GREAT IS THE LORD

After a moment Pa sang again, and the stately measures were suited to the thankfulness they were all feeling...  --The Long Winter, Chapter 28, "Four Days' Blizzard"

In The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls reminds her family that they can have music even without the fiddle Pa's hands are too cracked and stiffened to play. She begins to sing a song, and the family joins in. After this song, Ma and Pa each begin to sing new selections in turn. While waiting out the four days' blizzard and following a pause to listen to its fury, Pa begins to sing "Great is the Lord" - the words are taken from Psalm 48. Although the storm rages, the family is thankful to be together and safe. It is during these days that the Ingalls family doesn't know the fate of Almanzo Wilder and Cap Garland, who had not returned from their trip to find seed wheat prior to the start of the blizzard.

Music for "Great in the Lord" can be found in Laura's singing school book, The Conqueror. In These Happy Golden Years, one of the town activities participated in by Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder during their courtship was singing school. There were classes held in De Smet from February through April 1884, conducted by a Mr. Forbush. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote that singing school was taught by Mr. Clewett; Frank Clewett had taught the De Smet (academic) school during the spring 1883 term. A homesteader in neighboring Clark County, Mr. Clewett often lived in De Smet prior to moving to California in the 1890s. It is possible that he taught a singing school that was never mentioned in the local newspapers.

The Conqueror was written by C.E. Leslie and R.H. Randall and published in 1880 by the The Chicago Music Company. Leslie wrote a number of hymnals and singing school books, and he traveled widely, promoting his program and holding classes in a number of states. Many of the songs in The Conqueror were composed by Leslie or Randall. Laura's singing school book originally sold for seventy-five cents and is today on display at the Laura Ingalls Wilder / Rose Wilder Lane Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri. The book begins as Wilder wrote in These Happy Golden Years, with an explanation of notes, rests, and clefs. It then continues with simple exercises, starting with "do re mi fa sol la si do" and moving on to simple songs.

Laura Ingalls Wilder went into more detail about singing school in both the Pioneer Girl manuscripts and the manuscript for These Happy Golden Years. Obviously an important and pleasant memory from her young adulthood, she included complete lyrics for a number of songs which were omitted from the published These Happy Golden Years. Although "Great is the Lord" is found in The Conqueror, Wilder did not mention the song in any Pioneer Girl manuscript in connection with either singing school or the winter of 1880-1881. Although The Conqueror was published in 1880, it seems highly unlikely that the Ingalls family had access to the songbook version of the song during the Hard Winter. It is possible, however, that Wilder referred to her old songbook when working on her Hard Winter manuscript and selecting songs to include.

GREAT IS THE LORD

from The Conqueror

CLICK HERE to view a copy of 1882 sheet music of "Great is the Lord." Notice that this particular music post-dates the Hard Winter of 1880-1881.

This music is archived in the Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music Collection at the Library of Congress. The Collection contains more than 62,500 pieces of historical sheet music registered for copyright: more than 15,000 registered during the years 1820-1860 and more than 47,000 registered during the years 1870-1885.

For more information:

For a complete list of songs from the "Little House"® books, go to the SONG INDEX.

A copy of music for "Great is the Lord" was included in Songs of the Prairie, compiled by Margaret Irwin, 1968. Published in De Smet, this book is now out of print.

Great is the Lord (TLW 28)

Copyright © 2009 by Nancy Cleaveland - All Rights Reserved.