The storm raged outside, screaming and hammering at walls and window, but they were safely sheltered, and huddled in the warmth of the hay fire they went on singing… — The Long Winter, Chapter 28, “Four Days’ Blizzard”
Words to “When I Can Read My Title Clear” are by Isaac Watts, first published in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707. The tune is “Pisgah,” an old folk tune of unknown origin, first printed in 1813. The style is of old New England tunes with staggered entrances, the voices (bass, tenor, treble, and alto) coming in separately and tossing the melody back and forth. The tune was typical of many singing school songs and reminiscent of how Laura Ingalls Wilder often described the Ingalls family singing to Pa’s fiddle accompaniment, each member with their own voice contributing to the melody. “When I Can Read My Title Clear” was found in many period hymnals.
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Isaac Watts (1674-1748) was born and died in England. He was recognized early for his talent at composing verse, and was offered a university education in hopes he would be ordained in the Church of England. Watts declined the offers and entered a nonconformist academy and joined an independent congregation. Most of his hymns were written in his early twenties while living at home, published in his Hymns and Spiritual Songs. Watts began preaching in 1702 and was ordained as a pastor, although his health began to decline shortly afterward.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder included “When I Can Read My Title Clear” in the same context in the manuscript and published The Long Winter. In the manuscript, the lyrics are followed with: “The others joined her and the old hymn rose triumphantly.” This is one of the few songs in the Little House books which are initiated by Caroline Ingalls. While the song expresses the sentiment of survival in the face of the relentless blizzards during the Hard Winter, it also suggests the Ingallses’ struggle to find peace at the end of the homesteading process in Dakota Territory.
“When I Can Read My Title Clear” (TLW 28) “When I can read my title clear, to mansions in the sky”
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