Musicians perform Civil War era songs in Pittsfield

PITTSFIELD – More than 50 people traveled back in time to 1862 during a program featuring songs from the Civil War and Underground Railroad.

Wintergreen, a musical threesome, was composed of Alice and Larry Spatz and Jared Polens.  They sang sometimes sad and melancholic harmonies while mesmorizing the audience. Many of the songs in the program focused on the grim perils of war and its sad aftermath.

The program took place in the Berkshire Athenaeum Auditorian and was part of the “Call Me Melville” city-wide celebration.

Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum and a grant from the Pittsfield Cultural Council (funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council) sponsored the well-attended presentation.

The musicians played a variety of instruments while they sang, including a bass, hammered dulcimer, guitar and mandolin.

Wintergreen began the evening with a song written by Stephen Foster, the first American songwriter, titled “Hard Times.” He wrote it in 1854, prior to the Civil War.

Members of the group explained the background of the songs they sang. For instance, it was noted that despite writing dozens of songs that are popular even up until today, Mr. Foster died in poverty in New York City.

Some of the songs the group sang, such as “Motherless Child,” were familiar to some audience members. Black singers sang the lament in the 1870s.

Another song known in modern times, “Wade in the Water,” was sung by slaves who were on-the-run. They tended to wade in the water at night so they would not leave a trail.

Most Americans have heard the song “John Brown’s Body,” sung to the tune of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” John Brown was an abolitionist from Torrington, Conn.

He attended school with the famed writer William Cullen Bryant. Mr. Brown, an anti-slavery advocate in 1859, was tried for treason and hanged. He was considered a hero by the people in the north.

The audience joined in as Wintergreen sang “John Brown’s Body.”

Another song, titled “The Final Adieu” (also called “Off to Canada”), was written by Joshua McCarter Simpson. He was a slave from Ohio who taught himself to read and write.

Once freed, he eventually became a pharmacist and published poet. He was also a conductor for the Underground Railroad. He wrote the song as he was planning to leave the United States.

Lee Hayes wrote “Follow the Drinking Gourd.” It’s a song about night travel on the Underground Railroad.

“Tenting Tonight on the Old Campground,” written in 1861 by Walter Kittridge of New Hampshire, showed the weariness people had toward war, wanting it to end.

“When Johnny Comes Marching Home” is a song written by Patrick Gilmore, the “rock star” of the 19th century. Born on Christmas Day in Ireland, he came to the United States and joined the army. Members of Wintergreen said Mr. Gilmore’s concert garden eventually became Madison Square Garden.

Abraham Lincoln had “Dixie,” a song popular during the Civil War, played at his second inauguration. Again, audience members joined Wintergreen in singing a rousing rendition of “Dixie.” There were two versions of the song, one for people from the north and one for southerners.

Wintergreen members researched the songs they sang at the athenaeum and explained their historical significance. Check their website for additional information on other kinds of musical programs they perform. They also have musical CDs for sale.

Following their performance, Bernard Drew, a historian and Berkshire Eagle columnist, explained the history of the Massachhusetts 49th all-Berkshire Regiment. A total of 947 soldiers left Pittsfield for war, and only 652 returned.

Alex Reczkowski also read Herman Melivlle’s poem “The College Colonel.”

The evening included a surprise visit from “Abraham Lincoln” dressed in a black suit and tall hat. He walked around the auditorium and chatted with members of the audience.

Proceeds of book sales by the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum make programs such as this one possible. The next book sale is set for Nov. 16-18.

Posted by Susan M. Wicker Guerrero on October 11, 2012. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Community Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry