Annotation:Esmerelda (The)
Tune properties and standard notation
ESMERALDA, THE. American, Polka. D Major ('A' part) & A Major ('B' part). Standard tuning (fiddle). AB. Composed by Joseph Labitzky, the "Esmerelda Polka" was a favorite on dance cards throughout the United States in the the mid-to-latter 19th century. It incorporated three side-step glides. Charles D'Albert composed the "Sultan's Polka", sometimes called the "Esmerelda," but that is a different tune than the one Ford prints.
Source for notated version:
Printed sources: Ford (Traditional Music in America), 1940; p. 168.
Recorded sources: