Annotation:E.M. Hall's Reel (1)
X:1 T:E.M. Hall’s Reel [1] M:2/4 L:1/8 R:Reel B:Coes Album of Jigs and Reels, something new, for professional and amateur violinists, B:leaders of orchestras, quadrille bands, and clog, reel and jig dancers; consisting of a B:Grand Collection of entirely New and Original Clog-Hornpipes, Reels, jigs, B:Scotch Reels, Irish Reels and Jigs, Waltzes, Walk-Arounds, etc. (1876, p. 12) N:Coes performed with the San Francisco Minstrels in California from 1852 to 1859. Z:AK/Fiddler’s Companion K:D A,/D^C/ D/E/F/G/|A/d/B/d/ A/F/E/D/|F/B,B,/ B/C/D/E/|F/A/G/E/ D/C/B/A,/| A,/D^C/ D/E/F/G/|A/d/B/d/ A/F/E/D/|F/B,/B,/ B,/C/D/E/|F/A/G/E/ Dz:| |:B,/B/{c}B/A/ Bz/A/|c/d/e/c/ d/c/B/A/|A,/A/A/G/ Az/B/|c/d/e/c/ d/c/B/A/| B,/B/{c}B/A/ Bz/A/|c/d/e/c/ dd/B/|A/F/D/F/ AB/A/|G/A/B/c/ d/B/A/F/:|]
E.M. HALL'S REEL [1]. American, Reel (2/4 time). E.M. Hall (1845-1903) was a famous American blackface minstrel banjo player known as"the Paganini of the banjo," and considered by many to have been the greatest minstrel banjoist. He served as a musician in the American Civil War and was trained as a barber, but after the war he aspired to "bigger things" and joined a Sharpley's Minstrels where he did a song and dance. He was also an instrument designer who advertised his instruments asthe “Hall Banjo“ (although he always stressed the fact that these banjos were “his own make”, they were manufactured for him first by James W. Clarke and then, around 1880 by Buckbee). His mostfamous banjos were known as “Ironside” and “Thunderer” (probably due to its large size) and were made by Clarke. In 1881 he toured England with a minstrel show.In 1893 E.M. Hall “the tall banjoist” as he was known, started teaching in a studio in Chicago, from which he advertised the “New EM Hall Banjo” made for him by J.B. Schallwho had a flourishing banjos business and factory in Chicago at that time. Hall also gave a "history of the banjo" show in the 1890s, and wrote a tutorial called E.M. Hall's New Banjo Method (1890) [1]. Soon, however, Hall had given up teaching and was again touring with a minstrel show.
Hall lost his life along with 600 other people when the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago burned down on 30th December 1903.
