Commence Ye Darkies All

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Theme code Index	51H55 51H55
Also known as
Composer/Core Source	Biography:W.D. Corrister
Region	United States
Genre/Style
Meter/Rhythm	Jig/Quadrille, Quadrille/Kadrilj
Key/Tonic of	A
Accidental	3 sharps
Mode	Ionian (Major)
Time signature	6/8
History
Structure	ABCD
Editor/Compiler	Biography:Ira Ford
Book/Manuscript title	Book:Traditional Music in America
Tune and/or Page number	p. 95
Year of publication/Date of MS	1940
Artist
Title of recording
Record label/Catalogue nr.
Year recorded
Media
Score ()

COMMENCE YE DARKIES ALL. Old-Time, Quadrille. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). ABCD. From the early blackface minstrel repertoire, composed by W. D. Corrister and published in 1849. Corrister was a guitarist and songwriter who played with numerous early minstrel troupes, including Charles White’s Serenaders, Birch’s Minstrels, the San Francisco Minstrels and Backus’ Original Minstrels. Following the Gold Rush, Corrister moved to San Francisco and continued to work with minstrel groups there [David K. Bradford].

Touch light the banjo string,
"And rattle the old jawbone;
Oh! Merrily sound the tambourine,
And make that fiddle ring.

Cho:
Then commence, ye darkies all, As loud as ye can bawl, Commence, commence, ye darkies all, tonight.

Printed source: Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 95.

X:1
T:Commence Ye Darkies All
M:6/8
L:1/8
C:W.D. Corrister (1849)
Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion
K:A
c/d/|e2e a2a|(e3 e2)c/d/|e2e a2a|(e3 e2)g/a/|
g2f Bcd|f2e c2d|f2e dcB|(A3 A2)||e|efe c2e|
efe c2e|efe dcB|(c3 c2)e|efe c2e|efe c2e|efe dcB|
(A3 A2)||c/d/|e2e a2a|(e3 e2)c/d/|e2e a2a|(e3 e2) g/a/|
g2f Bcd|f2e c2d|f2e dcB|(A3 A2)||d/e/|f2f g2g|a2a aba|
e2e efe|b2a f2d/f/|f2f g2g|a2a aba|e2e egf|(d3 d2)||