"Angelina Baker", sometimes sung as "Angeline the Baker" (Roud 18341) is a song written by

Stephen Foster Stephen Collins Foster (July 4, 1826January 13, 1864), known also as "the father of American music", was an American composer known primarily for his parlour and minstrel music during the Romantic period. He wrote more than 200 songs, inc ...

for the Christy Minstrels, and published in 1850. The original laments the loss of a woman slave, sent away by her owner. The lyrics have been subjected to the

folk process In the study of folklore, the folk process is the way folk material, especially stories, music, and other art, is transformed and re-adapted in the process of its transmission from person to person and from generation to generation. The folk pro ...

, and some versions have become examples of the "Ugly Girl" or "Dinah" song. Music historian Ken Emerson noted that controversy over free and slave states, as well as

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most con ...

, were hotly debated topics at the time of the song's composition. According to Emerson, Foster's lyrics obliquely acknowledge these controversies. Uncertain of the reception his

blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...

songs would receive, he temporarily abandoned the genre.

Fiddle tune

An instrumental version, as collected by

John A. Lomax John Avery Lomax (September 23, 1867 – January 26, 1948) was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist, and a folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk music. He was the father of Alan Lomax, John Lomax Jr. and Bess L ...

under the title "Angelina the Baker" is a popular

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

tune, and differs from the Stephen Foster melody. It is part of the

old time fiddle Old time fiddle is a genre of American folk music. "Old time fiddle tunes" derived from European folk dance tunes such as Jig, Reel, Breakdown, Schottische, Waltz, Two Step and Polka. The fiddle may be accompanied by banjo or other instr ...

canon, but is also played by bluegrass musicians. This old-time tune was also played as bluegrass by Stuart Duncan at the 2007 Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival.NBB at the 2007 Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival. For more info, visit www.delawarevalleybluegrass.org

Lyrics

According to Lyle Lofgren, writing for ''Inside Bluegrass'', publication of the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association, "Foster published Angelina Baker in 1850, and it was featured on stage by the original Christy Minstrels." The melody and lyrics are as follows:

Notable performers

* John Nicholas Hendershot and The Memphis Birdmen *Dry Branch Fire Squad *

Crooked Still Crooked Still is an American band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas. They are known for their high energy, technical skill, unusual i ...

*The Norfolk Broads

References

External links

*
"Hot Buttered Rum String Band Live at Four Seasons Hotel
on 2005-08-28: Internet Archive". Accessed 2016-1-29. {{authority control 1850 songs Songs written by Stephen Foster Blackface minstrel songs