Our journal
1-1 February 14, 2026
1.
Editor’s Note
Recorder. 2026. 2(1-1): 57
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Recorder. 2026. 2(1-1): 57
Abstract:
Dear Reader, Before you is the first special issue of 2026 — No. 1-1. With its publication, our journal reaches an important milestone: seven issues have now been released since its founding. This progression reflects not only editorial continuity but also the steady expansion of our scholarly community and readership. Each issue has aimed to combine source-based research with methodological reflection, and the present volume continues that trajectory in a particularly focused thematic format. We are also pleased to announce that in January 2026 the journal was included in the full-text open access database Open Academic Journals Index. This development significantly enhances the international visibility of our publications and ensures broader accessibility for researchers, students, and independent scholars worldwide. Increased discoverability strengthens academic dialogue and confirms the growing relevance of the topics addressed in our pages...
Dear Reader, Before you is the first special issue of 2026 — No. 1-1. With its publication, our journal reaches an important milestone: seven issues have now been released since its founding. This progression reflects not only editorial continuity but also the steady expansion of our scholarly community and readership. Each issue has aimed to combine source-based research with methodological reflection, and the present volume continues that trajectory in a particularly focused thematic format. We are also pleased to announce that in January 2026 the journal was included in the full-text open access database Open Academic Journals Index. This development significantly enhances the international visibility of our publications and ensures broader accessibility for researchers, students, and independent scholars worldwide. Increased discoverability strengthens academic dialogue and confirms the growing relevance of the topics addressed in our pages...
Number of views: 19 Download in PDF
Original Research
2. Natalia Shevchenko
Masonic Folklore in the United States in the Late 18th – Early 19th Centuries: Authors, Texts, Music
Recorder. 2026. 2(1-1): 58-94
Number of views: 18 Download in PDF
Recorder. 2026. 2(1-1): 58-94
Abstract:
The article examines Masonic folklore in the United States in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, focusing on song texts and musical publications included in the works of Thomas S. Webb, The Freemason’s Monitor (1797, 1808), and Jeremy L. Cross, The True Masonic Chart, or Hieroglyphic Monitor (1826). The study analyzes 31 compositions associated with various degrees of the York Rite—from the symbolic lodge degrees to the Royal Arch and Knights Templar. Particular attention is devoted to authorship, thematic content, and the presence of musical notation. It has been established that some texts were written by Thomas S. Webb and other identified authors (J. Stimpson, Bacon, Burns, R.T. Paine, N.H. Wright), while a significant number were published anonymously or under the designations Brother and Companion, reflecting the collective nature of Masonic tradition. The study demonstrates that the song repertoire performed not only aesthetic functions but also didactic, ritual-communicative, and symbolic ones, contributing to the formation of the fraternity’s value system. The research highlights the interconnection between textual and musical components of Masonic culture and traces the evolution of publication practices from the late eighteenth century to the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The article contributes to the study of early American Masonic culture and expands understanding of the role of music and poetry in shaping the corporate identity of fraternal societies.
The article examines Masonic folklore in the United States in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, focusing on song texts and musical publications included in the works of Thomas S. Webb, The Freemason’s Monitor (1797, 1808), and Jeremy L. Cross, The True Masonic Chart, or Hieroglyphic Monitor (1826). The study analyzes 31 compositions associated with various degrees of the York Rite—from the symbolic lodge degrees to the Royal Arch and Knights Templar. Particular attention is devoted to authorship, thematic content, and the presence of musical notation. It has been established that some texts were written by Thomas S. Webb and other identified authors (J. Stimpson, Bacon, Burns, R.T. Paine, N.H. Wright), while a significant number were published anonymously or under the designations Brother and Companion, reflecting the collective nature of Masonic tradition. The study demonstrates that the song repertoire performed not only aesthetic functions but also didactic, ritual-communicative, and symbolic ones, contributing to the formation of the fraternity’s value system. The research highlights the interconnection between textual and musical components of Masonic culture and traces the evolution of publication practices from the late eighteenth century to the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The article contributes to the study of early American Masonic culture and expands understanding of the role of music and poetry in shaping the corporate identity of fraternal societies.
Number of views: 18 Download in PDF
3.
Full number
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Number of views: 16 Download in PDF
4.
Cover
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Number of views: 15 Download in PDF