Works of Henry Clay Work

Subject: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 01:33 PM

Henry Work Clay was the composer of Marching Through Georgia, My Grandfather's Clock, The Ship That Never Returned, and myriad other songs. Is anyone aware whether there are recordings of his works (in addition to those mentioned of which there are). A compilation would be best, but any anthology albums of 19th century American popular music containing other of his works would be great. LP or CD formats okay.
Thanks, JotSC

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 01:35 PM

Please, I got the name wrong...it is 'Henry Clay Work'! Joe O., maybe you can do your magic. Promise to proof next time before posting.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: masato sakurai
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:08 PM

William Bolcom, et al., WHO SHALL RULE THIS AMERICAN NATION? SONGS BY HENRY CLAY WORK [LP] (Nonesuch H-71317, 1975) is probably the one. It contains:

Side One
1. Who Shall Rule This American Nation? (1866)
2. Grafted Into the Army (1862)
3. Poor Kitty Popcorn, or The Soldier's Pet (1866)
4. When the "Evening Star" Went Down (1866)
5. The Buckskin Bag of Gold (1869)
6. "Come Home, Father!" (1864)
7. Uncle Joe's "Hail Columbia!" (1862)

Side Two
1. Grandfather's Clock (1876)
2. Kingdom Coming (1862)
3. The Picture On the Wall (1864)
4. "Now, Moses!" (1865)
5. Take Them Away - They'll Drive Me Crazy! (1871)
6. Agnes By the River (1868)
7. Crossing the Grand Sierras (1870)
8. The Silver Horn (1883)

Strange, "Marching through Georgia" isn't in. I think "The Silver Horn" is the best of his songs.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: Ron Davies
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:15 PM

I'd agree. "Who Shall Rule.." is an excellent record. Also seems to have been done in something approaching the style of his period.

Also illustrates the folly of political correctness in folk music--he was a very strong abolitionist, yet some of his language in some of these songs is considered unacceptable today in some circles.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: Greg F.
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:20 PM

Also illustrates the folly of political correctness in folk music--he was a very strong abolitionist, yet some of his language in some of these songs is considered unacceptable today in some circles.

Nothing to do with the dastardly practitioners of "PC"- plenty of things acceptable 150 years ago aren't today - and vice versa.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 03:38 PM

Truth to tell, I had never heard the name of Work until today by accident, though needless to say I knew some of Work's work. Thank you, Masato and Ron. It may be difficult, but I will try to find a copy of this album; it appears to be available on the web, but homey don't buy that way.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: SINSULL
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 04:01 PM

Joan Morris actually sings most of the songs on that album - search under her name as well. It comes up on Ebay in LP form often.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 04:20 PM

Many HC Work lyrics here. Elsewhere on the same site one can find good midi arrangements of many of the tunes.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Work Clay
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 24 Feb 08 - 04:32 PM

Hey, Bob, I found that site today, but I'm looking for performances. But I do appreciate the response.
Thank you, also, Sinsull.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: JJ
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 09:03 AM

There is a bust of Henry Clay Work on the green in Middletown, CT, his home town.

See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3L-xWXs4zE

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: sian, west wales
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 09:27 AM

There are Welsh versions of "The Ship that Never Returned" and "My Grandfather's Clock" - the first was recorded by the group, Plethyn. I know the second is sung by various groups although I'm not sure if any have recorded it.

Did he write "Ring the Bell, Watchman"? That tune is also used for a very popular old song in Wales, "Twll Bach y Glo" (The Little Keyhole).

sian

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 09:59 AM

Ring the Bell, Watchman was written by Work, and is also the tune to "Click Go the Shears."

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:05 AM

It may be semi-helpful if I say that "Come Home, Father" is also known, and may have been recorded, under the titles "Poor Benny" and "Father, Dear Father, Come Home to Me Now." Bascum Lamar Hunt (if I got that right) recorded a couple of amateurs doing it as "Poor Benny" on "Times Ain't What They Used to Be," I believe on vol. I.

It will not be helpful, but will definitely be Mudcatesque, if while I am on I interject an opinion, thereby leading to thread creep, then thread trot and finally thread gallop, but I'm only human. "Kingdom Comin'" is, IMUO (u=unfounded) a hoot. I know a whole cloud of people who will play but not sing it on grounds of non-PC-ness. Read the lyrics, says I. Who does it make fun of? (1) The Massa; (2) the overseer and finally (3) the Union Army, which was certainly predominantly though not exclusively (*) white. Oh, well. I used to hear that about "Jimmie Crack' Corn" too, but then someone explained it as being about a slave who was clever enough to off Ol' Massa and get away with it, so who can say. I do, however, waffle enough to sing "Kingdom Comin'" with "Oh, children, don't you see" instead of "Oh, darkies, don't you see," which I thought was the original wording.

(*) This is the point at which I expect a salvo of "corrections" on the existence, percentage, and favorite colors of each individual African-American in the Union Army from Crispus Attucks thru Colin Powell. Bring it, if you must. Otherwise, just enjoy HCW. :)

Chicken Charlie

Subject: Lyr Add: TWO BELOW (Kristina & Peter Cady)
From: Midchuck
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:09 AM

It seemed too bad that, even though "Kingdom Coming," a/k/a "Year of Jubilo," was one of THE basic American melodies, it could no longer be sung without causing a riot. So my wife and I wrote a new version for Vermont:

TWO BELOW

Lyrics: Kristina and Peter Cady, copyright 2005
Melody: "Kingdom Coming," a/k/a "Year of Jubilo," Henry Clay Work, 1862 (P. D.)

Now Old Man Winter's comin' round here
With his cold and frosty face.
The ice and snow lie on the ground here
And we're like to freeze in place

The fuel truck's stuck hard in the driveway
And my nose is red and sore
But I know that we'll get out alive, be-
Cause we've been through this before

        We're splitting wood, you see (hee, hee)
        We're thawing pipes, you know (ho, ho).
        And it must be that the springtime's coming
        'Cause it's up to Two Below.

The old wood stove out in the kitchen,
Well, it seems to work real good.
But when the cats move closer, bitchin'
Then it's time to add more wood.

And when that baby's really roaring,
And the pets are sprawled out flat
We never watch the dial, that's boring -
We just check the Thermocat!

        (Chorus)

One morning I got up to piddle,
And the toilet wouldn't flush.
Then I knew the water in the middle
Of the pipes had turned to slush.

So I went dirty, and began to mutter
But I got wet after all
When the ice dam let go in the gutter
And came sliding down the wall.

        (Chorus)

Peter.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:21 AM

Thank you all, and keep the info coming. This is what I think Mudcat is really for, and does extremely well.----JotSC

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: Donuel
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 05:56 PM

I have the sheet music for come home father
The farm attic was full of civil war era music

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: Joe_F
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 08:32 PM

Aha! The proximate source of "Ring the Bell, Verger" (in the Digitrad as "The Verger"), which I learned in Scotland in 1958.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: GUEST,Chicken Charlie
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 08:49 PM

Donuel--

Great Scott! That's precisely the era Chicken Charlie's California Minstrels started out trying to focus on. Have you found any treasures you are willing to share?

Chicken Charlie

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: Ron Davies
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 11:09 PM

Work was, as I said, a strong abolitionist. Yet some of his language is considered racist. This is absurd--since he was the opposite. Therefore it should be possible to sing any of his songs without the criticism of people who are basically speaking from ignorance, projecting their current attitudes onto songs written in the 19th century.

This is the problem with political correctness in singing his songs.

A preface explaining this before singing a song should be sufficient for any audience. After all, anybody singing one of these songs would likely have a reason for doing so--and the audience should not be shocked.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 11:10 PM

Love your song, Midchuck. Thanks for posting.

Subject: RE: Works of Henry Clay Work
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 01:58 AM

I was going to do crosslinks for all the Digital Tradition Songs by Henry Clay Work, but here are too darn many.
Here's the list:

1. SEQUEL TO GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK
2. WHO SHALL RULE THIS AMERICAN NATION?
3. WHEN THE "EVENING STAR" WENT DOWN
4. WATCHING FOR PA
5. WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN
6. UNCLE JOE'S "HAIL COLUMBIA"
7. TIS FINISHED (Sing Hallelujah)
8. THE SHIP THAT NEVER RETURNED
9. THE PICTURE ON THE WALL
10. THE MYSTIC VEIL
11. THE LITTLE MAJOR
12. THE GIRLS AT HOME
13. THE FIRST LOVE DREAM
14. THE DAYS WHEN WE WERE YOUNG
15. SONG OF THE RED MEN
16. SONG OF A THOUSAND YEARS
17. RING THE BELL, WATCHMAN
18. OUR CAPTAIN'S LAST WORDS
19. NOW, MOSES!
20. NO LETTERS FROM HOME
21. NELLIE LOST AND FOUND
22. MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA
23. LILLIE OF THE SNOWSTORM
24. KITTY POPCORN (OR THE SOLDIER'S PET)
25. DAD'S A MILLIONAIRE
26. COME HOME FATHER
27. COME BACK TO THE FARM
28. BEAUTIFUL ROSE
29. WAKE NICODEMUS
30. THE BUCKSKIN BAG OF GOLD
31. SLEEPING FOR THE FLAG
32. SHIP THAT NEVER RETURNED
33. LOST ON THE LADY ELGIN
34. KINGDOM COMING
35. GRANDFATHER'S CLOCK
36. GRAFTED INTO THE ARMY
37. CORPORAL SCHNAPPS
38. BABYLON IS FALLING
39. BABYLON IS FALLEN