Table Of ContentTHE SARTnsn AND SECULAR MUSIC OF THE SWEDISH
SETTLERS OF THE MIDWEST 1841-1917
CARL LEONARD NELSON
Sponsoring Committee
Professor Alonso F. Myers, chairman
Professor Gordon E. Bailey, Professor Rath Manser
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education of
Neir York University
1950
I'h— 3 ’ * accepted
Munoie, Indiana
September 18,1950
I, Carl L. Nelson, hereby guarantee that no part of the
dissertation, The Saored and Secular Muslo of the Swedish
Settlers of the Midwest. 1841-161.7. submit teiT for publication,
has been heretofore published or copyrighted in the United States
of America, except in the oase of passages quoted from other pub
lished sources; that I am the sole author and proprietor of said
dissertation; that the dissertation contains no matter which, if
published, will be libelous or otherwise injurious, or infringe in
any way the copyright of any other party; and I will defend, in
demnify and hold harmless New York University against all suits
and proceedings which may be brought and against all olaims which
may be made against New York University by reason of the publica
tion of said dissertation.
igned••
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Deep appreciation is expressed: to the members of the
sponsoring committee, Professor Alonzo F. Myers, chairman,
Professor Gordon, 3, Bailey, and Professor Ruth Manser for
their guidance in the preparation of this dissertation: to
the Angus tana College Library, and Doctor Ira 0. Nothstein,
archivist for assistance; to Doctor Oscar 3. Olson for the
use of photographs; and to publishers and authors for per
mission. to use materials.
Carl Leonard Nelson
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Topic .Page
I Introduction........... •;?•?•?•???••* ^
II The Heritage from Sweden.................. 4
The Swedish Immigration......................... 4
The Swedish Background of the Immigrant.......... 11
XU The Early Swedish-American Committee................ 28
The Founding of the Colonies.................. 28
Life in the Early Settlements.................... 32
IV Immigrant Ballads.......... 39
The Swedish Background. ...... 39
The Music of the Ballads......................... 4l
The Texte of the Ballads......................... 41
The Ballad in Immigrant Life. ...... , 55
V Church Music Performance.................. 57
The Swedish Background........... 57
Performance Among the Swedish-Americans......... 68
Choir Organization and Development............ 79
VI Music in Hymnals and Religious Songbooks............ 84
Swedish Sources of Music....... 84
Swedish-American Songbooks....................... 92
Music for Choirs................... 117
Hymns and the Immigrant's Life 119
VII College Music Among the Swedish-Americans.........., 122
Musical Organizations and Performances....... 123
The Influence of Pioneer Leaders................, 131
The Significance of the Immigrant's Background... 135
A College Music Department....................... 136
VIII Swedish Singing Societies........ 139
The Swedish Background. ............ 139
Swedish-American Male Choruses................... 140
The American Union of Swedish Singers............ 140
Early Leaders.................................. 143
Male Chorus Music .... 1^4
IX Summary and Conclusions............... 146
Bibliography...................................... 152
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ILLUSTRATIONS ME MUSICAL EXAMPLES
Immigrant Ballads Pag®
71 s&lde T&ra hemman ...........................kZ
Potter J&nasons rasa • . . .............................. **8
Pell®s fantasifrllda Yankee Poodle ........ 53
Psalmodlkon (from a photograph)........... 62
Psalmbook for 1 Iran (fpo« a photograph) 6k
Pioneer Pipe Organ (from a photograph) ..................76
Swedish-American Religious Songs (photostats)
Songs from Hemlandssanger. 1875 ......................... 100
Song by G. Stolpe from Semlaadsslager. 1892 ......... 101
Songs from Hemi ssanger. 1875 ......................... 102
Song from b«mb]i and sefenger. 1892 ................. 103
Song from Hem! ends sanger. 1892 ...................... 104
Volk Song from . 1892 ..................... 105
Modern and Original Rhythmic Torsions from Yoralbok........Ill
Choral® from Hymnal. 1901 ..................... 113
iv
CHAPTER. I
INTRODUCTION
Sweden has "been called a land of song* Many her folk—songs« which
number more than eighteen thousand,^ are known not only in the homeland*
hut in all of Europe and America through the performances of her famous
singers from the times of Jenny Lind and Christina Nilsson to the present
day soloists at the Metropolitan Opera, Her male choruses have added to
this renown since 1867 when the Uppsala University singers triumphed over
o
the other European choruses at the festival in Paris,
Sweden* s music, however, was brought to America not only by her
artists and singing groups, hut by the lowly immigrants who came to live
in a new land. These settlers, who expended their energies in creating
homes and in wresting an existence from the soil, had little time for
the cultural aspects of life. Tet their songs were important to them in
comforting their lonely spirits, and in recapturing the memories of former
experiences*
In order to better understand the music of these people, consider
able study has been given to the Swedish educational, religious, and com
munity background of the immigrants* An attempt has been made to show the
relation of this background to their musical activities in America, Simi
larly, the background of some of the educational and religious leaders
1* Percy A* Scholes, The Oxford Companion to Music, p. 841,
2* Souvenir Program of the fifth Music festival and Convention. Swedish
Singers of the Pacific Coast, p, 29*
2
of Swedish settlements has been surveyed to discover any influence
their early training nay have had on their attempts to further music
among the settlers*
One purpose of this study is to give an historical account of the
musical life in the early Swedish-American communities* Another is to
trace the development of Swedish choral organizations which are to this
day prominent in American musical life* It is not the aim of this in
vestigation to analyze the anisic which* although written by Swedish-
Americans* belongs in the category of American musical compositions*
Its purpose is rather to study and preserve examples of that music which
was cherished by the settlers, but which* because of the language
barrier* was all but forgotten with the Americanization of the Swedish
communities*
The first Swedes to settle in America came in 1638,* However*
this colony had been absorbed into the American civilization before the
2
immigration of the nineteenth century began* Therefore* this study
begins with 1841*^ the year of the first settlement by Swedes in the
Midwest* The musical efforts of the settlers are traced until 1917*
Although Swedish musical activities continued beyond this date, the
entry of the Halted States into World War I hastened the Americanization
of the Swedes in this country* The immigration laws passed after the
1* Adolph B* Benson and Haboth Hedln* Swedes in America. 1636-1938.
P. 1*
2* Ibid*. pp. 33-34.
3* Erie Horellua, £& svenska jtatgr$a
historic 4 Ama-HW I, p. 2.
3
war restricted the flow of Swedes to this country, fhas with the
settler** rapid transition to Snglish, and the decrease in number of
new immigrants, the performance of Swedish music in America was greatly
curtailed*
CHAPTER II
THE HERITAGE EROM SWEDEN
The Swedish Immigration
The flow of Swedish immigration to America during the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries commenced with a small hand of immigrants under the
leadership of Gustaf Unonius.1 There had teen an occasional Swedish settler
before 1840 who strayed to the Midwest,^ tut the settlement at Pine Lake,
Wisconsin under Unonius in 1841 was the first attempt ty the Swedes to organ
ize a settlement in the J&dwest.^ Laws restricting emigration, passed by
4
the Swedish parliament in 1739. had been a factor in preventing earlier
settlement. One law (repealed in 1843)”* required a passport from the king,
costing 300 kroner (about $81.00).^ After the easing of restrictions,
emigration increased rapidly, so that between the years 1850 to 1917 over a
1. Eric Norelius, De svenska luterska ffrnmrn in^rnas och svenskarnes
hlstoria i Amftrlka. I, p. 2.
2. Nils William Olsson, A Century of Swedish Immigration, American-Swedish
Handbook. Vol. Ill, p. 114.
i
3. Oustaf Unonius, Minnen af en s.lutton&rlg vistelsa nordvestra Amerlkfi.
I, p. 213.
4. Jlorence E. Janson, The Background of Swedish Immmlgrati on. p, 4,
5. Amandus Johnson, Swedish Contributions to Americant National Life, 1638-
1921, p. 12.
6. Kendrick Charles Ba!bcock, The Scandinavian Element in the United States,
University of Illinois Studies in the Social Sciences, Vol. Ill, No, 3,
P. 53.
5
i 2
nillion persons, from a country of about six million persons found new
homes in America,
23teJ5fi0ifisaJ2Oz5^SEaiifiB
Many reasons for the exodus are set forth by the investigators of
Swedish emigration. One of the chief factors seems to have been economic,
A majority of the Swedish settlers in the early decades of immigration
were farmers or laborers,^ America had millions of acres of fertile land
which could be purchased at a low price, and which, after the Homestead
k
Act of 1662, could be obtained by living on the land. To the Swede, to
whom land meant wealth, the reports of free land made a strong appeal,^
The series of poor crops in Sweden during years lQhl-18h6, and in soma
provinces again in 1867-1869 was a factor in emigration,^ Some emigrated
7
to escape the lengthened period of military service, and others left be-
8
cause the labor markets were becoming crowded.
Liberalism, which had been spreading since 1830, was a factor in
causing people to seek new and better conditions of living, Even though it
1, B&tger 2ssen, Bmlgratlonen fran Sverige under 1800-tale t, Earl
Hildebrand and Axel Tredenholm (editors), ^vew«irn.w|«. jL Amerlka.
I, pp, 228-229,
2, Florence X. Janson, Tlye Background of Swedish Immigration, p, 1,
3* Andrew A. S tomb erg, Pioneers of the Northwest, Adolph 3, Benson and
Naboth Hedin (editors), Swedes in America. 1638-1938. p, 93,
h. Janson, op. clt.. p, 13,
5, Stomberg, op, clt,. p. 9^*
6, Andrew Aden Stomberg, Den svenska i Amarlka. p. 13.
7, Andrew Aden Stomberg, A History of Sweden, p. 676,
8, Log, clt.
