Missouri Harmony 45 Captain Kidd.wmv

'Through all the world below, God is seen all around . . .' Why is a song with these words entitled 'Captain Kidd'? Newcomers to Sacred Harp often find the song titles enigmatic or bizarre. The explanation: the title names the tune, not the verses set to it. The tunes may be borrowed from some secular ballad, as it this example. 'Captain Kidd' was an old ballad telling of the notorious pirate. Religious folk, liking the tune, borrowed it and gave it sacred words. For why should the devil have all the good tunes, as was said.
Heart-rending harmonies, inspiring words make this an unforgettable 'sacred harp' style song.

Category:

Music

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• Sacred
• Harp
• shape
• note
• folk
• singing

[ArtFirstColors]

The hymn that starts "Through all the world below" under the title Captain Kidd, with its music, was collected and published in 1810 by Jesse Mercer in his Cluster of Spiritual Songs. Jesse Mercer (1769-1841) was a Baptist Pastor in Georgia, .

But David W. Music has found that the lyrics were " first published in Hymns on Various Subjects (1792) an anonymously compiled collection ... where it was

[PLBrayfield]

@ArtFirstColors Thanks for the information! Perhaps you can complete it by adding another comment & take up where you left off! It was perhaps more the rule than the exception, for lyrics to be composed separately, as 'poetry' so to speak, and then put with some tune (or tunes) that fit the meter. The same words often are put with various tunes. For example, there are at least half a dozen Sacred Harp settings for the words 'On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand.' (see my posted vid of this song)

[brockorgan]

a beautiful hymn, stirringly sung ... :)

[FlintHillVideo]

This is wonderful. So glad you post your Sacred Harp videos.

[YoppyKyabetsu]

Excellent, though now I'll have to find the Captain Kidd lyrics, too.

[davidsummerford]

I love this...what a great lyric