Singing Family of the Cumberlands

Jean Ritchie

ISBN 10: 0813101867 / ISBN 13: 9780813101866

Published by University Press of Kentucky (edition ), 1988

About this Item

It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.

Seller Inventory # 0813101867-11-1

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Singing Family of the Cumberlands
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky (edition )
• Publication Date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813101867
• ISBN 13: 9780813101866
• Binding: Paperback
• Illustrator: Maurice Sendak
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

The "singing family" of which Jean Ritchie writes is that of her parents, Balis and Abigail Ritchie, and their fourteen children, all born and reared in Viper, Kentucky, deep in the Cumberland Mountains. Jean, the youngest of the clan, grew up to be a world renowned folksinger. But she was hardly unique in the family. All the Ritchies sang―when they worked, when they prayed, when they rejoiced, even when tragedy struck.

Singing Family of the Cumberlands is both an appealing account of family life and a treasury of American folklore and folksong. In the deceptively simple but picturesque language of rural Kentucky, Jean Ritchie tells of a way of life now nearly vanished and of a gentle, upright people shielded from the outside world by forbidding mountain ranges, preserving the traditions of their forebears.

Foremost among those traditions were the British folksongs brought from England by James Ritchie in 1768. Even in a region noted for its wealth of folksongs, the Ritchies' inheritance was exceptional. Forty-two of the family's beloved songs are woven through Jean Ritchie's narrative, complete with words and often musical scores. Each song evokes a memory for Jean―hoeing corn, stirring off molasses, telling ghost stories, singing a dying baby to its eternal rest. Songs lightened the burden of poverty for the Ritchies and brought them joy and solace.

Illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Singing Family of the Cumberlands will delight readers in all walks of life.

About the Author

Jean Ritchie continues to perform at folk festivals, to record, and to publish music.