This book contains the first published music by a Native American, Commuck was a Narragansett. The melodies, written by Commuck and harmonized by Hastings, are adaptations of Methodist hymns and the songs share the same numbering as the Methodist hymnal. Commuck entitled each song in tribute to extinct or vanishing tribes, his acquaintances and famous chiefs and women from Indian lore and history.

In a preface written from Manchester, Wisconsin Territory, March 7, 1845, the author writes the following self deprecating introduction to himself:

" The author of the following original tunes wished to get some person better educated than himself to write a preface or introduction to his little work; but on reflection it occurred to him that he could tell the public all about it as well as anyone else...Add to this the circumstance of having been born, not only in obscurity, but being descended from that unfortunate and proscribed people, the Indians, with whose name a considerable portion of the enlightened American people are unwilling to associate even the shadow of anything like talent, virtue, or genius, and as being wholly incapable of any improvement, either moral, mental or physical... it is not without great diffidence that he attempts to appear at the bar of public opinion, not knowing but Judge Prejudice may preside, and condemn his work to the deep and silent shades of everlasting oblivion, without even a hearing... The work now offered to the public, small as it is, has occupied the attention of the author for the space of seven years; and it may not be amiss to state, that it was not until the year 1836 that he first commenced trying to learn, scientifically the art of singing... "

Sabin 14999