John Jacob Niles (1892–1980) was an American composer, singer, and collector who devoted his career to preserving and interpreting American folk music. He traveled extensively through Appalachia documenting traditional songs, then arranged and performed them with scholarly rigor and artistic sensitivity. His arrangements became standard repertoire in American choral music, valued for their respect toward source material combined with sophisticated harmonic writing.
Niles' work as both ethnomusicologist and composer gave him unique insight into how folk melodies could reach concert audiences without losing their authenticity. His settings appear regularly in high school and college choirs, making him one of the most performed American arrangers in educational settings.
