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Sing Oh! The City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh

Robert Schmertz
Sing Oh! The City Oh!: Songs of Early Pittsburgh

In 1959, banjo player, composer, singer, and college professor Robert Schmertz recorded an album of original songs commemorating the 200th anniversary of the founding of Pittsburgh at the point where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers join to create the Ohio River. The French built Fort Duquesne at the strategic location in 1754; in 1758 the British took control and promptly built a new fort they called Fort Pitt. Schmertz’s songs celebrate Pittsburgh’s early history as a British outpost on the frontier. His daughter, Gretchen, a singer, and son Jack, a flautist and piccolo player, along with singer Vivien Richman (who has also recorded for Folkways), cellist Eero Davidson and his banjo-playing son Jo, join Schmertz in the recording.

Track Listing

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101
Sing the City, O! Robert Schmertz 01:58
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102
Celoron Robert Schmertz 03:18
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103
The Ohio Company Robert Schmertz 03:31
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104
Forks of the Ohio Robert Schmertz 03:26
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105
La Vierge de la Belle Riviere Robert Schmertz 03:00
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106
Mon Petit Lapin Robert Schmertz 02:30
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201
Braddock's Defeat Robert Schmertz 02:28
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202
General John Forbes Robert Schmertz 02:18
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203
The Lonely Grenadier Robert Schmertz 02:41
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204
Flintlock Finnegan Robert Schmertz 02:41
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205
The Battle of Bushy Run Robert Schmertz 02:20
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206
The Prettiest Girl in Pittsburgh Town Robert Schmertz 02:35