Dances of Francis Johnson 'performed by the Smithsonian Social Orchestra and Quadrille Band'

[The Music of Francis Johnson & His Contemporaries: Early 19th-Century Black Composers; Diane Monroe, Violin; The Chestnut Brass Company and Friends; Tamara Brooks, Conductor; Music Masters 7029-2-C (1990)]

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19th-Century American Ballroom Music

Posted on Monday, December 15, 2008 by Jason 

19th Century American Ballroom Music

waltzes, marches, polkas and other dances performed by the Smithsonian Social Orchestra and Quadrille Band

From the liner notes: Francis Johnson, a famous black bandsman and composer from Philadelphia, wrote numerous tunes for dancing, among them his “celebrated and much admired” Voice Quadrille. Beginning the five figures with the classic Pantalon and L’Ete, Johnson surprises the dancers and the listener in the third figure by adding voices — originally members of this band who stopped playing while they sang. Dancers evidently joined the instrumentalists in the singing after the quadrille became better known. The words in the third are “If you consent to dance with me, hand in hand we join in glee.” In the fourth figure, the words “Hark! Hear the merry trumpet sound” announce a solo that was undoubtedly played by Johnson on his keyed bugle or cornet. For the Finale, bells and a laughing chorus were added: “If you dance, we will sing, and merry bells shall ring, ha ha ha … ” The anonymous arrangement played here retains the sometimes unconventional harmonic progressions found in Johnson’s sheet-music version, but adds several new ones that reflect the provincial New England arranger’s lack of sophistication. Johnson’s stature as a composer should not be judged solely on this arrangement, for his reception in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Saratoga Springs led one commentator to remark in the Detroit Free Press (Sept. 1839), “it may be said of him without fear of contradiction, that as a composer or a musician, he stands without rival in the States.” [Full Post] [Francis B. Johnson (1792-1844) was an African American bugler, bandleader and composer whose life has been researched by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, Professor of Music, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin. The research has been made available for the Francis B. Johnson page at AfriClassical.com]

Smithsonian Social Orchestra and Quadrille Band
19th-Century Ballroom Music
Francis B. Johnson
African American Composer
African American Bandleader
Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma