FluteTree :
Songbooks :
Contemporary Native American Flute :
American Primitive Music by Frederick Burton was published in 1909. Although the book contains no melodies expressly for the flute, it does contain a number of songs that could be adapted to the flute. Burton writes about Firefly on page 229:
This is a song I hunted for in vain. Schoolcraft heard it about eighty years before my visits to Ojibway land. He set down the words and declared that they were the wild improvisations of children in a merry mood." Schoolcraft further wrote that "in the hot summer evenings, the children of the Chippewa Algonquins (Ojibway) along the shores of the upper lakes frequently assemble before their parents' lodges and amuse themselves by little chants of various kinds, with shouts and dancing." That is, the children began early to entertain themselves by the little chants of various kinds, with shouts and dancing." That is, the children began early to entertain themselves after the manner of their elders, and there were songs for children as well as grown-ups. The historian was undoubtedly mistaken in assuming that the words of the Firefly song were wild improvisations of children. Had he been musician as well as historian, the tune would have told him that the words had been carefully arranged by somebody who had rudimentary poetic talent. But no matter. Longfellow turned the words to excellent advantage in "Hiawatha," and I was very desirous of coming upon the tune which I sought for in the precise neighborhood where Schoolcraft heard it. I was not successful. Nobody thereabout remembered the song, but a missinary amoung the Objibways of Minnesota heard it and reduced it to notes which he sent to Dr. Baker while the later was preparing his essay. Dr. Baker included it in his publication, and, with his permission, I include it here, also, fo I think any collection of Objibway songs would be incomplete without it.