Annotation:Albany Beef
X:1 T:Albany Beef M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Quickstep March S:Bruce & Emmett's Drummers' & Fifers' Guide (1862) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:D A/F/ | DD/F/ A/B/A/G/ | Ee/f/ e/d/B/c/ | d/e/d/A/ B/d/g/b/ | a/f/g/e/ f/d/A/F/ | DD/F/ A/B/A/G/ | Ee/f/ e/d/B/c/ | d/e/d/A/ B/d/g/b/ | a/f/g/e/ d :| |: (3A/B/c/ |df/d/ a/d/f/d/ | e/f/g/a/ b/g/e/c/ | df/d/ a/d/f/d/ | e/g/f/d/ c/A/B/c/ | df/d/ a/d/f/d/ | e/f/g/a/ b/g/e/c/ | d/e/d/A/ B/d/g/b/ | a/f/g/e/ d :|
ALBANY BEEF. American, Reel. The city of Albany, New York, was originally settled as Willemstadt by the Dutch and renamed Albany (in honor of James, Duke of York and Albany) by the English when they gained control of the Hudson. The name Albany itself is a northern English variant of the ancient name Albion, referring to Britain. 'Albany Beef' referred to abundant and cheap Hudson River sturgeon flesh that was marketed in the United States in the 19th century. Dan Emmett's original sheet music for "Dixie" included the second part of "Albany Beef" as a dance tune appended to the vocal section (George B. Bruce and Dan Emmett, The Drummers and Fifers Guide (New York: Firth, Pond & Co., 1862) and see https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/collection/093/098). The first part of the reel published in O'Neill as "After the Sun Goes Down" and "Buckley's Fancy", and in Roche as "Lord St. Clair's Reel."