Annotation:Albany Beef

The city of Albany, New York, was originally settled as Willemstadt by the Dutch and renamed Albany by the English when they gained control of the Hudson, in honor of James, Duke of York and Albany. 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. Irish versions are in O'Neill as "After the Sun Goes Down" and "Buckley's Fancy", and in Roche as "Lord St. Clair's Reel." "Albany Beef," however, only shares one part with these tunes. Dan Emmett's original sheet music for "Dixie" included "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).