The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-13

! think Of those dear old songs, "old Folks at
| Home " Nassa's In de Cold, Cola Ground
Mary Blame and the English music that was
| written fpf ", the second set to the words, was
| the best 3D." tuV Dale" "Oid Kentucky Home.
| and why, there's X thousand uf them that VIII
| he loved teud"tly always. until the whole world
goes deaf. And not only those old songs, but
! even vet new ones. g. sweet as thcN. malnt"ln
| me mold upon the pubic ne trt Tor our music
| Is the real American music. distinctivelv our
! own, and we may well he proud OF II. The huest
musicians in the world appreciate " iuust.
| Mime. litieus was here the other night, and was
! delighted, aud she has a box engaged asain Tor
SON. ana an toe rest may saw, Of the great sing
cfs and music al mtists who have ever come to
| tins country. have fallen ia love with it,
miAsrRELsY ASD the DRAMA.
no actors frequently gravit,te To the min
| etrcl stage, or MINISTRIES become actOrs2'
well there Is not much changing between
| aver nom our line then 70 h. ne ero,t ,ctcrs
appreciate and enjoy II. They can understand
the difficulties in II, aud recognize the art But
| come In, fellow who never will rise higher
than general utility. and he's the chap who
| throws himself back with ono thumb IN the
afmhoie ~ hs vest, and jingles two cents In his
| pocket with the other hand, II he happens to
| naN9 that inu.n money, aud says 1t ain I
| Shakespeare. But Just let him try TO do it
that an
Arc there recognized lines Of business on
the minstrel stage as on the dramatic, and ieal-
| Gus adherence to them, as tuerc =
" here are lines Of business of course hut a
enough for man 10 be a singer. or AN instru-
| mental performer, or dancer he must he all,
| and more, tou, to hold any rank in the profess
| sion. lie NAV have one speciality which l. hi5
| card, but he must be useful In moro ways than
one
"Are the song and dance men, now so popular
afeaiure Of negro minstrelsy an especial conceit
| OF late yearsf'
"By no means. You remember what told
you about that man IN Boston la liI2f Wen. his
act was song and dance, | believe. But at al !
events the present style Of 'sonR.and dance
goes back TO John smith, the original Bob Rid
ley aud Daddy Rce's
wheel about and turn about,
hnd over, ilma YOU turn about
You jump JIM Crow
zone class q song and dance, the female. IL
pretty much gone out Of regular minstrel en-
tcrtalnments. md H. seldom seen any more ex-
cett In v rietv shows. Lucy Long, Introduced
hv George Cnrstv, and things Of that sort would
not go down with refined audiences nowadays.
II II necessary now to he funny without being
vulgar. and In old times the line between the
two was not 50 cle'rly drawn. Jig dancers, With
ont songs, have been from the first, and prob
ably ALWAYS Will be. one VI the greatest ever
soen was Johnny Diamond. lie was great man,
used to travel all by himself and nll theatres
wherever he went. against everybody, even For
cst and other great dramatic stars. Barnum ran
him NJ one time
"pd YOU ever know Peter DIVER who Is ad-
vertised as converted negro mnstrelf'
LET BRoTnER DwYEn EXPLAIN.
Never even heard Of him In the profession.
Don't believe he ever was in &c. Lots of people
claim 10 have been, bee luse they played banjo
i'm a garrett or cell some time or other. Prob
ahly he may have played in woodshcd soule-
where. There was fellow out West some time
ago. who w44 hung. and he claimed 10 have
been minstrel. II was found out. though, that
ne never came any ne lrer to u thln playing
banjo on nltbuat for the Amusement Of the
other hands ou the boat. H. might hoye borne
some other namc-ths DIVER. I meun-lut I
never heard 81 Lin. anl / 1T know OF any
one VINO dad, aud know about all II them. |
guess. who are regui rly ~ the busino-s, ur have
been ln good many Ncrs ok. Gtutr Ily.
Formerly. lots OF fellow used 90 asslme names
lNr nae nturf fti 900 tutn O. keep up the % M
.uh on .aNlhi hcl'nsou tn, some very wealthy
ltihiiN thal would bee shocked q the knowledge
ed what thtN were dong. But that played
put, ANA there is more 20 4 sense u1w. Noo1iy
has any re- t4un 10 he ashamed ~ the min trcl
business. some vcri well educated aud talented
gentlemen are in D., ard II a mans charao. er Is
such as TO eutitle lnm to popular rc-pcct In
other regards. he VIII nut lose much la the esu-
nation OF sensible people b, being known as
"isth- minstrel business profitable one yet
OF iu- 10, as some aver. seen IT. best days -
There are NOR. minstrel tr,upes uou-good
ones-ihtn there ever werc before. and be-
ieye tnev are generally dong we'll A to
whether there Is money IN u or not. you may
while We were AZ 5nj broadway $i0O, QOJ Ia seven
ye -. think tnat was doing pretty well. nd
Of fortune SINCE
How are performers paidl"
mat depends upon the individual and the
demand for him. In eeheral way YOU may
say THAI singers get from $50 to s75 per week
average PROBABLY about So; instrumental per-
formers, SO to $50; come dans, that is men 81
general usefulness, about the same as the
singeIs end men from $40 to $50 all the WY up
To $3.50 or $40 according TO their Individual
popul rlty. some song and dance men, too,
Ike billy Emerson, get as biz money as end
men,
This conversation has been Interrupted by the
exigences ~ farce which demands that Mr.
ii'rch snail appear as the servant OF West
Point cadet, ana subsequently IA a bogus In
dian. Gov. Ryman as all elderly gen euian, and
siterward - savage OF the sitting Bull or
H1wlng Thunder type, and Ricardo as tie
daughter Of the elderly man and then as the
dusky POND Lily"
In ten minutes after the curtain drops the
last black moor has whitened himself in the
pals at the trough. the last ecnoes Of the unal
howl Of rage from the man whose pail has been
appropriated 10y some one else have died AWAY,
nd the evening IN the minstrels green Dom IL
at end.