Gumbo Chafing

[Tim Twiss]

Okay, so imagine this. Briggs' never arranged any tunes. He just put melodies up. You would have another Gumbo Chaff book. Almost all those tunes are vocal tunes...inseperable from the batch in Gumbo Chaff. Go down through the book and think about it. Obviously people were singing these before they became instrumentals. These are arrangements of vocal tunes. Either they set the tone for the style, or followed it....gotta be one of the 2. My guess is that people were playing like that (similar to Briggs' arrangements) for a long time. Think about it...it is what the instrument does best. BEING A BANJO.  IMHO, it does not detract from the tune. It just puts a nice spin on it....suitable and interesting to listen to. They also double as accompaniments, as many of us us them. There is a "character", or style defined by this work. Not the only game in town I'm sure....but a strong one.

Had Brigg's not written them down, I'm not sure what we could use to dig original styings out. Baur was right...I think.

[Tim Twiss]

Looking further at "Back Side Albany".....does anybody have recommended recordings of these old English songs from which our Minstrel repertoire is based? Not just this tune, but the dozens that we know were lifted.

[Joel Hooks]

For those who are new and do not know how Dan'l works, here is the reply that he made--then deleted.

He does this regularly.  In the past he would post something provocative, then after people would comment, he would edit his post to make the commenters seem like the instigators.

Tim, I like your theories on "banjo style" tunes, and really got a lot out of your presentation on it.

[Strumelia]

Tim, i think that would be a great subject for a whole discussion.   Was the Albany mentioned in that song actually located in England, as opposed to the NY state capital city?

Tim Twiss said:

Looking further at "Back Side Albany".....does anybody have recommended recordings of these old English songs from which our Minstrel repertoire is based? Not just this tune, but the dozens that we know were lifted.

[Tim Twiss]

It is a factual story based on the battle in the war of 1812 in NY

I think a good discussion would include what makes it a "comic" song....what was the context in which it was delivered? I think I can now imagine how it sounded.

[Paul Draper]

Has anybody read William Mahar's article "Backside Albany" and Early Blackface Minstrelsy previewed here: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3448343?uid=2129&uid=2134...

Is this article also included in his book Behind the Burnt Cork Mask?

[Tim Twiss]

I have not. I think you have to pay for the full article.

It is not in Behind the Burnt Cork Mask?

[Nicholas A Bechtel]

I just saw that, William Mahar's article "Backside Albany" and Early Blackface Minstrelsy and it appears you can order or Download it for 14.00.

Also found what seem to be the original copies of the sheet music, will try and post or add link.

[Tim Twiss]

Not a question...sorry. It is NOT in there.

Tim Twiss said:

I have not. I think you have to pay for the full article.

It is not in Behind the Burnt Cork Mask?

[Paul Draper]

I have the article, i'm trying to post it...

[Paul Draper]

I've quickly perused Mahar's article.  Like other "battle songs" from the Revolutionary War, "Backside Albany" mocks the British after a defeat.  Its humor derives from the facts of the battle, which the audience would be familiar with, and how the story is told.  What better way to mock and satirize the British than to use as a mouth=piece the lowly comic figure of the Black seaman who certainly doesn't speak the King's English?  Mahar writes:

"This study has explored the sources and the contexts of "Backside Albany," but concern for those elements can easily obscure other important questions. The song does not exist in a class by itself; it is a battle song, similar in many respects to those published during the Revolutionary War. Examples of such songs include "The World Turned Upside Down," "The Old Soldiers of the King," "The Battle of the Kegs'" and, for the War of 1812, "The Battle of New Orleans."32 Those selections belong to a larger class of humorous and topical songs that mock the values, legality of the enemy's right to wage war, or specific behaviors of soldiers or commanders (tea drinking, marching, battle maneuvers) that might provoke a laugh. The success of "Backside Albany,' like the songs just cited, depends on the audience's shared knowledge about the battle and the focus (usually a critical feature in any effective work of humor) on small details that symbolize the dif-ferences between the audience and the enemy." (Page 16) 

Mahar sums up his article (page 21):

"What, then, was so amusing about "Backside Albany?" The song was topical, took advantage of a regional distrust of the British military presence in Canada, and praised the victory that ended long-standing threats to commerce on Lake Champlain. While the song's humor has not stood the test of time, its historical importance rests in its adaptation of Irish material-the "Boyne Water" melody and ballad-its trans-formation of the British low-class stereotype [illiterate or semi-illiterate Irish sailor - my note] into a vehicle for blackface comedy, and its use of Black English-probably the earliest use by an American composer-for satirical purposes. This study of "Backside Albany" shows that the dialect and the black mask did more than serve as vehicles for racist views. Perhaps this contextual approach will help musicologists understand the historical significance of "our unique contribution to the comic theatre" as well as suggest a few answers to the deeper question of why minstrelsy itself was so popular."

 

Tim Twiss said:

It is a factual story based on the battle in the war of 1812 in NY

I think a good discussion would include what makes it a "comic" song....what was the context in which it was delivered? I think I can now imagine how it sounded.

[Tim Twiss]

Oh thanks...that was great.

Let's play it.

[Paul Draper]

I'd love to hear it played and sung.

Tim Twiss said:

Oh thanks...that was great.

Let's play it.