Danish Emigrant Ballads and Songs

Hawked by vendors in the streets of Denmark or sold door-to-door by salesmen, popular street ballads reported disasters at sea, lamented the anguish of separated lovers, and told of the promise of a new land, America. Authors Rochelle Wright and Robert L. Wright have collected 116 street ballads and songs from oral tradition (a majority of which have never been published before) that pertain to the Danish emigration experience: conditions and events in Denmark that triggered emigration; prevailing attitudes toward America; the perils of the ocean voyage; life in the New World; and homesickness and longing. More specific topics include songs about the California gold rush, the Danish Mormon converts’ experiences in Utah, and the exile of Danish Socialist leaders to America. The texts provide a personal, provocative view of Danish and American cultures in the last half of the nineteenth century. Each song is presented in the original Danish with a full English translation and is accompanied by an explanatory note. In most instances, the melodies to which the songs were sung have been located, transcribed, and included in the final chapter. Danish Emigrant Ballads and Songs comprises the fourth volume in the series Songs of the Westward Migration” begun by Robert L. Wright in 1957.