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Items Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band

Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band

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Library division & collection with this item:

LIBRARY DIVISION
Music Division

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COLLECTION
American popular songs

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SUB-COLLECTION
Sheet music, 1899

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This Item

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Title
Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band
Additional title: Don't make no blunder you couldn't lose him. [first line of chorus]
Additional title: Down in de south whar de sly ole possum hides in de sycamore tree. [first line of song]
Additional title: The one man band. [alternative title]
Names
Mills, Kerry, 1869-1948 (Composer)
Lind, W. Murdoch (Composer)
Collection

American popular songs

Sheet music, 1899

Dates / Origin
Date Issued: 1899
Place: New York
Publisher: F.A. Mills
Library locations
Music Division
Topics
Songs
Cakewalk (Dance)
African American guitarists
Guitars -- 1800-1899
African Americans -- 1890-1899 -- Social life
Marches (Voice with piano)
Genres
Scores
Notes
Content: Cover design includes caricature of an African American man playing a guitar while 5 African American couples are in the background marching or doing a cakewalk.
Content: Includes 20 measure for piano only prior to vocal part.
Content: Descriptive subtitle and explanation on cover: A characteristic march which can be used effectively as a two-step, polka or cake-walk.
Content: Summary: Using stereotyped language and imagery, the narrator describes Rufus Blossom, an African American man who is known to be an excellent guitar player; he walks miles to play at parties, enabling them to have a festive time.
Statement of responsibility: by Kerry Mills.
Physical Description
Extent: 6 p. ; 35 cm.
Type of Resource
Notated music
Languages
English
Identifiers
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b10826013
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21736880
NYPL catalog ID (B-number): b21738653
Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): d4578080-c595-012f-7d4f-58d385a7bc34
Rights Statement
The New York Public Library believes that this item is in the public domain under the laws of the United States, but did not make a determination as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. This item may not be in the public domain under the laws of other countries. Though not required, if you want to credit us as the source, please use the following statement, "From The New York Public Library," and provide a link back to the item on our Digital Collections site. Doing so helps us track how our collection is used and helps justify freely releasing even more content in the future.

Item timeline of events

  • 1869: Creator Born
  • 1899: Issued
  • 1948: Creator Died
  • 2016: Digitized
  • 2024: Found by you!
  • 2025

MLA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1899. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-ef5e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Chicago/Turabian Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. "Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed November 22, 2024. https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-ef5e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

APA Format

Music Division, The New York Public Library. (1899). Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band Retrieved from https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-ef5e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Wikipedia Citation

<ref name=NYPL>{{cite web | url=https://qa-digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47df-ef5e-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 | title= (notated music) Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band, (1899) |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |accessdate=November 22, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref>

Whistling Rufus, or, The one man band