"The Blue Juniata" is a popular song written by
Marion Dix Sullivan
Marion Dix Sullivan (1802–1860) ( fl. 1840–50) was an American songwriter and composer. She was born in Boscawen, New Hampshire, the daughter of Timothy Dix and Abigail Wilkins and the sister of General John Adams Dix of New York. She marr ...
in 1844. It was one of the most popular
parlor song
Parlour music is a type of popular music which, as the name suggests, is intended to be performed in the parlours of houses, usually by amateur singers and pianists. Disseminated as sheet music, its heyday came in the 19th century, as a result of ...
s of the nineteenth century, and the first commercially successful song written by an American woman. The song was referenced by
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
in his autobiography and recorded in 1937 by
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...
and the early
Sons of the Pioneers
The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...
.
In "The Blue Juniata", bright Alfarata, the Indian girl, sings the praises of her warrior while she travels along the
Juniata River
The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...
. This character is the namesake of the city of
Alpharetta, Georgia
Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and is a part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 US Census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818 The population in 2010 was 57,551.
History
In the 1830s, the Ch ...
.
Lyrics
"The Blue Juniata" as first published:
[Sullivan, "The Blue Juniata" (Sheet music).]
:''Wild roved an Indian girl,''
:''Bright Alfarata,''
:''Where sweep the waters''
:''Of the blue Juniata!''
:''Swift as an antelope''
:''Through the forest going,''
:''Loose were her jetty locks,''
:''In many tresses flowing.''
:''Gay was the mountain song''
:''Of bright Alfarata,''
:''Where sweep the waters''
:''Of the blue Juniata.''
:''"Strong and true my arrows are,''
:''In my painted quiver,''
:''Swift goes my light canoe''
:''Adown the rapid river.''
:''"Bold is my warrior good,''
:''The love of Alfarata,''
:''Proud waves his snowy plume''
:''Along the Juniata.''
:''Soft and low he speaks to me,''
:''And then, his war-cry sounding,''
:''Rings his voice in thunder loud,''
:''From height to height resounding."''
:''So sang the Indian girl,''
:''Bright Alfarata,''
:''Where sweep the waters''
:''Of the blue Juniata.''
:''Fleeting years have borne away''
:''The voice of Alfarata;''
:''Still sweeps the river on—''
:''Blue Juniata!''
References
Bibliography
*Pendle, Karin. ''Women & Music: A History''. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press (2001).
*Sullivan, Marion Dix. "The Blue Juniata" (Sheet music). Boston: Oliver Ditson (1844). Two versions of this work may be found digitally scanned a
The Library of Congress
External links
Sons Of The Pioneers - Blue Juniata (1937) from YouTube.
1844 songs
Parlor songs
American songs
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