The Star of Bethlehem. A Collection of Church-Tunes, Anthems, Choruses and Glees: with Rudiments and Exercises for Singing-Schools

Dayton, VA: Ruebush, Kieffer & Co, 1889. Oblong octavo. Original publisher's dark red printed boards. 1f. (recto title, verso copyright and preface), [3]-16 ("the Rudiments of Music"), [17]-191 pp., [ii] (index), [i] (blank) pp. In shape-note notation.

Over 275 tunes with text, divided into "Singing School Department," "Church Department," "Sunday School Department," and "Anthem Department."

Binding slightly worn, rubbed, and bumped; free front endpaper creased, free rear endpaper with outer blank corner lacking. Browned; final leaf slightly trimmed at lower margin with no loss of text. First edition of this unusual Virginia shape-note imprint.

Aldine Sillman Kieffer was a music publisher and tunebook compiler. His father died shortly after he was born, and he grew up in Singer's Glen, Virginia, under the influence of his grandfather, Joseph Funk. In 1865 he and William S. Rohr revived Funk's periodical the Southern Musical Advocate and Singer's Friend ... The following year he began (with others, as the Patent Note Publishing Co.) to issue the Musical Million and Fireside Friend, a monthly periodical edited by Kieffer, which was a primary instrument for the promotion of shape-note gospel hymnody in the South. In 1872 Kieffer formed a new company, Ruebush, Kieffer & Co. (later the Ruebush-Kieffer Co.) with his brother-in-law, the singing-school teacher Ephraim Ruebush, and John W. Howe, to publish the Musical Million, which continued to appear regularly until 1914." Harry Eskew in Grove Music Online.