Songs from Little Town on the Prairie

The Long Winter is finally over, and the Ingalls family can resume social activities and go to church, where music both feature heavily.

Laura is studying hard to earn her teaching certificate so she can help her family send Mary to the college for the blind in Iowa. And Laura has begun to attend parties for the young men and ladies of De Smet.

Many of these activities in the book feature music, although it often focuses on the more social activities of a pioneer town rather than music like some of the earlier books.

Pa got up from the supper table and drew his chair near the open door. He said, “Bring me the fiddle, Laura. I want to try a song I heard a fellow singing the other day. He whistled the chorus. I believe the fiddle will beat his whistling.”
Softly Laura and Carrie washed the dishes, not to miss a note of the music. Pa sang, low and longingly, with the sweet clear voice of the fiddle.
“Then meet me—Oh, meet me,
When you hear
The first whip-poor-will call—”
“Whip-poor-will,” the fiddle called, and fluting, throbbing like the throat of the bird, “Whip-poor-will,” the fiddle answered. Near and pleading, “Whip-poor-will,” then far and soft but coming nearer, “Whip-poor-will,” till all the gathering twilight was filled with the wooing of the birds.
Chapter 11 Miss Wilder Teaches School, Little Town on the Prairie