Annotation:Louisiana Belle

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LOUISIANA BELLE. American, Minstrel Air (2/4 time). G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AAB. "Louisiana Belle" was the first of Stephen Foster's (1826-1864) minstrel songs to be published, issued in October, 1847, although the composer was not credited. Instead, the copyright was taken out by W.C. Peters, the publishers. It speaks of Louisiana, "Whar Massa us'd to dwell." The slave owner "Had a lubly cullud gal./'Twas the Louisiana Belle."

The melody (along with a number of blackface minstrel pieces) was entered into the mid-19th century music manuscript collection of Bellport, Long Island, ship's captain and fiddler biography:Isaac Homan (1816-1901).

Source for notated version:

Printed sources: Gumbo Chaff ( The Complete Preceptor for the Banjo), 1851; p. 5.

Recorded sources:

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