190:, which white audiences loved despite not realizing that it originated with plantation slaves imitating their masters' walks. The troupe was then seated in a semicircle, with one member on each end playing the tambourine or the bones. The endmen were named Brother Tambo and Brother Bones, and they engaged in an exchange of jokes between the group's songs and dances. It was customary for Tambo to be slim and Bones to be fat. A character called Mr. Interlocutor sat in the middle of the group, acting as the master of ceremonies. As the interlocutor took his place in the middle of the semicircle he uttered the time-honored phrase: "Gentlemen, be seated. We will commence with the overture." During the performance he conducted himself in a dignified manner that contrasted well with the behavior of the rowdy endmen.
27:
139:, as sung by Raynor, became popular. In 1859, the troupe moved to the St. James's Hall (Liverpool), performing for another four months and then touring the British provinces. It then returned to Polygraphic Hall, disbanding in August 1860. The success of this troupe led to the phrase "Christy Minstrels" coming to mean any blackface minstrel show. Soon, four new companies were formed, each claiming to be the "original" Christy Minstrels, because they each boasted one or two former members of the old troupe. One group played in
120:
263:, September 14, 1855: during a legal dispute about the continuing use of the name 'Christy's Minstrels' after the departure of E.P.Christie, the surviving members of the troupe admitted to giving a performance at the Athenaeum hall, Brooklyn, on September 10, 1855 which "consisted of musical, terpsichorean and humorous exhibitions of an Ethiopian character."
197:. It included singers, dancers, comedians and other novelty acts, as well as parodies of legitimate theater. A preposterous stump speech served as the highlight of this act, during which a performer spoke in outrageous malapropisms as he lectured. The performer's demeanor was meant to be reminiscent of the hilarious pomposity of
107:, often considered the greatest blackface comic of the era. When by September 1855 George and Edwin Christy had retired from the group, the company continued under the name of 'Christy's Minstrels', until Edwin Christy took out an injunction to prevent them. Edwin Christy was emotionally affected by the
409:
284:
and were sued for contempt of court. The judge, Mr
Justice Clerke, dismissed the contempt charge after the defendants claimed they had announced to the audience prior to the performance that they were not now 'Christy's Minstrels' and had expressed an intention of continuing under a different name.
283:
According to the New York Times report, Edwin
Christy took out an injunction against the troupe calling themselves 'Christy's Minstrels' "though there was no person among them by the name of Christy." The troupe, then headed by a Joseph Murphy, did perform on September 10th as 'Christy's Minstrels'
246:
Or possibly in 1842: In 1855 the New York Times reported a law case in which
Christy took out an injunction against the troupe continuing to call themselves "Christy's Minstrels" even though he no longer had a connection with them; in it the 1842 date is given. "In 1842 Edwin P. Christy established
210:
was published in 1852 and the play became famous, minstrel shows appropriated the major characters for sketches that changed the abolitionist themes in the original into an argument for the supposedly benign character of slavery.
61:
into a fixed three-act form. The troupe also invented or popularized "the line", the structured grouping that constituted the first act of the standardized three-act minstrel show, with the
127:
J. W. Raynor and Earl Pierce formed a new troupe, using many of the former
Christy Minstrel members. It opened in London, England, as "Raynor & Pierce's Christy Minstrels" at the
171:. Other groups continued to use the title "Christy", but historian Frank Andrews describes their quality as poor. Some of them continued to perform into the twentieth century.
454:
186:
Christy's novel three-part shows began with a "walkaround", the company marching onto the stage singing and dancing. A staple of the walkaround was the
449:
100:" to Christy for his exclusive use. The troupe's commercial success was phenomenal: Christy paid Foster for the exclusive rights to the song.
419:
201:; he aspired to great wisdom and intelligence, but his hilarious mangling of language always made him appear foolish and ignorant.
424:
444:
388:
163:, where it began a run of 35 years until 1904. Eventually, the original members of that troupe retired or died, leaving only
147:
in 1865. The Dublin performances were evidently popular enough that James Joyce mentions them in his short story collection
439:
365:
82:
459:
178:(published 1937), describes a coal miner's "Christy-minstrel face, completely black except for very red lips".
204:
Part three ended the show with a one-act play, typically a vignette of carefree life on the plantation. After
135:
and later the "Polygraphic Hall" on King
William Street, where they appeared for ten months. "Nellie Grey" by
298:
219:
96:, on August 25, 1847, the group specialized in performances of Foster's works. Foster sold his song "
20:
349:
272:
330:
164:
175:
128:
226:
group from the 1960s, were named with reference to this group, but they did/do not perform in
315:
167:
and
Frederic Burgess surviving into the 1870s. Therefore, the troupe changed its name to the
26:
206:
62:
50:
8:
160:
414:
377:
108:
384:
361:
247:
in this city the band, which since has become so celebrated as "Christy's
Minstrels".
97:
54:
93:
155:
132:
104:
89:
433:
136:
78:
74:
58:
31:
143:
at the
Chester Theatre in 1864, moving to London at the Standard Theatre in
397:
103:
Besides
Christy himself, the troupe originally included Christy's stepson
30:
1844 sheet music cover for a collection of songs by
Christy's Minstrels.
223:
194:
144:
227:
149:
46:
358:
Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class
198:
187:
331:"People & Events: Uncle Tom's Cabin Takes the Nation by Storm"
119:
140:
193:
Part two (the "olio") was the variety section, a precursor to
379:
Blacking Up: The Minstrel Show in Nineteenth-century America
350:
Edwin Pearce Christy, at the University of Pennsylvania site
65:
in the middle and "Mr. Tambo" and "Mr. Bones" on the ends.
288:
September 14, 1855:'LAW INTELLIGENCE: MINSTRELS IN COURT'
336:, The American Experience, PBS, accessed April 19, 2007.
73:
In 1846 they first performed in Polmer's Opera House in
77:. From March 1847, they ran for a seven-year stint at
57:. They were instrumental in the solidification of the
316:Article by Michael Walters, citing Andrews, Frank,
376:
431:
374:
88:After performing at a benefit performance for
131:on 3 August 1857. They then performed at the
153:and alludes to them on the opening page of
455:1904 disestablishments in New York (state)
355:
53:, a well-known ballad singer, in 1843, in
114:
214:
118:
25:
450:1843 establishments in New York (state)
432:
324:
19:For the 1960s folk revival group, see
425:Illustrated "Christmas Annual" - 1868
181:
13:
159:. Three months later, it moved to
16:American blackface minstrel troupe
14:
471:
403:
169:"Moore & Burgess's Minstrels"
111:, and committed suicide in 1862.
398:Foster and the Christy Minstrels
41:, sometimes referred to as the
309:
291:
277:
266:
254:
240:
68:
1:
343:
34:appears in the circle at top.
445:History of Buffalo, New York
299:"The Death Of E. P. Christy"
7:
383:. Oxford University Press.
360:. Oxford University Press.
10:
476:
440:Blackface minstrel troupes
420:"Old Folks at Home" - 1851
18:
220:The New Christy Minstrels
21:The New Christy Minstrels
233:
460:American comedy troupes
375:Toll, Robert.C (1974).
352:. Accessed 6 Sept 2005.
318:Talking Machine Review
176:The Road to Wigan Pier
124:
115:In Britain and Ireland
35:
320:, November 1977 issue
215:New Christy Minstrels
122:
29:
51:Edwin Pearce Christy
356:Lott, Eric (1993).
251:September 14, 1855.
129:St. James's Theatre
85:(until July 1854).
39:Christy's Minstrels
415:Sheet music - 1850
410:Sheet music - 1848
303:The New York Times
174:George Orwell, in
125:
123:1874 Advertisement
109:American Civil War
36:
390:978-0-19-502172-1
207:Uncle Tom's Cabin
182:Performance style
98:Old Folks at Home
55:Buffalo, New York
43:Christy Minstrels
467:
394:
382:
371:
337:
328:
322:
313:
307:
306:
295:
289:
281:
275:
270:
264:
258:
252:
244:
161:St. James's Hall
94:Cincinnati, Ohio
49:group formed by
475:
474:
470:
469:
468:
466:
465:
464:
430:
429:
406:
391:
368:
346:
341:
340:
329:
325:
314:
310:
305:. May 22, 1862.
297:
296:
292:
282:
278:
273:Lott, 1993, 267
271:
267:
259:
255:
245:
241:
236:
217:
184:
117:
83:Mechanics' Hall
71:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
473:
463:
462:
457:
452:
447:
442:
428:
427:
422:
417:
412:
405:
404:External links
402:
401:
400:
395:
389:
372:
366:
353:
345:
342:
339:
338:
334:Stephen Foster
323:
308:
290:
286:New York Times
276:
265:
261:New York Times
253:
249:New York Times
238:
237:
235:
232:
216:
213:
183:
180:
156:Finnegans Wake
133:Surrey Theatre
116:
113:
105:George Christy
90:Stephen Foster
70:
67:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
472:
461:
458:
456:
453:
451:
448:
446:
443:
441:
438:
437:
435:
426:
423:
421:
418:
416:
413:
411:
408:
407:
399:
396:
392:
386:
381:
380:
373:
369:
367:0-19-509641-X
363:
359:
354:
351:
348:
347:
335:
332:
327:
321:
319:
312:
304:
300:
294:
287:
280:
274:
269:
262:
257:
250:
243:
239:
231:
229:
225:
221:
212:
209:
208:
202:
200:
196:
191:
189:
179:
177:
172:
170:
166:
162:
158:
157:
152:
151:
146:
142:
138:
137:Michael Balfe
134:
130:
121:
112:
110:
106:
101:
99:
95:
91:
86:
84:
80:
79:New York City
76:
75:New York City
66:
64:
60:
59:minstrel show
56:
52:
48:
44:
40:
33:
32:E. P. Christy
28:
22:
378:
357:
333:
326:
317:
311:
302:
293:
285:
279:
268:
260:
256:
248:
242:
218:
205:
203:
192:
185:
173:
168:
165:"Pony" Moore
154:
148:
126:
102:
87:
72:
63:interlocutor
42:
38:
37:
69:Early years
434:Categories
344:References
195:vaudeville
145:Shoreditch
228:blackface
150:Dubliners
47:blackface
45:, were a
199:Zip Coon
188:cakewalk
387:
364:
141:Dublin
234:Notes
385:ISBN
362:ISBN
224:folk
222:, a
92:in
81:'s
436::
301:.
230:.
393:.
370:.
23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
.jpg)
