Old tune: SALEM'S BRIGHT KING

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David Warren Steel

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May 4, 2025, 9:31:24 PMMay 4
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There is a minor tune in Daily's Primitive Baptist Hymn and Tune Book, and in Old School Hymnal (p. 372 in the 10th edition), that I suspect may be older then either of these hymnals, but I have not located it earlier than 1900. Page scans with this tune are at https://hymnary.org/hymn/PBHT1918/page/107 and at https://hymnary.org/hymn/PBHT1918/page/217
Does anyone information about the source of this tune, possibly a secular song? I appreciate any information you may have. Thanks!
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Warren Steel                              mu...@olemiss.edu
Professor of Music Emeritus      University of Mississippi
              http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/

cath tyler

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May 5, 2025, 6:03:03 AMMay 5
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heya. you might could ask, Tim Eriksen? Still more digging possible, I just remember the tune. I think that tune is sometimes called Abel, and I think it's related to 327b in the American vocalist. hymnary is really fiddly on my phone, but I think this is the right link to the single page scan i wanted.  https://hymnary.org/hymn/AV1849/page/327 . 
also, I have heard ginny hawker sing salem's bright king before, on "draw closer". there might be liner notes. 
good luck! 
kind regards
cath tyler

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Fulton, Erin

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May 5, 2025, 9:57:36 AMMay 5
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ABEL isn't a familiar name to me. The A part is a good match to I LOVE THE HOLY SON OF GOD in American Vocalist or Revivalist, as Cath mentioned, while the B is closer to CONSOLATION for West Virginia Lute. (And those two are close cousins themselves.) Can't help you with possible secular sources, though. . . not my bailiwick.

If you're interested, SALEM'S BRIGHT KING also made it from Daily into Harp of Ages, in which I first encountered it, and the PBH (possibly new to the '04 edition?). I got into a conversation about this particular tune at Camp Do last year; somebody thought they remembered a separate variant of it being in Good Old Songs, which didn't ring a bell for me at the time, but I can dig further there.


E. Fulton.
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Robert Vaughn

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May 5, 2025, 11:59:25 AMMay 5
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Like Erin, to me ABEL is not a familiar tune name. On Hymnary.org, they show both “Salem’s Bright King” and “I Love the Holy Son of God”  under the tune name ABEL. The Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal pictured there does put the words of “I love the holy son of God” with the tune name ABEL.

While looking at hits about the song, I also found a wide variation of credit for the words – from none to Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon to Clement Phinney, a Free Baptist minister.

His glories sing,
Robert Vaughn 
Mount Enterprise, TX
Ask for the old paths, where is the good way
For ask now of the days that are past...
Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land.


David Warren Steel

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May 5, 2025, 2:53:20 PMMay 5
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Thanks to Cath, Robert, and Erin! The American Vocalist version is clearly related, though much ornamented, and has a different meter than the 20c. versions. In the Vocalist, it is 8887.8887, while the later ones are 886.886 with a repeat of the words in lines 2 and 5, and without the extra syllable in the short lines, like Garden Hymn and Nashville. Few Happy Matches is the same meter, though without the repeated lines. Is the tune also in The Revivalist? If so, is it the same as in the Vocalist, or more like the others cited?
I don't know how to look for the tune in Good Old Songs, with no metrical index. The text "When thou my righteous judge" is here set to Few Happy Matches, without the repeats.
The Wesleyan Methodist version known as ABEL is apparently named after Asa Abel, the author of the text, which is in the same meter as the American Vocalist, viz. 8887.8887. I wonder if there are other versions of this tune in 19c. sources.

Fulton, Erin

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May 5, 2025, 2:53:30 PMMay 5
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Yes, it is in Revivalist, in a version closely related to American Vocalist (which is an important source for that book overall), but which differs in the second half: (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nc01.ark:/13960/t3sv07f22&view=1up&seq=186). I'd say the B part of I LOVE THE HOLY SON OF GOD as it appears in Revivalist is more closely related to SALEM'S BRIGHT KING than the iteration in Vocalist, but that's a matter of degree, and the Diddle CONSOLATION is a better match than either of those.

I'm glad to know the Wesleyan Methodist Hymnal attestation! Not a book I had lain eye on before.


Best,

E. Fulton.


From: David Warren Steel <mu...@olemiss.edu>
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David Warren Steel

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May 5, 2025, 3:40:28 PMMay 5
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Erin, thanks for this. But where is CONSOLATION, and who is Diddle? I don't see it in Vocalist or Revivalist. ---Warren

Fulton, Erin

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May 5, 2025, 3:41:57 PMMay 5
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Oh, that's the West Virginia Lyre tune that I referred to in my initial response. I'll send it over : )


E. Fulton.
From: David Warren Steel <mu...@olemiss.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2025 3:39 PM
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     Erin, thanks for this.  But where is CONSOLATION, and who is Diddle?  I don't see it in Vocalist or Revivalist.    ---Warren

 >>>Yes, it is in Revivalist, in a version closely related to American Vocalist (which is an important source for that book overall), but which differs in the second half: (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbabel.hathitrust.org%2Fcgi%2Fpt%3Fid%3Dnc01.ark%3A%2F13960%2Ft3sv07f22%26view%3D1up%26seq%3D186&data=05%7C02%7Cerinfulton%40uky.edu%7C6154b9ff0c7c427a24e108dd8c0c8150%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C0%7C638820707520619131%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=W6Gj0M5Fe4tzf6rhXZADqTtItv%2B33LcRVic%2FIjsYDMY%3D&reserved=0). I'd say the B part of I LOVE THE HOLY SON OF GOD as it appears in Revivalist is more closely related to SALEM'S BRIGHT KING than the iteration in Vocalist, but that's a matter of degree, and the Diddle CONSOLATION is a better match than either of those.



Fulton, Erin

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May 5, 2025, 3:44:43 PMMay 5
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*Lute, rather!
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Oh, that's the West Virginia Lyre tune that I referred to in my initial response. I'll send it over : )


E. Fulton.
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     Erin, thanks for this.  But where is CONSOLATION, and who is Diddle?  I don't see it in Vocalist or Revivalist.    ---Warren

 >>>Yes, it is in Revivalist, in a version closely related to American Vocalist (which is an important source for that book overall), but which differs in the second half: (https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbabel.hathitrust.org%2Fcgi%2Fpt%3Fid%3Dnc01.ark%3A%2F13960%2Ft3sv07f22%26view%3D1up%26seq%3D186&data=05%7C02%7Cerinfulton%40uky.edu%7C6154b9ff0c7c427a24e108dd8c0c8150%7C2b30530b69b64457b818481cb53d42ae%7C0%7C0%7C638820707520619131%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=W6Gj0M5Fe4tzf6rhXZADqTtItv%2B33LcRVic%2FIjsYDMY%3D&reserved=0). I'd say the B part of I LOVE THE HOLY SON OF GOD as it appears in Revivalist is more closely related to SALEM'S BRIGHT KING than the iteration in Vocalist, but that's a matter of degree, and the Diddle CONSOLATION is a better match than either of those.



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Richard Hulan

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May 5, 2025, 7:44:42 PMMay 5
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Erin has answered "Who is Diddle?"  In case someone would like to know "Where is Diddle?" one may view his monument in Troy, WV, or here:  http://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89587024/william_h-diddle

The cited Memorial includes six photos, four of them posted by me (as "razyn") with captions one may read, if one has clicked.  The captions are not advertising anything.

In other news, the somewhat improbable setting of a detective novel I recently read is the Cornish village of Great Diddling.  I believe that to be a fictional place name, but I am not positive.

Dick Hulan
Black Mountain, NC

On Monday, May 5, 2025 at 03:40:28 PM EDT, David Warren Steel <mu...@olemiss.edu> wrote:
    Erin, thanks for this.  But where is CONSOLATION, and who is Diddle?  I don't see it in Vocalist or Revivalist.    ---Warren


>>>Yes, it is in Revivalist, in a version closely related to American Vocalist (which is an important source for that book overall), but which differs in the second half: (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nc01.ark:/13960/t3sv07f22&view=1up&seq=186). I'd say the B part of I LOVE THE HOLY SON OF GOD as it appears in Revivalist is more closely related to SALEM'S BRIGHT KING than the iteration in Vocalist, but that's a matter of degree, and the Diddle CONSOLATION is a better match than either of those.



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