![Temperance song sheet music cover by M](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Temperance_song_sheet_music_cover_by_M.Evans.PNG)
Temperance songs are those musical compositions that were sung and performed to promote the
Temperance Movement
The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...
from the 1840s to the 1920s. It was a distinct
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
of
American music. In 1830 the US per capita consumption of
alcohol was 9.5 gallons yearly, almost four times the rate of consumption in 2008. In response, many
temperance organizations formed over the next eighty years. Some temperance song lyrics were sung with already well-known songs of the period, for example, "
Oh! Susanna
"Oh! Susanna" is a minstrel song by Stephen Foster (1826–1864), first published in 1848. It is among the most popular American songs ever written. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all tim ...
". This
Stephen Foster
Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...
melody was used with lyrics in support of temperance and the title changed to “There's A Good Time Coming,” in 1857, ten years after the publication of the
original lyrics of "Oh! Susanna".
Development and genre history
A consistent
theme
Theme or themes may refer to:
* Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work
* Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos
* Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...
within temperance songs of 19th and 20th century society was that drinking negatively impacted a stable
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
life and that it was at the center of much suffering. "Molly and the Baby Don't You Know" is about a father promising not to drink for the sake of his young child and
suffering wife. Some temperance songs were intended to produce
guilt
Guilt may refer to:
*Guilt (emotion), an emotion that occurs when a person feels that they have violated a moral standard
*Culpability, a legal term
*Guilt (law), a legal term
Music
* ''Guilt'' (album), a 2009 album by Mims
* "Guilt" (The Long Bl ...
about the consequences of alcohol consumption. Themes including
abuse were common, such as "The Drunkard's Child," by
Mrs. Parkhurst, 1870. In this song, a mother hears her child decry that her father's drinking and their poverty leads to her being ignored by her peers. An archived field-recording of this song, sung by John McCready, relates the song of a dying child of an
alcoholic
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
. The child fears he or she will not be allowed to enter
heaven.
Stephen Foster was considered to be the best-known of the Temperance songwriters.
Listing of Temperance songs
Many of the songs in support of temperance are not completely documented, but a partial listing follows:
Stephen Foster
Comrades, Fill No Glass for Me
Foster's Temperance song, “Comrades, Fill No Glass for Me” (1855), is thought to be a narrative of his own drinking struggle.
The melody to these lyrics is unknown.
:Oh, comrades, fill no glass for me,
:To drown my soul in liquid flame,
:For if I drank, the toast should be
:To blighted fortune, health and fame.
:Yet, though I long to quell the strife,
:That passion holds against my life,
:Though boon companions ye may be,
:Oh! comrades, fill no glass for me.
A License Party Trick (sung to the tune of Oh! Susanna)
::: There was a great election once, (We need not name the date,)
:::: Out in Ohio, and it lost Republicans the State.
::: That party runs the Government With still house revenue,
:::: And boasts much of its temperance, From its “high license” view.
: ''(chorus)''
::: Oh, high license,
:::: How is that for high?
::: You’ll make your party very sick and
:::: It will surely die.
::::::: ''etc, etc''
This temperance song was sung to the tune of "Oh! Susanna", and was written in response to
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
and legislative developments of the times. In 1851, the state of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
established statewide prohibition. Other states subsequently adopted similar
legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...
. "A License Party Trick" specifically refers to legislation passed in 1883 in
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
when
Republicans lost the governorship and the majority in the state
House and
senate. An attempt by the ousted legislators and
Governor Charles Foster (no relation to Stephen) to tax and regulate alcohol sales resulted in the loss of support of temperance supporters. Voters found the politician's attempts at legislation as too
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
. The legislative defeat was also attributed to the lack of support of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
voter
Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...
s who believed the proposed
liquor policies to be overly restrictive.
Other songwriters
![Temperance song hand book](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Temperance_song_hand_book.jpg)
From the 1840s to 1920, the American Temperance Movement produced a large number of songs. Some of the more notable composers were Stephen Foster,
Mrs. E.A. Parkhurst, M. Evans,
George F. Root, and
Henry Work. Another specific example of a popular song of the times is "The Drunkard's Child," by Mrs. Parkhurst written in 1870. In the song a child complains to her mother that she is ignored by others because she is poor and her father drinks.
The temperance songwriters tended to write songs sympathetic to the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
cause. This is in contrast to Stephen Foster who wrote
minstrel songs
The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of racist theatrical entertainment developed in the early 19th century.
Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people spec ...
. This genre is seen as racist today, even though Foster also provided music for
We Are Coming, Father Abra'am, a song encouraging Northerners to enlist in the Union Army. Foster differed from the other temperance
composers in that he also wrote
drinking songs
A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music.
In Germany, drinking songs are ...
. Some
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...
s believe that Foster drank heavily.
James Lord Pierpont
James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893)Lewis, DaveJames Pierpont Biography, AllMusic, retrieved December 16, 2011 was an American songwriter , arranger, organist, Confederate States soldier, and composer, best known for writing ...
, composer of “
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed t ...
,” created temperance songs with the
melody of this still popular holiday tune.
[
]
Songs of Temperance organizations
Some locally organized temperance organizations printed and published their own temperance songs, some of which were derived from hymns. For example, the doxology
A doxology (Ancient Greek: ''doxologia'', from , '' doxa'' 'glory' and -, -''logia'' 'saying') is a short hymn of praises to God in various forms of Christian worship, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns. The tradition derive ...
has been modified with the following lyrics:
::::Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,
:::Praise him who saves from deepest woe,
::::Praise him who leads the temperance host,
:::Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
See also
* Tom Gray's Dream
References
{{Reflist
External links
Playlist of Temperance Songs
from the Library of Congress Archives. Accessed October 19, 2015
19th-century music genres
20th-century music genres
Music history
Music genres
History of Pittsburgh
Temperance movement