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Artist

William Steffe

visual
Born
1830
Died
1890
Country
United States
IPI
00039887524
00168244752
Comments
William Steffe was born in 1830 in South Carolina. Moving to Philadelphia, PA, he claimed to have composed a tune in 1855 or 1856 with the words, "Say Bummers, Will You Meet us", with the traditional Glory Hallelujah refrain, for the Goodwill Fire Company of Philadelphia, PA, whose members were known as "Bummers".
Though Steffe may have played a role in creating the "Say, Bummers" version of the song, which seems to be a variant of and owe a debt to both "Say Brothers, Will You Meet Us?" and "John Brown's Body" Steffe couldn't have written the "Glory Hallelujah" tune or the "Say, Brothers" text, both of which had been circulating for decades before his birth.
In 1885, Richard J. Hinton, one of John Brown's biographers, wrote to Steffe asking about the circumstances of the writing of the original song. Steffe's four replies are contained in the archives of the Kansas State Historical Society in Topeka.
On December 11th, 1885, Steffe wrote: "...though I never claimed any notoriety in music I want to prove by the best evidence the origin of the music of the popular song. Those who prompted me to write it are all 'gathered to their fathers' most of those who sang Say Brothers will you meet us-- are 'beyond the river'...." In his second and third letters, mailed more than a year later, Steffe stated that he sent a copy of the song to Hinton, but that since the copy was not received, it must have gotten lost in the mail. Steffe said he had trouble remembering the circumstances of the writing and was apparently in contact with others in Philadelphia who were present and could have testified that Steffe wrote the song. But Steffe never gave Hinton any verification from these other persons. In the last letter dated March 4, 1887, Steffe finally told the whole story of the writing of the song. He was asked to write it in 1855 or 56 for the Good Will Engine Company of Philadelphia. They used it as a song of welcome for the visiting Liberty Fire Company of Baltimore. The original verse for the song was "Say, Bummers, Will You Meet Us?" Someone else converted the "Say, Bummers" verse into the hymn "Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us." He thought he might be able to identify that person, but was never able to do so. He also wrote that he had visited Boston during the Civil War while carrying dispatches from General Butler to Governor Andrew. While there, he attended a review of the "Tiger" Battalion. The "Tigers" sang "John Brown's Body," and, afterwards, Steffe told them he had originated the tune.
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Added by Denis