Ole Bull and Old Dan Tucker
Encyclopedia
"Ole Bull and Old Dan Tucker" is a traditional American song
. Several different versions are known, the earliest published in 1844
by the Boston-based Charles Keith company. The song's lyrics
tell of the rivalry and contest of skill between Ole Bull (named for Ole Bournemann Bull, a famous violinist) and Dan Tucker
(title character of the blackface
hit of the same name). The song also satirizes the low pay earned by early minstrel
performers: "Ole Bull come to town one day [and] got five hundred for to play."
The song was fairly popular in the minstrel show's first few years. Winans's research found it in 19% of minstrel show programs for the 1843-7 period. A localized version is known, called "Philadelphia Old Bull and Old Dan Tucker".
American popular music
American popular music had a profound effect on music across the world. The country has seen the rise of popular styles that have had a significant influence on global culture, including ragtime, blues, jazz, swing, rock, R&B, doo wop, gospel, soul, funk, heavy metal, punk, disco, house, techno,...
. Several different versions are known, the earliest published in 1844
1844 in music
-Events:*November 25 - The Bohemian Girl music by Michael William Balfe and libretto by Alfred Bunn has its American premiere at the Park Theatre, New York.*Thomas Tellefsen becomes a pupil of Frédéric Chopin....
by the Boston-based Charles Keith company. The song's lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
tell of the rivalry and contest of skill between Ole Bull (named for Ole Bournemann Bull, a famous violinist) and Dan Tucker
Old Dan Tucker
"Old Dan Tucker", also known as "Ole Dan Tucker", "Dan Tucker", and other variants, is a popular American song. Its origins remain obscure; the tune may have come from oral tradition, and the words may have been written by songwriter and performer Dan Emmett...
(title character of the blackface
Blackface
Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used in minstrel shows, and later vaudeville, in which performers create a stereotyped caricature of a black person. The practice gained popularity during the 19th century and contributed to the proliferation of stereotypes such as the "happy-go-lucky darky...
hit of the same name). The song also satirizes the low pay earned by early minstrel
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
performers: "Ole Bull come to town one day [and] got five hundred for to play."
The song was fairly popular in the minstrel show's first few years. Winans's research found it in 19% of minstrel show programs for the 1843-7 period. A localized version is known, called "Philadelphia Old Bull and Old Dan Tucker".