Thomas Jackson Denson (January 20, 1863 – September 14, 1935) was a notable

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

musician and

singing school A singing school is a school in which students are taught to sightread vocal music. Singing schools are a long-standing cultural institution in the Southern United States. While some singing schools are offered for credit, most are informal progr ...

teacher within the

Sacred Harp Sacred Harp singing is a tradition of sacred choral music which developed in New England and perpetuated in the American South. The name is derived from ''The Sacred Harp'', a historically important shape notes, shape-note tunebook printed in ...

tradition.

Family and marriage

He was the youngest of the four sons of the Levi Phillip Denson, a farmer, a gold miner in Arbacoochee, Cleburne County and a Methodist minister, and Julia Ann Jones Denson. Thomas J. Denson was born in 1863 in Arbacoochee and named after Stonewall Jackson. He was married to Amanda Burdette, a music and literary teacher, a singer, and song composer, until her death in 1910; she was the younger sister of Sidney Burdette, his brother's wife. They had five children: two sons, Paine W. Denson and William Howard Denson; and three daughters, Anna Eugenia Denson, Maggie Francis Denson, and Jarusha (Aunt Rush/Ruth) Henrietta Denson. In 1914, he married Lola Mahalia Akers, with whom he had three daughters: Violet Denson Hinton, Vera Denson Nunn, and Tommye Mahalia Denson Mauldin.

Career

Along with his brother

Seaborn McDaniel Denson Seaborn McDaniel Denson (1854 – April 18, 1936) was a notable Alabama musician and singing school teacher within the Sacred Harp tradition. He was a son of The Rev. Levi Phillips Denson, a Methodist minister, and Julia Ann Jones Denson. Seaborn ...

, Thomas Denson formed the Sacred Harp Publishing Co. In 1933 they purchased the rights to the 1911 J. S. James ''Sacred Harp'' and began a revision of it. This revision, known as the ''Original Sacred Harp (Denson Revision)'', was published in 1936. A. M. Cagle worked for Denson early in his life, and took lessons with the elder musician as well; Denson would go on to become Cagle's brother-in-law for a brief time. Thomas J. Denson was a popular singing school professor and taught singing schools from

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. Some claim that he taught more Sacred Harp singers than any other man. He was affectionately known to many as "Uncle Tom."

Recognition

A granite monument to the memory of Thomas J. and Seaborn M. Denson was erected on the courthouse square in

Double Springs, Alabama Double Springs is a town in Winston County, Alabama, United States. The city is the county seat of Winston County. The county seat was initially located at Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous ...

. This was done in 1944, the centennial year of the Sacred Harp. Part of the inscription reads, ''"By the loving hands of their families, pupils of their singing schools, and legions of singers and friends."'' .

Death

Thomas J. Denson died September 14, 1935. When he died suddenly in a community near Jasper, Alabama, he was preparing to go to a singing. Mrs. Edwards wrote in the hymnal: "Birmingham news reporters estimated a crowd of 15,000 people in attendance" at Fairview Cemetery in Double Springs His brother Seaborn died in 1936, and Tom's son, Paine Denson worked with his sister Ruth Denson Edwards and other members of the revision committee to see the "Denson" edition of the Sacred Harp through to completion.

References

*Reverend Levi Phillips Denson (1819-1889): Denson families in America, ed. Dr. M.E. (Eddie) Denson (Paducah, Ky.: Turner Publishing, 1997). This source provides most of the genealogical information. *Ruth Denson Edwards, "Music" foreword, Original Sacred Harp (Denson Revision 1844-1977) (Cullman, Ala.: Sacred Harp Publishing, 1977). This tunebook contains sections dealing with both family members' contributions and the accomplishments of the Densons. {{DEFAULTSORT:Denson, Thomas Jackson 1863 births 1935 deaths Sacred Harp Musicians from Alabama People from Cleburne County, Alabama People from Winston County, Alabama 19th-century American composers 20th-century American composers American male composers American hymnwriters 20th-century American male musicians 19th-century American male musicians