DUANE STREET and BILLY BROKE LOCKS (aka OLD JOHN WEBB etc.)

[Wade Kotter]

In doing some work on a different but related topic, I can't help to notice what I believe to be a pretty close resemblance between DUANE STREE (164) and what is often described as an American folk song known variously as BILLY BROOK LOCKS, OLD JOHN WEBB, JOHN WEBBER, etc. I've found three printed sources for this folk tune, the earliest being the the first tune collected for the ballad known as John Webber and included in British Ballads from Maine, 1929:

https://archive.org/details/bwb_S0-EII-978/page/393/mode/1up

What does everyone think? Am I on the right track? It would seem that George Coles adapted a folk tune for his DUANE STREET, presumably named after the Duane-street Methodist Episcopal Church in New York where he is know to have preached.

The brings up a second point. About a week ago I posted a query requesting any information people might have regarding the widely referenced 1835 date for DUANE STREET, but no one responded. The earliest printing I've found is My Little Singing Book by Asa Fitz (Boston, 1840), where it is unattributed:

https://archive.org/details/mylittlesingingb00fitz/page/24/mode/2up

Thanks in advance for any response!

Wade

Dr. Wade Kotter

Retired Librarian

Independent Hymnologist and Unrestrained Loud Treble

South Ogden, UT

"Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" 

[Peter Schinske]

Hi Wade,

I've done some searching, and I couldn't find a satisfying answer but did find some interesting details.

J. S. James' 1909 Union Harp attributes Duane Street to "Rev. George Coles, about 1835." https://hymnary.org/hymn/UHHS1909/page/51

James' 1911 Sacred Harp copies this attribution, but forgets the S in Coles.

I searched through hymnary.org and found a few interesting uses of Duane Street:

- The 1905 hymnal "Waves of Glory" gives the year as 1837: https://hymnary.org/hymn/WoG1905/page/241
- The imaginatively titled 1899 "Sacred Hymnal" gives the year as 1835: https://hymnary.org/hymn/SHCP1899/page/78
- The 1890 "Good-Will Songs" says the copyright holder is "Oliver Ditson & Co.": https://hymnary.org/hymn/GWSC1890/page/91

Oliver Ditson & Co seems to have been headquartered on Duane Street in New York, but this might a coincidence - they didn't get that location until 1856: https://tribecacitizen.com/the-history-of-tribeca-buildings/the-history-of-108-110-duane/

hymnary.org's earliest attribution of this tune to George Coles is in the 1842 revival hymnal "Songs of Canaan", so the attribution to him is at least from within his lifetime: https://hymnary.org/hymn/SCMH1842/page/63

This doesn't help answer your question, but I got sidetracked into looking up the Mormon history of this hymn. In 1844 the tune is published in the first edition of the Sacred Harp, but that same year it also entered the Little and Gardner LDS hymnal (with a different text): https://hymnary.org/hymn/CSHL1844/page/16

I found a BYU article talking about that hymnal, which talks about the Little and Gardner hymnal's significant Methodist influence: https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/the-little-gardner-hymnal-1844-a-study-of-its-origin-and-contribution-to-the-lds-musical-canon
Coles was a Methodist preacher, and Gardner grew up a Methodist, so it seems pretty clear to me that the tune migrated from the Methodists to the Mormons and not the other way round. A variant is still in the LDS hymnal, with the familiar "poor wayfaring man of grief" words: https://hymnary.org/hymn/LDS1985/page/30

So the Sacred Harp gives the year as 1835 because Col. James said it was written in "about 1835". I don't know where he got that info, but there are at least a couple other hymnals that give a similar year.

Hope at least some of this helps,

--Peter Schinske

[Wade Kotter]

Thanks, Peter. I'm familiar with pretty much all you say. Nick Pappas provided me with the entries for DUANE STREET from his database. The earliest source for the tune he lists is the 1st ed. of The Valley Harmonist, compiled by W. J. Steffy of New-Market, Shenandoah County, VA and printed in nearby Harrisonburg, VA. I'm quite sure that Steffy was not a Methodist. Interestingly, Nick gives a date of ca. 1840 for the 1st ed. of this collection, but many other sources date it to 1836. If the 1836 date is correct, that would support the "about 1835" date given in many sources. Perhaps Nick can elaborate on why he thinks "ca. 1840" is more appropriate for the 1st ed. of Steffy's collection. Regarding the attribution to Coles, the earliest source I've found where the tune is attributed to a "Rev. G. Coles" is The Young Choir, compiled by William B. Bradbury and Charles W. Sanders and published in New York in 1841. Bradbury was Baptist, I believe, and I can't find any information on the religious affiliation of Charles W. Sanders.

Regarding the attribution in the 2025 ed. of The Sacred Harp, which is "George Coles, 1835. Treble J. T. White 1844. Alto Anna Blackshear, 1902" (notice there is no "about"), it is my understanding that the 2025 Music Attributions committee, consisting of Rachel Hall, Robert Kelley, and Warren Steel, spent a lot of time reviewing the attributions and did not simply accept the attributions in early editions, especially those of James, many of which are problematic at best. So I'm not convinced that your following statement is correct: "So the Sacred Harp gives the year as 1835 because Col. James said it was written in 'about 1835.'" I sincerely doubt that this is the reason why the attribution in the 2025 ed. (and the 1991 ed.) says "George Coles, 1835." I'm hoping that Rachel and/or Robert and/or Warren will tell us more about why they accepted the 1835 date. I note that the 2012 Cooper book does not attribute DUANE STREE to Coles.

Wade

Dr. Wade Kotter

Retired Librarian

Independent Hymnologist and Unrestrained Loud Treble

South Ogden, UT

"Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" 

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[David Warren Steel]

Wade writes:
>>Thanks, Peter. I'm familiar with pretty much all you say. Nick Pappas provided me with the entries for DUANE STREET from his database. The earliest source for the tune he lists is the 1st ed. of The Valley Harmonist, compiled by W. J. Steffy of New-Market, Shenandoah County, VA and printed in nearby Harrisonburg, VA. I'm quite sure that Steffy was not a Methodist. Interestingly, Nick gives a date of ca. 1840 for the 1st ed. of this collection, but many other sources date it to 1836. If the 1836 date is correct, that would support the "about 1835" date given in many sources. Perhaps Nick can elaborate on why he thinks "ca. 1840" is more appropriate for the 1st ed. of Steffy's collection.

As for the date of Steffy's collection, I have
The Valley Harmonist, 1836-1845

The Valley Harmonist, containing a collection of tunes & hymns, from approved authors--adapted to the worship of religious denominations. By J. W. Steffy, Newmarket, Va. [verse] Winchester: printed by Robinson & Hollis. 1836.
167, [1] pp.
Copyright entered 1836, Western District of Virginia, by J. W. Steffy. Preface signed Newmarket, Va. Oct. 1836, The Publisher. P. [1], t-p.; p. [2], copyright notice; pp. [3]-4, preface; pp. [5]-12, rudiments; pp. 13-162, music; pp. [163]-165, appendix (hymn texts); pp. [166]-167, index; p. [168], errata.
C 40326; *MWA NcWsM

[first edition with appendix]
The Valley Harmonist, . . . 1836.
167, [1], 72, [1] pp.
Copyright entered 1836, Western District of Virginia, by J. W. Steffy. Preface signed Newmarket, Va. Oct. 1836, The Publisher. pp. [1]-72, music; p. [73], index to the appendix. 2nd p. [1], caption title, 'Appendix to the Valley Harmonist.' *RPB *ViHarEM

[second edition, 1845]
The Valley Harmonist, containing a collection of tunes from approved authors. Adapted to a variety of metres. Also--a selection of set pieces and anthems. Second edition--revised, enlarged and improved. By J. W. Steffy, New-Market, Shenandoah Co., Va. [verse] Harrisonburg--Henry T. Wartmann, printer. 1845.
336 pp.
Copyright entered 1845, Western District of Virginia, by J. W. Steffy. P. [i], t-p.; p. [ii], copyright notice; pp. [iii]-iv, preface; pp. [v]-xi, address on music, note; pp. [xii]-xlix, rudiments; pp. [l]-li, musical terms; p. [lii] blank; pp. 53-333, music; pp. [334]-336, index; p. 336, errata.
*MWA NcWsM TU

I have not seen a date for the appendix. If the tune appears in the appendix, and Nikos dates the appendix to 1840 this would make sense. If it is in the body of the first edition, then 1836 would be correct. In either case, I would expect that Steffy, who did not provide an attribution, got it from some earlier source, but we may tentatively give this 1836 date the benefit of the doubt. The song was unattributed in early editions of the Sacred Harp, except for the treble by J. T. White. Maybe James's "about 1835" was a lucky guess.
-- 
Warren Steel                              mu...@olemiss.edu
Professor of Music Emeritus      University of Mississippi
              http://home.olemiss.edu/~mudws/

[Wade Kotter]

Thanks, Wayne. Perhaps it is in the appendix. Here's the entry for this instance in Nick's database:

Hymn SN: 26080

Book Title: SteffJ VHA 1 Source Date: 1840, ca. Source City: Newmarket Source State: VA Source Style: An Mod3

SocChor Source Notation: 4S LS

Printer Info: Winchester VA

Tune Name: DUANE STREET

Melody Incipit: 5u1331244 231d7u12d55

Music Source/Composer: Cole George Rev.

Text Incipit: A poor way-faring man of grief,

Meter: Verse: L.M. double

Key Signature: A major

Number of Parts: 2

Tune Type: Plain Tune

Form: AA’BA’’ or ABA’C DBA’C

- repeated melodic material

A colleague not on this list tells me that he found a newspaper article claiming that DUANE STREET was first published by Coles in The Christian Advocate and Journal (of which he was Assistant Editor) but no date was gives. This periodical is not available for free online that I can find, but it is covered in the ProQuest American Periodicals Database. I do not have access to this database (it was canceled by Weber State after I retired), but a colleague at BYU has access and has, so far, not found it in issues from 1835, although he did find articles by Coles. He will be looking at later issues when he gets time.

Any comments on the possible relationship between DUANE STREET and Billy Broke Locks?

Wade

Dr. Wade Kotter

Retired Librarian

Independent Hymnologist and Unrestrained Loud Treble

South Ogden, UT

"Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" 

[Nikos Pappas]

Greetings all.

Wade, Warren is correct. The tune appears in the Appendix to the Valley Harmonist not included in the first edition of 1836. There is an "Appendix" in the first edition but its a few pages of alternate verses for tunes in the book. This Appendix follows a list of Errata in the first edition. This supplement includes a number of tunes taken from Walker's Southern Harmony, some English tunes, a few anthems like ROSE OF SHARON, original arrangements and compositions by Steffey, and some reformer evangelical favorites. DUANE STREET is preceded by OLIVET, and a small grouping of tunes related to Henkel the Lutheran frontier minister active in the Valley of Virginia and the Ohio River area at the beginning of the 19th century.

The tunes from Walker included in this Appendix parallel Jackson's Knoxville Harmony [ed. 1 from Madisonville (1838) and ed. 2 from Pumpkintown (1840)]. As it did not appear in 1836, I gave it a date of c. 1840 as a halfway point between it and the second edition of 1845. Also, the Walker tune HARMONY found on page 37 was dropped from later editions of The Southern Harmony, leading me to believe Steffey probably took the tunes in the Appendix from the 1838 stereotype edition. The tunes Steffey liked in this Appendix were incorporated into the main tunebook in the second edition.

I hope this clears things up.

Nick Pappas

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