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Chapter34

IntroductiontoKatharineD.Newman,

NeverWithoutaSong:TheYearsandSongs

ofJennieDevlin,1865–1952

Inourdayatlast,wearehearingthewoman’ssideofthehumanstorytold,

notasinPamelaandMollFlandersbymen,butbywomen.Theheroineof

thissingingbiography—andsheisheroic—takesusintothelittle-known

worldoftheservingmaidsandworking-classwomenofmiddleAmerica

earlyinthiscentury.JennieDevlinwaseverybody’sslavey,andmanywere

theslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortunethatfelluponher.Herstaying

powerremindsoneoftheindomitableprotagonistsofGreatExpectations

andofMollFlanders.Indeed,theaccountofhowthisunwantedwaifbecame

aservingmaid,survivedherbitterdestiny,foundamate,andmanagedto

raiseafamilyhasatrueDickensianflavor.

JenniedifferedfromPipandMollyinbeingaloverofballads.Singing,

shemakesclear,keptherheartalivethroughallhertroubles.Forherthe

belovedoldsongssummedupthetruthofexistence.Theybroadenedher

viewofhumandestiny,particularlythatofotherwomen,sothatshefeltless

aloneinherownsorrows.Byimmediatelylearningandkeepinginmemory

everysongthatappealedtoher,littleJennieHess[Devlin]becamea

cultivatedwoman.Indeed,shewasafolklorist,ahistorianofherperiod,

storingupatreasurethatallmaynowenjoy,thankstothesensitiveand

devotedlaborsofKayNewman,theauthorofthisvolume.

SamuelPepys,theseventeenth-centurydiarist,earlynotedtheimportance

ofwomenintransmittingnativemusicaltraditions.InoneentryPepys

unfavorablycomparestheperformanceofafashionableoperasingertothat

oftheEnglishactressMrs.Knipps.“Shesingsmightywell…justafterthe

Italianmanner,butyetdonotpleasemelikeoneofMrs.Krupp’ssongstoa

goodEnglish