John Jacob Niles (b. Louisville, Kentucky, April 28, 1892; d. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Lexington, Kentucky, March 1, 1980) was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. Lexington (officially Lexington-Fayette Urban County is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 68th largest in the United States. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A ballad is a Poem usually set to Music; thus it often is a story told in a Song. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers"[1], Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, with Joan Baez, Burl Ives, and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others, recording his songs. The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives ( 14 June 1909 &ndash 14 April 1995) was an Academy Award winning American actor and acclaimed Peter Paul and Mary (often called PP&M) are a musical group from the United States who were one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the
Contents |
Biography
Niles learned music theory from his mother, and began writing down folk music as a teenager. He became a serious student of Appalachian folk music by transcribing traditional songs from oral sources while an itinerant employee of the Burroughs Corporation in eastern Kentucky, from 1910 to 1917. Appalachia is a term used to describe a region in the eastern United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, The Burroughs Corporation began in 1886 as the American Arithmometer Company in St The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War I, in which he was injured, he studied music in France, first in Lyon, then in Paris at the Schola Cantorum, also meeting Gertrude Stein. The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC was the predecessor of the U World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the Parisian musical institute For other organizations called Schola Cantorum see Schola Cantorum (disambiguation. Gertrude Stein ( February 3, 1874 &ndash July 27, 1946) was an American Writer who spent most of her life in France Returning to the United States in 1920, he continued his studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a Conservatory, part of a girls' Finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati Ohio. He sang opera in Chicago and folk songs on early radio. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. In 1925, he moved to New York City and held various jobs in the entertainment industry. The City of New York In the 1930s, he toured Europe and the United States with contralto Marion Kerby. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. He performed at the White House in 1938, and on occasion at the Newport Folk Festival during the 1950s. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk -oriented Music festival in Newport Rhode Island, which began in 1959
In the 1920s, Niles began publishing music. He made four extended trips into the southern Appalachians as an assistant to photographer Doris Ulmann, again transcribing traditional songs from oral sources, including the ballads "Pretty Polly" and "Barbara Allen. The Appalachian Mountains ( often called the Appalachians, are a vast system of mountains in eastern North America. Doris Ulmann (May 29 1882-August 28 1934 was an American photographer best known for her portraits of the people of Appalachia made between 1928 and 1934 " Pretty Polly " "The Gosport Tragedy " or "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter " ( Roud 15 is a traditional English-language " The Ballad of Barbara Allen " also known as "Barbara Ellen" "Barb'ry Allen" "Barbriallen" etc " On other occasions, he transcribed songs he heard sung by African Americans and by fellow soldiers in World War I. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa
Niles is also a noted songwriter. His songs, many of which are based on traditional sources, include "Venezuela," "Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair," and the haunting Christmas song "I Wonder As I Wander. " Black Is the Colour (of My True Love's Hair " ( Roud 3103 is a traditional Folk song first known in the Appalachian Mountains region of "I Wonder as I Wander" is a Christmas carol written by John Jacob Niles based on a fragment of a folk song collected in 1933 " Henry Miller's Plexus includes a powerful tribute to Niles's recording of this song. Henry Valentine Miller (December 26 1891 &ndash June 7 1980 was an American writer and painter. Plexus (1953 is the second book in Henry Miller 's fictionalized account of his early life with his second wife Mona known as The Rosy Crucifixion. Niles composed "Go 'Way From My Window" when he was a mere 16 years old, but did not perform it until 1930. Marlene Dietrich recorded it and sang it on stage. Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer Bob Dylan quoted its first line in his song "It Ain't Me Babe. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major " It Ain't Me Babe " is the title of a 1964 song by Bob Dylan, first included on his album Another Side of Bob Dylan. " Later in life, Niles published compositions in a more classical style, including works for choir and art songs for voice and piano. An art song is a Vocal music composition, usually written for one Singer with Piano or Orchestral accompaniment The latter include his last work, a setting of poems by Thomas Merton. Thomas Merton ( 31 January 1915 – 10 December 1968) was one of the most influential Catholic writers of the 20th century
Starting in 1938, he recorded a number of his compositions and transcribed songs, performing the material in an intense, dramatic manner. He employed a trademark very high falsetto to portray female characters, and often accompanied himself on an Appalachian dulcimer, lute, or other plucked stringed instrument. The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false refers to the Vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the Modal voice register and The Appalachian dulcimer is a Fretted String instrument of the Zither family typically with three or four strings Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck (either Fretted or unfretted and a deep round back or more specifically to an instrument from
In 1936, he married Rena Lipetz. They settled on the Boot Hill farm in Clark County, Kentucky, where they spent the rest of their lives. Clark County is a County located in the US state of Kentucky. He is buried at the nearby St. Hubert's Episcopal Church. The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky is named after him, and displays a number of traditional instruments he handcrafted. The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public, Co-educational, University, and is also the state's land-grant university located
Discography
- "The Tradition Years: I Wonder as I Wander"(1958, Tradition Records; 2006, Empire Musicwerks)
- "American Folk & Gambling Songs" (1956, Camden Record LP)
- "An Evening With John Jacob Niles" (1959, Tradition Records LP; 2002, Empire Musicwerks)
- "John Jacob Niles Sings Folk Songs" (1964, Folkways Records LP)
- "No Direction Home" (Bob Dylan documentary DVD) - contains a video clip of Go 'Way From My Window. No Direction Home is a Documentary film by Martin Scorsese that traces the life of Bob Dylan, and his impact on 20th century American
Books by Niles
- 1929 (with Douglas Moore). Songs My Mother Never Taught Me.
- 1934. Songs of the Hill Folk.
- 1950. The Shape Note Study Book.
- 1961. The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles.
Films
- 1978. John Jacob Niles. Whitesburg, Kentucky: Appalshop.
External links
- John Jacob Niles, American Folk Singer authorized website with comprehensive discography and streaming audio.
- The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky.
- The Gambling Songs of John Jacob Niles, a reminiscence by his son John Edward, 2005.
- Short biography.
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic