The basis of the Broadway musical, but an unpleasant reminde
F. Behrens | Keene, NH USA | 05/01/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Students of the American musical theatre have always been told about the Minstrel shows that set the tone for not only American musical comedies but also Vaudeville and the popular song. The trouble is that authentic recordings have only rarely been available; and one had to be content with recreations by artists who had nothing on which to base the style of their presentations.
Some of that problem has vanished now that Archeophone, that amazing storehouse of antique recordings lovingly reproduced on CDs, has issued "Monarchs of Minstrelsy: Historic Recordings by the Stars of the Minstrel Stage."
The single disc is divided thus. Part One is "A Miniature Minstrel Show in Four Acts," offering 4 selections from 1905 and 1910 of music and routines heard on stage prior to those dates. Part Two deals with "Early and Obscure Minstrel Performers" who left their voices on cylinders and ancient 78-rpm discs from 1903 to 1924: Burt Shepard, Eugene Stratton, Tom Lewis (all three comedians), and James McCool (tenor).
Part Three is a collection of songs that were heard in "Lew Dockstader's Minstrel Show," while Part Four does the same for "Cohan and Harris' Minstrels."
Among the familiar songs are "Ida, sweet as apple cider," "In the good old summertime," and "In the light of the silvery moon." Many of the other songs contain a good deal of racist words, many of them used by Black singers themselves, that make the entire history of the Minstrel Show an embarrassment to us today. However, as the notes put it, "These tracks are included here for their historical significance." One must judge for oneself the pros and cons of preserving even the uncomfortable parts of our American past.
The booklet, as is always true with Archeophone, is packed with background information, details of each selection, and wonderful pictures.
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