April 28 - John Jacob Niles (The Musical Birthday Series)

John Jacob Niles (28 April 1892 –1 March 1980) collected, arranged, or composed (the boundaries are fluid) some of the most beloved American folk melodies.

Appalachian Sing

I wonder and wander,

Sang John Jacob Niles

In his signature falsetto tone.

I ponder what’s yonder,

As over the miles

I travel the hillsides alone.

No glimmer of glamour

Is found in the styles

I hear from the folk in the hollows.

The grimmer the grammar,

The tighter the smiles,

The richer the singing that follows.

From the porch where they perch

They sing of their trials

In songs that are modal and pallid.

It’s for such that I search

And add to my files

Under legend, or carol, or ballad.