Why the Amish Sing: Songs of Solidarity and Identity

by D. Rose Elder, Terry E. Miller (Foreword by)

Overview

An intimate portrait of the diverse music-making at the center of Amish faith and life.

Singing occurs in nearly every setting of Amish life. It is a sanctioned pleasure that frames all Amish rituals and one that enlivens and sanctifies both routine and special events, from household chores, road trips by buggy, and family prayer to baptisms, youth group gatherings, weddings, and “single girl” sings. But because Amish worship is performed in private homes instead of public churches, few outsiders get the chance to hear Amish people sing. Amish music also remains largely unexplored in the field of ethnomusicology. In Why the Amish Sing, D. Rose Elder introduces readers to the ways that Amish music both reinforces and advances spiritual life, delving deep into the Ausbund, the oldest hymnal in continuous use.

This illuminating ethnomusicological study demonstrates how Amish groups in Wayne and Holmes Counties, Ohio—the largest concentration of Amish in the world—sing to praise God and, at the same time, remind themselves of their 450-year history of devotion. Singing instructs Amish children in community ways and unites the group through common participation. As they sing in unison to the weighty words of their ancestors, the Amish confirm their love and support for the community. Their singing delineates their common journey—a journey that demands separation from the world and yielding to God's will.

By making school visits, attending worship services and youth sings, and visiting private homes, Elder has been given the rare opportunity to listen to Amish singing in its natural social and familial context. She combines one-on-one interviews with detailed observations of how song provides a window into Amish cultural beliefs, values, and norms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421414652
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	09/15/2014
Series:	Young Center Books in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies
Pages:	216
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.10(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

D. Rose Elder is an associate professor of ethnomusicology and rural sociology and coordinator of humanities and social sciences at the Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute.

Table of Contents

Foreword Terry E. Miller vii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xv

Part I Amish Life and Song

Chapter 1 Who Are the Amish? 3

Chapter 2 The Functions of Amish Singing 23

Chapter 3 Case Study: "Es sind zween Weg" 36

Part II Singing in Childhood and Adolescence

Chapter 4 Songs for Nurture: Lullabies and Children's Songs 49

Chapter 5 Songs for Instruction: Singing at School 62

Chapter 6 Case Study: School Repertoire 69

Chapter 7 Songs of Identity: Youth Sings 75

Part III Singing for Worship

Chapter 8 Songs of Memory: The Ausbund 87

Chapter 9 Songs of Belonging: Baptism, Council, and Communion 101

Chapter 10 Case Study: The Loblied, or Lobsang 107

Part IV Singing for Special Occasions

Chapter 11 Songs of Love and Life: Weddings and Funerals 121

Chapter 12 Songs of Trust: Music in Daily Life 131

Chapter 13 Songs for the Future: Amish Singing in the Twenty-First Century 138

Appendix I Additional Musical Examples 145

Appendix II Research Methods 157

Appendix III Historical Studies of Amish Musk 162

Notes 169

Bibliography 177

Index 183

What People are Saying About This

David J. Rempel Smucker

D. Rose Elder convincingly shows the clear importance of the phenomenon of singing to the Amish in many dimensions of their culture and faith.

Terry E. Miller

Elder’s work helps us not only to see the Amish as human beings like ourselves but to see ourselves through the Amish. (from the Foreword)

From the Publisher

Elder’s work helps us not only to see the Amish as human beings like ourselves but to see ourselves through the Amish. (from the Foreword)
—Terry E. Miller, Kent State University

D. Rose Elder convincingly shows the clear importance of the phenomenon of singing to the Amish in many dimensions of their culture and faith.
—David J. Rempel Smucker, Anabaptist historian

Editorial Reviews

This fine account now stands as the basic reference source on the topic of Amish singing.
—Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage

A compelling account of one of the most rarely heard and least understood forms of singing in North America today. This is a groundbreaking work: the first to combine historical, social, spiritual, and ethnic values with high levels of musical scholarship and reliable transcriptions so as to reveal Amish song to be a genuine voice of Amish identity and belief systems.
—The Mennonite Quarterly Review

From the Publisher

A compelling account of one of the most rarely heard and least understood forms of singing in North America today. This is a groundbreaking work: the first to combine historical, social, spiritual, and ethnic values with high levels of musical scholarship and reliable transcriptions so as to reveal Amish song to be a genuine voice of Amish identity and belief systems.

The Mennonite Quarterly Review

This fine account now stands as the basic reference source on the topic of Amish singing.

Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage