Short bio Ananias Davisson
Full biography Ananias Davisson
Ananias Davisson (1780-1857) was a composer, singing school teacher, printer, and compiler of shape-note tunebooks from Shenandoah County, Virginia. He cultivated a network of singing school teachers and composers in Virginia , Tennessee, and Kentucky who sold his tunebooks and sent him their music for publication. Davisson is best known for composing the tune for the hymn "Idumea," which became one of the most popular tunes in the shape-note tradition.
Davisson's career as a composer and publisher began in 1802 when he published his first tunebook, "The Kentucky Harmony," which included 68 hymns and psalms. He continued to publish tunebooks throughout his lifetime, including "The Missouri Harmony" and "The Virginia Harmony."
In addition to his musical achievements, Davisson was also a slave owner, and some of the hymns in "The Virginia Harmony" were composed by enslaved people whom he owned. It is important to acknowledge and contextualize the histories of composers like Davisson who were both celebrated for their musical contributions and implicated in systems of oppression.
Today, Davisson's music remains an important part of the American shape-note tradition, and his legacy as a composer and publisher continues to be studied and appreciated by scholars of American music history.
Compositions featuring Ananias Davisson
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idumea I & II | 3:39 min | Choral | - |
Albums featuring Ananias Davisson
| # | Сover | Name album | Year | Music label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
IdumeaAngeline Morrison – The Brown Girl And Other Folk Songs(CDr, Album, Limited Edition) | 2022 | Not On Label (Angeline Morrison Self-released) |
| 2 |  |
Idumea Bill MacKay And Nathan Bowles – Keys(CD, Album) | 2021 | Drag City |
| 3 | ![Cover for album: Fly, Trembling Spirit [Skifkin I Yis Ki I Thalassa / Idumea / Stis Elenis To Krevati]Kitka – Evening Star(CD, Album)](https://themusicdictionary.org/image/42859/album) |
Fly, Trembling Spirit [Skifkin I Yis Ki I Thalassa / Idumea / Stis Elenis To Krevati]Kitka – Evening Star(CD, Album) | 2018 | Diaphonica |
| 4 |  |
Idumea S.M. (Sacred Harp)Sufjan Stevens – Silver & Gold | 2012 | Asthmatic Kitty Records |
| 5 |  |
Idumea S.M. (Sacred Harp)Sufjan Stevens And His Unwitting Cohorts Present – I Am Santa's Helper! Even More Songs For Christmas Vol.7(12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP) | 2012 | Asthmatic Kitty Records |
| 6 |  |
IdumeaThe Millikin University Choir – Hearts All Whole(CD, ) | 2010 | First Step Records |
| 7 |  |
Am I Born To Die?Mansfield University Concert Choir, Peggy Dettwiler – Sing Joyfully(CD, ) | 2009 | Mark Records |
| 8 |  |
Idumea 1 / Idumea 2Anonymous 4 – American Angels (Songs Of Hope, Redemption, & Glory) | 2003 | Harmonia Mundi France |
| 9 |  |
IdumeaThe Young Tradition / Royston Wood & Heather Wood – Galleries / No Relation(CD, Compilation) | 1997 | Essential! Records |
| 10 |  |
IdumeaWord Of Mouth Chorus – Rivers Of Delight: American Folk Hymns From The Sacred Harp Tradition | 1979 | Nonesuch |
| 11 |  |
IdumeaThe Watersons – Sound, Sound Your Instruments Of Joy | 1977 | Topic Records |
| 12 |  |
The Young Tradition – Galleries | 1973 | Transatlantic Records |
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