(SLAVERY AND ABOLITION MUSIC) ANONYMOUS ”Dat’s Whats de Mat

Sale 2308 - Lot 116

Unsold

Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500

(SLAVERY AND ABOLITION--MUSIC.) ANONYMOUS. 'Dat's Whats de Matter wid de Purps.' Engraved cover and two additional separated pages of music. Large 4to, edges lightly toned, some occasional spots. New York, Cincinnati: Tripp and Cragg, [1863]

Set Alert for Similar Items

Additional Details

a rare and unusual piece of civil war music, with decidedly provocative lyrics referring to the emancipation proclamation, and the participation of black troops in the war. The cover shows a black man being pulled in opposite directions by two dogs; Abe Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, with a lyric: 'De Yanks fight de Secesh/ And de Secesh fight de Yankees/ It was mighty hard to tell/ Who had gained de most advantage. Abe called out his Nigga boys. And Jeff said he would too/ So it's Nigga fight de Nigga, wid de hoop te do'n doo.' The chorus that follows of 'Dat's what's de Matter' was a common punch-line in minstrelsy. The message is intensely cynical, hinting that neither Abe Lincoln or Jefferson Davis meant the black man any good. The publishers state on the cover that the music was 'Published by the Author,' clearly to avoid any backlash. Rare. Not in the Levy Collection or in 'American Memory' at the Library of Congress. Only two copies are located by OCLC: Yale and the Lincoln Presidential Library.