“Do you know any new songs to teach us, Uncle Richard?” I asked, after we had resettled in the main room and sung several of our favorites, entertaining Mama and Marian.

“Oh, I don’t know that it’s new, but there is a song I could sing for you. Someone taught it to me a few years ago,” he replied quietly, shifting in his chair.

“Sing it, sing it,” Paul chanted. Uncle Richard cleared his throat, and we waited, expecting a lively tune. Instead, he sang simple words and a pleasing melody… (Lighthouse Loyalty, excerpt from Chapter 6)

Throughout Lighthouse Loyalty music is used for symbolism and and unifying effect, reflecting the importance of music in 19th Century society. The songs mentioned by name are accurate to the era, and for today’s blog post, I thought it would be fun to share a little about the history behind the song choice and some links to the songs. Continue reading →