Title: Just before jazz : Black musical theater in New York, 1890-1915 /
Authors: Riis, Thomas Laurence.
Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press,
Year: 1989
Subjects: Musical theater New York (State) New York History.; African Americans New York (State) New York Music History and criticism.; African American musicians New York (State) New York.
Contents: List of musical examples -- List of original sheet music facsimiles -- The performers, the city, the music -- Black song and dance in the 19th century -- Traveling shows -- The scene and the players in New York -- The music in the show -- The show and their songs -- "Musical interruptions and occasional specialties," 1898-1902 -- On Broadway, 1903-1905 -- Williams and Walker set the pace -- "African operettas" and other star vehicles, 1906-1911 -- The productions reviewed: a summary of black shows, 1898-1911 -- A lull in the big shows, new developments elsewhere -- The rise of straight drama and vaudeville, 1910-1915 -- Dance and comedy in Harlem, 1910-1915 -- Appendix A: White shows with individual songs by black composers, 1895-1914 -- Appendix B: New York shows by black composers, 1898-1915 -- Appendix C: Songs in shows by black composers, 1895-1915 -- Sheet music facsimiles.