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Sweet Betsy from Pike

Music by John A. Stone

Sweet Betsy from Pike" is an American ballad about the trials of a pioneer named Betsy and her lover Ike who migrate from Pike County (probably Pike County, Missouri) to California. This Gold Rush-era song, with lyrics written by John A. Stone before 1858, was collected and published in Carl Sandburg's 1927 American Songbag. It was recorded by Burl Ives on February 11, 1941 for his debut album Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger. The melody is of English extraction and is also that of the ballad "Villikins and his Dinah". Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.

The terms "Betsy" and "Old Betsy" were common frontier nicknames for rifles. In the 1980s, poet and scholar John Ciardi theorized that the song was originally a comic tribute to a rifle, portraying it as a pioneer's trusty but fiery companion. He suggested that amended versions sung by countless people had eventually turned it into a song about a real woman.

    Release Date: 1853


Songbooks, Arrangements and/or Media

Displaying 1-13 of 13 items.


Emily Crocker / John Leavitt : Essential Musicianship - Book 2, Student : SATB : Songbook : Emily Crocker : 073999060638 : 0793543339 : 08740104

Emily Crocker / John Leavitt : Essential Musicianship - Book 2, Student

"Essential Musicianship, Book 2," recommended for Grades 8-10 or other older beginners, is a sequential choral method that helps the older beginner or returning singer develop basic to intermediate skills. Each of the twenty chapters includes materials for vocal development, music theory, sight reading and performance. Basic notation, rhythm, pitch and basic harmony are covered through drills, exercises and 44 practice/performance songs for mixed, treble and tenor bass choirs.

Songlist: All Join Hands, Au Clair De La Lune, Christmas Comin', Come Follow, Cripple Creek, Down In The Valley, The Flowers, Fog, Fond Affection, He Is Born, Hosanna In Excelsis Deo, How Doth The Little Crocodile, Hush, Little Baby, Indian Summer, Intery Mintery, It Was A Lover And His Lass, Jerimiah Obadiah, Jubilate Deo, The Jumblies, The Kangaroo, Kyrie Eleison, Long, Long Ago, Love's Lament, Music, When Soft Voices Die, O! Mankind, The Old Brass Wagon, The Rainbow, The Red River Valley, San Serini, See Them Dance, and more

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Voicing: SATB | 1802b | Songbook | $15.95 ON SALE $12.95


Emily Crocker / John Leavitt : Essential Musicianship - Level Two Teacher Edition  : SATB : Songbook : Emily Crocker : 073999401059 : 0793543347 : 08740105

Emily Crocker / John Leavitt : Essential Musicianship - Level Two Teacher Edition

"Essential Musicianship, Book 2," recommended for Grades 8-10 or other older beginners, is a sequential choral method that helps the older beginner or returning singer develop basic to intermediate skills. Each of the twenty chapters includes materials for vocal development, music theory, sight reading and performance. The Teacher Edition provides comprehensive lesson plans based on the National Standards for Arts Education.

Songlist: All Join Hands, Au Clair De La Lune, Christmas Comin', Come Follow, Cripple Creek, Down In The Valley, The Flowers, Fog, Fond Affection, He Is Born, Hosanna In Excelsis Deo, How Doth The Little Crocodile, Hush, Little Baby, Indian Summer, Intery Mintery, It Was A Lover And His Lass, Jerimiah Obadiah, Jubilate Deo, The Jumblies, The Kangaroo, Kyrie Eleison, Long, Long Ago, Love's Lament, Music, When Soft Voices Die, O! Mankind, The Old Brass Wagon, The Rainbow, The Red River Valley, San Serini, See Them Dance, and more

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Voicing: SATB | 1810b | Songbook | $24.95 ON SALE $19.95


Greg Gilpin : Let the Men Sing MORE! : TB : Songbook : 888680041908 : 1495008622 : 35030102

Greg Gilpin : Let the Men Sing MORE!

Let the Men Sing MORE! is the follow up to the best-selling collection Let the Men Sing! Folksongs, holiday music, Latin settings, spirituals, patriotic and multicultural works fill this 10 choral REPRODUCIBLE collection for TB voices. A budget-stretcher, the book includes piano/vocal arrangements and an Enhanced StudioTrax CD with accompaniment and performance audio tracks, along with reproducible and projectible PDF files of the men's vocal parts, instrumental pages and choreography. Male singers and audiences alike will enjoy this excellent choral literature for many years to come.

Songlist: Kyrie, The Star-Spangled Banner, Loch Lomond, Little Wheel A-Turnin', Sing A Mighty Song!, Oh What A Wonderful Child, A Merry Christmas Medley, Ha Shalom, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?, Sweet Betsy From Pike

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Voicing: TB | 70826b | Songbook | $59.95


Jill Gallina : For The Boys - A Collection of Songs for Boys' Voices : TB : Songbook : 654979082156  : 00-SVBM04001

Jill Gallina : For The Boys - A Collection of Songs for Boys' Voices

This collection of songs is designed to give you a special selection of repertoire your boys will want to sing. The arrangements are creative and singable and are super appealing. It includes lesson materials to make this more than just a performance collection.

Songlist: The Boatman Dance, Buffalo Gals, The Ballad of Casey Jones, The Drunken Sailor, The Erie Canal, Funiculi, Funicula, John Henry, Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning, Paddy Works on the Railway, Sweet Betsy from Pike, Strategies for Teaching

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Voicing: TB | 7291b | Songbook | $8.95


John M. Feierabend : The Book of Young Adult Songtales : Kids : Songbook : John M. Feierabend : G-5279

John M. Feierabend : The Book of Young Adult Songtales

Some of the greatest stories ever sung, geared toward older children.

Songlist: A Capital Ship, Barbara Allen, Big Rock Candy Mountain, Billy Boy, Blue Tail Fly, Brennen On The Moor, Butternut Hill, Cape Cod Girls, Crocodile, Drill, Ye Tarriers, Father Grumble, Golden Willow Tree, Ground Hog, Housewife's Lament, I Love Sixpence, In Good Old Colony Times, Jenny Wren And Cock Robin, Limady, My Father Is Dead, Oleana, Paper Of Pins, Patty's Not At Work Today, Poor Little Sailor Boy, Rattlesnake, Robin And John, Spin, Spin, Springfield Mountain, Sweet Betsy From Pike, The Bold Fisherman, The Cat Came Back, and more

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Voicing: Kids | 6419b | Songbook | $11.95


Lynn Brinckmeyer : Wander The USA With Warm-ups : Vocal Warm Up Exercises : 840126910568 : 1540071502 : 00323563

Lynn Brinckmeyer : Wander The USA With Warm-ups

Keeping singers in our ensembles excited and energized during the warm-up process is a consistent hurdle for educators across the nation. By using songs that are indigenous to different parts of our country, teachers in choral classrooms can help students prepare their minds, bodies and voices while sharing a bit of our culture and history from different areas of the United States. All of the songs can be used with both inexperienced beginners and advanced singers. The lesson suggestions introduced with each song are intended to be a springboard for teachers to modify and adapt to their own students' needs and skill levels. Each melody includes strategies that are accessible for those who are just learning how to use their voices, and also for those more sophisticated singers who enjoy a good challenge.

Songlist: Wayfaring Stranger, Goodbye, Old Paint, Rocky Mountain High, Let Me Fly, My Home's In Montana, Chatter With The Angels, Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen, I've Been Working On The Railroad, Battle Hymn Of The Republic, You're A Grand Old Flag, Whoopee Ti-Yi-Yo, Git Along, How Can I Keep From Singing, The Colorado Trail, Ulili E (The Sandpiper), The Erie Canal, Every Night When The Sun Goes Down, Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier, Weevily Wheat, Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me, (Oh My Darling) Clementine, Jolly Miller, The Lone Star Trail, My Country 'Tis Of Thee (America), The Old Chisholm Trail, On The Banks Of The Sacramento, The Shanty-Boys In The Pine, Sweet Betsy From Pike, Oh, California, Chuhwuht, Inkpataya

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70822b | Vocal Warm Up Exercises | $14.95


Mitch Miller : The Mitch Miller Community Songbook : 2- and 3-Part : Songbook : 723188900275  : 00-CN0027

Mitch Miller : The Mitch Miller Community Songbook

A collection for group singing for all occasions.

Songlist: Alouette, America, America, The Beautiful, Au Clair de la Lune, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Big Rock Candy Mountain, Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home, Birch Tree, Blues in the Night, British Grenadiers, Broom, Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, Cantique de Noel, Careless Love, Charleston, Christmas Is Coming, Cielito Lindo, Come Follow, Come Ye Thankful People, Dancing in the Dark (from "The Band Wagon"), Dear Old Girl, Down by the Riverside, Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, Fine and Dandy, First Nowell, From Ill Do Thou Defend Me, Gal I Left Behind Me, Galway Piper, Give Me Your Tired Your Poor, and more

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Voicing: 2- and 3-Part | Performed by Mitch Miller | 4317b | Songbook | $14.95


Sally K. Albrecht : All-American Partner Songs : Songbook : 038081489773  : 00-43437

Sally K. Albrecht : All-American Partner Songs

Here's a great way to introduce young singers to classic patriotic and folk songs while developing independent part-singing. These well-known favorites will never go out of style! You may even want to invite the audience to sing along in performance. Includes easy-to-teach staging suggestions for eight of the twelve selections. Recommended for grades 2--7. Includes reproducible student pages.

Songlist: America, America the Beautiful, Bill Bailey, Ev'ry Night When the Sun Goes In, Oh! Susanna, Polly Wolly Doodle, Shenandoah, Simple Gifts, Sweet Betsy from Pike, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, The Yankee Doodle Boy, You're a Grand Old Flag

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40774b | Songbook | $29.95


Riders in the Sky : Classic Cowboy Songs  : Solo : Songbook : 884088449711 : 1423486552 : 35026694

Riders in the Sky : Classic Cowboy Songs

Strap on your spurs and saddle up your horse! This is the classic cowboy songbook you've been waiting for. From America's favorite singing cowboys, Riders in the Sky, these crowd-pleasing songs are great fun to play and sing. With rousing tunes, cowboy love songs, and western-style yodeling, this book has it all. Introduce the next generation to 12 great songs.

Songlist: The Arms Of My Love, Back In The Saddle Again, Get Along, Little Dogies, Happy Trails, Home On The Range, Lonely Yukon Stars, The Red River Valley, (Ghost) Riders In The Sky, The Streets Of Laredo, Sweet Betsy From Pike, That's How The Yodel Was Born, The Yellow Rose Of Texas

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Voicing: Solo | 4010b | Songbook | $14.95 | PVG


Various : Songs America Sings: 121 Easy Arrangements for Piano/Vocal/Guitar : Solo : Songbook : 073999330205 : 0793571804 : 50453280

Various : Songs America Sings: 121 Easy Arrangements for Piano/Vocal/Guitar

A fabulous collection of 121 all-time sing-along hits in easy-to-play arrangements for piano, voice, and guitar. Song categories include folk songs, patriotic songs, railroad melodies, hymns, and Broadway songs. Includes: I Left My Heart in San Francisco - Give My Regards to Broadway - Somewhere - and Tonight (from West Side Story). A great value!

Songlist: Kum Ba Yah, Casey Jones, Tonight, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, Abide With Me, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Tom Dooley, Nine Hundred Miles, All God's Children, Simple Gifts, Goodbye, Old Paint, Worried Man Blues, Somewhere, Danny Boy, Auld Lang Syne, Frankie And Johnny, Deep River, Alouette, Amazing Grace, America, The Beautiful, Down In The Valley, The Lord's Prayer, Greensleeves, The Big Rock Candy Mountain, Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen, When The Saints Go Marching In, Go, Tell It On The Mountain, One More River, Home On The Range, I've Been Working On The Railroad, and more

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Voicing: Solo | 10045b | Songbook | $34.95 | PVG


Various : Folk Songs : Solo : Songbook : 884088285821 : 1423467647 : 00311841

Various : Folk Songs

A mammoth collection featuring 148 of your all-time folk favorites! Includes: Alouette - Camptown Races - Danny Boy - Greensleeves - Guantanamera - Hava Nagila - Home on the Range - The Red River Valley - Shenandoah - Skip to My Lou - This Little Light of Mine - Yankee Doodle - and many more.

Songlist: In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree, Casey Jones, Guantanamera, Dry Bones, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Frog Went A-Courtin', Lavender's Blue, This Old Man, Wayfaring Stranger, The Wabash Cannon Ball, Goober Peas, The Banana Boat Song, This Little Light Of Mine, Worried Man Blues, All My Trials, Kumbaya, Hava Nagila (Let's Be Happy), All Through The Night, Carnival Of Venice, Danny Boy, Auld Lang Syne, Frankie And Johnny, Deep River, Aloha Oe, Alouette, Amazing Grace, Careless Love, Down In The Valley, Freight Train, Skip To My Lou, and more

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Voicing: Solo | 10251b | Songbook | $12.95 | PVG


Various : Golden Encyclopedia Of Folk Music : Solo : Songbook : 073999599053 : 0881883808 : 00359905

Various : Golden Encyclopedia Of Folk Music

A giant collection of more than 180 classic folk songs including songs of true love, unrequited and false love, the domestic scene, spirituals, ramblers and gamblers, workers, songs of the west, jolly reunions, international songs and singing the blues.

Songlist: Kum Ba Yah, Acres Of Clams (Old Settler's Song), Guantanamera, Dry Bones, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Wayfaring Stranger, Napoleon, Poor Boy, We Shall Overcome, Heaven, Somebody's Knockin' At Your Door, The Lonesome Road, Goodbye, Old Paint, Worried Man Blues, All My Trials, Hava Nagila (Let's Be Happy), Bad Girl, C.C. Rider, The Lorelei, Auld Lang Syne, Frankie And Johnny, Deep River, On Springfield Mountain, Water Is Wide, Alouette, O Happy Day, Stewball, Amazing Grace, Careless Love, Bad Company, and more

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Voicing: Solo | 10257b | Songbook | $22.95 | PVG


Various Arrangers : American Folksongs & Spirituals : Solo : Songbook : 073999207965 : 0793559219 : 00310138

Various Arrangers : American Folksongs & Spirituals

75 songs of American heritage, including: All The Pretty Little Horses - Arkansas Traveler - Aura Lee - Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair - The Blue Tail Fly - Buffalo Gals (Won't You Come Out Tonight) - Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie - Cotton Eyed Joe - Deep River - Down In The Valley - The Drunken Sailor - Git Along, Little Doggies - Home On The Range - Hush, Little Baby - I've Been Working On The Railroad - Joshua (Fit The Battle Of Jericho) - Never Said A Mumblin' Word - Oh! Susanna - Old Joe Clark - The Red River Valley - She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain - Shenandoah - Simple Gifts - Steal Away - The Streets Of Laredo - Wayfaring Stranger - and many more!

Songlist: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Poor Wayfaring Stranger, The Wabash Cannon Ball, Somebody's Knockin' At Your Door, Soon I Will Be Done (Trouble Of The World), Steal Away (Steal Away To Jesus), This Little Light Of Mine, Simple Gifts, The Lonesome Road, All My Trials, All The Pretty Little Horses, Frankie And Johnny, Deep River, Down In The Valley, Skip To My Lou, Turkey In The Straw, Animal Fair, Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen, When The Saints Go Marching In, Arkansas Traveler, Home On The Range, I've Been Working On The Railroad, Yankee Doodle Boy, Aura Lee, Standin' In The Need Of Prayer (Standing In The Need Of Prayer), Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child, There Is A Balm In Gilead, The Red River Valley, John Henry, Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me, and more

More details
Voicing: Solo | 20381b | Songbook | $17.95 | PVG


Individual Folios

Displaying 1-1 of 1 items.


Sweet Betsy from Pike : SATB : Greg Gilpin : Songbook : 35029370 : 884088956578 : 1480361585

Greg Gilpin : Sweet Betsy from Pike

Full of diverse rhythms, meters, harmonies, text-painting, and lots of humor, the journey of Sweet Betsy and Long Ike from Pike County to California has never sounded so fun! This delightful new take on the popular American folk song from the Gold Rush era will become a favorite for you and your singers and will certainly entertain your audiences.

Arranger: Greg Gilpin

More details
Voicing: SATB | Sheet Music | $2.50 | With Piano |
(Minimum order 4 copies)
| 35029370 | Digital Version Available
Other Voicings: SAB, SATB

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