Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution the national museum of the United States. They are dedicated to supporting cultural diversity and increased understanding among peoples through the documentation preservation and dissemination of sound. Folkways Records believe that musical and cultural diversity contributes to the vitality and quality of life throughout the world. Through the dissemination of audio recordings and educational materials Folkways Records seek to strengthen people s engagement with their own cultural heritage and to enhance their awareness and appreciation of the cultural heritage of others. Our mission is the legacy of Moses Asch who founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document “people s music ” spoken word instruction and sounds from around the world. The Smithsonian acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987 and Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has continued the Folkways commitment to cultural diversity education increased understanding and lively engagement with the world of sound. This album attempts to reproduce New England choral music as it was sung in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In keeping with the singing school tradition of which this repertoire was part the singers are all amateur musicians. Extensive text based on Alan C. Buechner s doctoral dissertation “The Yankee Singing School ” accompanies this recording.