September 2024 – High Brown Songs

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‘Minstrel’ was an appropriate word for describing this new stage presentation in 1843. This linked it to history. It was carefully chosen by Dan Emmett to name his Viriginia Minstrels. We also refer to the earlier blackface period as minstrelsy, but it didn’t have this name at that time.

So, how does this word link blackface performance to minstrels?

Ancient Minstrels

Welcome!

This site shows a love for African-American sheet music. Some sources used are Brown University, Baylor, Johns Hopkins, and Library of Congress. Use freely.

Let’s see what we can learn from black subject songs. The black experience wasn’t all negative. There were aspects that had a positive impact. This project attempts to honor the artistic and cultural endeavors that have gone before.

A cover from 1902

Mark Twain on the Minstrel Show

Born in 1835, Mark Twain’s early experiences with minstrel shows had a significant impact on him. Growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, during the 1840s, Twain was exposed to minstrel performances, which were a popular form of entertainment at the time. He saw minstrels in Spalding and Rogers’ Floating Palace and Dan Rice’s Circus. He even brought his mother to see the Christy Minstrels in St. Louis, assuring her that they were African missionaries and would provide suitable entertainment.

Mark Twain, humorist

A cover from 1905

Thomas Dartmouth Rice

Thomas Dartmouth Rice, also known as “Daddy Rice” or “Jim Crow Rice,” was a significant figure in American entertainment during the 19th century. Born on May 20, 1808, in New York City, he became famous for his blackface performances and is often referred to as the “father of American minstrelsy”.

Minstrel performer Thomas D. Rice

A cover from 1912

Joel Walker Sweeney, banjoist

Joel Walker Sweeney (1810 – 1860) was a significant figure in the history of the banjo. He was an American musician and early blackface minstrel performer known for popularizing the banjo and contributing to its development into the modern five-string version. He is the earliest known person to have played the banjo on stage.

Joel Sweeney, American minstrel banjo performer.

Month: September 2024