I'm Going Home to Dixie
Encyclopedia
"I'm Going Home to Dixie" is an American
walkaround
, a type of dance song
. It was written by Dan Emmett
in 1861
as a sequel to the immensely popular walkaround "Dixie
". The sheet music
was first published that same year by Firth, Pond & Company
in an arrangement by C. S. Grafully. Despite the publisher's claim that "I'm Going Home to Dixie" had been "Sung with tumultuous applause by the popular Bryant's Minstrels
", the song lacked the charm of its predecessor, and it quickly faded into obscurity. The song's lyrics follow the minstrel show
scenario of the freed slave longing to return to his master in the South
; it was the last time Emmett would use the term "Dixie" in a song. Its tune simply repeated Emmett's earlier walkaround "I Ain't Got Time to Tarry
" from 1858.
Emmett dedicated "I'm Going Home to Dixie" to P. P. Werlein, Esq., a publisher who had disputed Emmett's copyright to "Dixie" by printing it in New Orleans without attribution. The sheet music also included a note as to the true location of "Dixie
":
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...
walkaround
Walkaround
A walkaround was a dance from the blackface minstrel shows of the 19th century. The walkaround began in the 1840s as a dance for one performer, but by the 1850s, many dancers or the entire troupe participated...
, a type of dance song
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
. It was written by Dan Emmett
Dan Emmett
Daniel Decatur "Dan" Emmett was an American songwriter and entertainer, founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition.-Biography:...
in 1861
1861 in music
- Events :* Tannhäuser scandal in Paris.*Giuseppe Verdi is elected a deputy in the first parliament of the new Italian nation.-Published popular music:* "Abide With Me", w. Rev Henry Francis Lyte m. William Henry Monk...
as a sequel to the immensely popular walkaround "Dixie
Dixie (song)
Countless lyrical variants of "Dixie" exist, but the version attributed to Dan Emmett and its variations are the most popular. Emmett's lyrics as they were originally intended reflect the mood of the United States in the late 1850s toward growing abolitionist sentiment. The song presented the point...
". The sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
was first published that same year by Firth, Pond & Company
Firth, Pond & Company
Firth, Pond & Company was an American music company that published sheet music and distributed musical instruments in the 19th century and early 20 century. The company began in 1847 when William Hall broke with partners John Firth and Sylvanus Pond, thus disbanding their New York-based publishing...
in an arrangement by C. S. Grafully. Despite the publisher's claim that "I'm Going Home to Dixie" had been "Sung with tumultuous applause by the popular Bryant's Minstrels
Bryant's Minstrels
Bryant's Minstrels was a blackface minstrel troupe that performed in the mid-19th century, primarily in New York City. The troupe was led by the O'Neill brothers from upstate New York, who took the stage name Bryant....
", the song lacked the charm of its predecessor, and it quickly faded into obscurity. The song's lyrics follow the minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
scenario of the freed slave longing to return to his master in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
; it was the last time Emmett would use the term "Dixie" in a song. Its tune simply repeated Emmett's earlier walkaround "I Ain't Got Time to Tarry
I Ain't Got Time to Tarry
"I Ain't Got Time to Tarry", also known as "The Land of Freedom", is an American song written by blackface minstrel composer Dan Emmett. It premiered in a minstrel show performance by Bryant's Minstrels in late November 1858. The song was published in New York City in 1859.The lyrics tell of a...
" from 1858.
Emmett dedicated "I'm Going Home to Dixie" to P. P. Werlein, Esq., a publisher who had disputed Emmett's copyright to "Dixie" by printing it in New Orleans without attribution. The sheet music also included a note as to the true location of "Dixie
Dixie
Dixie is a nickname for the Southern United States.- Origin of the name :According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the origins of this nickname remain obscure. According to A Dictionary of Americanisms on Historical Principles , by Mitford M...
":
As many inquiries have been made in regard to the meaning of "Dixies Land" and as to the location, it may be well to remark, that with the southern negroes, Dixies Land is but another name for Home. Hence it is but fair to conclude, that all south of the Mason's & Dixon's LineMason-Dixon lineThe Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
is the true "Dixies Land."