lived in Williamsport Pennsylvania. MusicSack gives a birth date of 1858. VIAF gives his dates as 1856-1938. Fuld, interestingly, describes the work as a "Negro Spiritual". James Black actually deposited a copy of the song itself at the copyright office on June 17 and July 3, 1896 but no copy of the separate deposit was located. Songs of the Soul No.2 (the collection) was deposited on July 6, 1896. My vote goes for Black as the composer since he actually went to the trouble and expense to make a separate deposit for this particular song.

[Davydov]

Hmm, this site seems to muddy the waters still further:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/s/a/wsamarch.htm

... by suggesting that we're talking about two different songs. So I'd recommend that we should leave the arrangement on IMSLP under Ulrich's name, unless and until the original author can be identified.

[Carolus]

Certainly isn't the same tune. Interesting how an error like that has propagated - it's present in both the Fuld and Lax references, which are major references. Fuld actually has the correct tune notated on pages 641-42. I agree, leave as is until further notice.