267 / 326
RARE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT
388
●
(MUSIC—MINSTRELSY.) EMMET, D.D.
John Come Down de Hollow,
Walk Round. . . Composed for Bryant’s Minstrels.
Oblong folio sheet of manuscript
music, written in a neat hand on music paper with red staves; some corrections and indica-
tions for “dance” with a written out flute part.
Np, circa 1858-1860’s
[1,500/2,500]
A RARE ORIGINAL PIECE OF MUSIC COMPOSED BY AND POSSIBLY WRITTEN BY DAN EMMETT
HIMSELF
,
WITH SEVERAL INK CORRECTIONS
.
An example of a “walk ‘round,” a minstrel form
perfected by Dan Emmett and the Bryant Minstrels. Bryant’s Minstrels came together in the middle of
the 19th century, the principal players being the Bryant brothers, Jerry, Dan and Neil, with an
English fiddler named Phil Isaacs. Somewhere around the fall of 1858, the band was joined by Dan
Emmett, who would quickly become the group’s principal songwriter, as well as singer and instrumen-
talist, proficient on the fiddle, banjo, drum, fife, and bones. The song “Dixie,” generally attributed to
him, was first performed on stage by the Bryants during an 1859 concert.
389
THE SCARED CONTRABANDS
389
●
(MUSIC—MINSTRELSY.)
Campbells’ Minstrels, organized in
1843, the oldest established band in
existence. . . . 18 Performers.
Letterpress
theatre poster, 18
1
/
2
x 8
1
/
2
inches; paper
evenly toned; a faint wrinkle.
Philadelphia: Walnut Street Theatre, 2
June 1862
[600/900]
A remarkable survival of a very fragile poster.
The Campbell Minstrels were indeed one of
the oldest and ongoing troupes. In a bow to cur-
rent events, this particular company was
performing a skit called “The Scared
Contrabands,” and “On the Road to Goolah,
by the Entire Company in Plantation Costume.”
390
●
(MUSIC.) BETHUNE, THOMAS
“BLIND TOM.”
The Marvelous Musical
Prodigy, Blind Tom, the Negro Boy
Pianist.
30 pages. 8vo, lacking the pictorial
wrappers.
New York: French & Wheat, circa 1866
[250/350]
Prints a biography with the lyrics to a number
of songs; with letters of attestation dated 1866.
Little booklets like this were sold at Blind
Tom’s concerts.
390