Our family has long loved the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Actually the love of Wilder's books started, for me, in childhood. I read many of the volumes of her Little House series over and over, and it's been a particular joy for me to introduce those books to my daughter. Now nine, she has enjoyed the entire Little House series, and I'm delighted to see her beginning to read some of her favorites again.

Wilder's books capture a fascinating and complicated era of U.S. American history -- the time of westward expansion in the 1860s and 1870s, when many European settlers were joining more recent immigrants and moving out of the long-cultured areas of the American East Coast to head into the relatively unknown wilds of the midwest and western lands. Wilder herself was a child in those years, but her books were written many years later, and she takes care to explore the time and culture in realistic ways. Many of the most memorable scenes in the series, however, draw on her memories of her family: her Ma, Pa, and three sisters Mary, Carrie, and Grace. Although the books are a tribute to them all, her love for Pa especially shines through, and it's his singing and fiddle playing that runs through all of the books like a golden melodic thread.

All the songs Laura recounts in her books are real songs: there are, in fact, 126 songs or melodies mentioned in the eight books of the series. Together they provide a wonderful glimpse of the musical life of America during this time of complex transition, from this time of its adolescence, if you will. Since Pa and his family hailed from immigrants from the British Isles, many of the songs drew on those Scots-Irish roots. And some of the songs were becoming American classics in their own right during the time that Pa was singing and fiddling his family to sleep in various little log-houses, frame houses, and sod houses in the woods and prairies.

Happy Land: Musical Tributes to Laura Ingalls Wilder, sets out to capture, in 18 tracks, some of those wonderful old songs that Pa played for his family. The recording is actually produced by "Pa's Fiddle Recordings" and a band called "Pa's Fiddle Band" provides the rollicking track that combines Arkansas Traveler/Devil's Dream. Their sprightly playing makes you want to get up and dance, as many of the fiddle tracks on this recording do. But in addition to lively instrumentals, there are wistful folk ballads, traditional hymns, and funny novelty songs. If you've read the Little House books, you'll recognize many of them, since Laura often included lyrics or scraps of lyrics to her Pa's songs. But even if you've never cracked open a Wilder volume, there's a lot here to appreciate, especially if you're a fan of authentic American roots music.

You get that sense of deep roots as soon as you begin listening. The opening track is a brief and somewhat grainy recording from 1923. Jasper E. "Jep" Bisbee, an old-time fiddler who, according to the liner notes, was born just eight years after Pa Ingalls, was recorded late in his life. We get to hear the lively strains of "The Girl I Left Behind Me." The old recording gives way to a crisper, cleaner, and livelier contemporary version of the song (including vocals) by Pat Enright. Another Bisbee recording, this time of "The Devil's Dream" is provided as the final track.

I'm especially fond of the second track, the traditional hymn "Sweet By and By," with a heart-rending lead vocal by Andrea Zonn. "There's a land that is fairer than day/and by faith we can see it afar..." It's a beautiful, simple version of the beloved hymn backed with mandolin and fiddle, one that's easy to harmonize with.

Another favorite track is the sprightly version of Stephen Foster's "Oh! Susanna," a song that evokes the California Gold Rush era better than almost any other tune.

Fans of the Wilder books will no doubt have extra fondness for "The Blue Juniata" performed by Riders in the Sky, as well as the traditional gospel tune "Roll the Old Chariot Along" performed with wonderful spirit by The Princely Players. Both songs have memorable places in the stories, but are also memorable as music on their own.

One of the best traits about Laura's Pa is his humor, and that's well represented in this collection with the humorous song (yes, every era seems to have them) "Captain Jinks," performed by Riders in the Sky. You can tell this one was a musical hall standard, complete with ad-libs and funny verses that would be easy to vary. Pa's cheerful "trouble song," "The Big Sunflower," is also presented here, sung by Douglas B. Green and backed by mandolin-banjo, fiddle, and piano. Green also handles vocals on the funny "Uncle Sam's Farm" which evokes the era of homesteading, claim settling (and land disputes) on the prairie. It sounds a lot like a political slogan or tourist board advertisement: "Oh come to this country/and have no fear of harm/our Uncle Sam is rich enough to give us all a farm!"

Next to "Sweet By and By," my favorites are the poetic ballads "Highland Mary," and "Oft in the Stilly Night."  "Highland Mary" (a song Pa often sang especially in honor of his daughter Mary) has lyrics by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The poem was written in 1792 and arranged as a song soon after. Deborah Packard's soft, trilling vocals seem perfect for this melancholy tune. She provides the tender vocal again for "Oft in the Stilly Night," a setting of a poem by the Irish poet Thomas Moore (a favorite song of Lincoln's). Packard also provides the absolutely haunting vocals for the tragic love ballad "Barbara Allen."

"Happy Land," which provides the title of the whole recording, is another Scottish poem sent to music, this time by Andrew Young. Unlike the other two poems set to music, however, this one has a lively beat and its poetry, rather than slow ballad, is quick-timed hymn. It's the hymn that appears most often in Wilder's books. This is perhaps not surprising given how much of her childhood was filled with wandering from place to place -- the image of heaven as a true and stable homeland must have been a potent one for the whole family. "Promised Land," ("On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand,") a more solemn hymn, captures that same deep sense of longing. I love this version presented by the Harpeth Valley Sacred Harp Singers.

A few other tracks round out the recording, but hopefully this will give you a sense of the delightful riches to be found here. You can find the full track listing and lyrics on the website www.laura-ingalls-wilder.com

I originally found Happy Land while searching for a way to introduce some of Stephen Foster's music to my elementary school aged daughter.  This CD was perfect for that, with the added bonus that it provided a soundtrack to some of the most beloved books of her childhood ~ and mine as well. But as someone who loves gospel music, traditional hymns and ballads, and early American music (especially featuring fiddle and mandolin) I quickly fell in love with this recording on its own merits. If you have a love of a particular old song or of the Wilder books, your entrance into the music of this CD is assured, but even if you don't, I still recommend it. This recording is full of history, both literary and historical, but it's also just beautiful and fascinating music.

~befus, 2011

Recommended: Yes