File:Famous American songs (1906) (14763782451).jpg

Identifier: famousamericanso00kobbrich (find matches)
Title: Famous American songs
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Kobbé, Gustav, 1857-1918
Subjects: Songs, English -- History and criticism National songs -- United States
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell & co
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image:
Dan as a boy
would "blow and strike" for his father
in the latter's smithy. At intervals be-
tween his work he ran errands or played

69

the fiddle for the villagers. He managed
to pick up an elementary
education, and
when thirteen years of age entered a
newspaper office as compositor. The
result of his experience in printing-of-
fices is said to have been shown in the
careful punctuation of his manuscripts.
He still was working "at the case"
when, at the age of fifteen or sixteen,
he wrote "Old Dan Tucker." A year
later he enlisted in the United States
Army as a fifer, and during his service
also learned to drum. More than sixty
years later, after his death, there was
found among his manuscripts one en-
titled "Emmett's
Standard Drummer,"
which is a complete school for fife and
drum "according to the 'Ashworth
Mode.'"
After serving a full enlistment he tra-
velled with various circus bands. At
that time Negro minstrelsy was as yet
unknown, although there were indi-
vidual Ethiopian performers, like DanR
ice of "Jim Crow" fame. Emmett had

70
Text Appearing After Image:

THE EMMET COTTAGE AT MOUNT VERNON, OHIO

444dixie444

travelled with Rice whose perform-
ances possibly suggested the Negro
minstrel idea to the young drummer. As
in all such cases, various claims to pri-
ority are advanced, but it is certain that
early in 1843, in New York, Emmett
organized a string quartet, with vio-
lin, banjo, tambourine and bones, and
named it the Virginia Minstrels, first
carefully looking up the word minstrel
in the dictionary to assure himself that
it could be applied appropriately to the
new organization. The costume con-
sisted of white trousers, striped calico
shirt and blue calico coat with exag-
gerated swallowtails. It was not until
some years later that the regulation
evening dress was adopted as the cos-
tume most suitable to the mock dig-
nity of minstrelsy.
Emmett4s troupe showed successfully
in various American cities, but when
it adventured a tour of England it
promptly stranded. Its organizer re-
turned to New York, found that his

71

famous American Songs

idea had been utilized by others, and
eventually joined Bryant's Minstrels.

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