What Wonderous Love is This - Steve and Ruth Smith - Hammered Dulcimer & Guitar

The studio recording of this traditional Appalachian folk hymn can be found on Steve and Ruth Smith's "He Leadeth Me" CD (instrumental hymns) found at www.steveandruth.com
Most sources attribute this melody to the 1701 English song "The Ballad of Captain Kidd," but the melody predates the Kidd usage by more than a century. As a hymn, it was discovered by composer William Walker on his journey through the Appalachian region in the 19th century. The tune had been around for many years passed on only by oral tradition. It first appeared in print in Walker's 1840 shaped-note collection, Southern Harmony. The Appalachian region is well known for having many Scottish immigrants, which is shown here in the hymn's haunting minor tune, making the lyrics "What wondrous love is this; Oh my soul, Oh my soul" all the more powerful.