Indian Melodies

work by Commuck

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 17, 2026

Quick Summary

Indian Melodies is a hymnal published in 1845 by Thomas Commuck, a Narragansett composer. This collection features hymn tunes composed by Native American musicians using European notation, with texts in English. Some hymnals from this period also included texts in Native American languages, sometimes in newly developed writing systems. These hymnals were used for Christian worship and represent an important repertory of traditional music.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

6 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Native American music
Indigenous trends from 1800
Some of these books—such as Indian Melodies, published in 1845 by the Narragansett composer Thomas Commuck—present hymn tunes composed in European notation by Native American musicians with texts in English. Other sources provide hymn texts in an Indian language, sometimes in a newly created writing system. The Cherokee published a…
Read More
Some of these books—such as Indian Melodies, published in 1845 by the Narragansett composer Thomas Commuck—present hymn tunes composed in European notation by Native American musicians with texts in English. Other sources provide hymn texts in an Indian language, sometimes in a newly created writing system. The Cherokee published a…
Read More