Appalachian music. Jump Jim Crow [music transcription]. Note sheet.

Key: D
Meter: 4/4
Transcribed by Alan Jabbour, from a performance by Henry Reed.
Rendition: 1r-2r-1r-2r-1
Strains: 2 (high-low, 4-2)
Phrase Structure: ABAC QR (abac abde qrsc)
Compass: 11 (14 including drone on the low A on the G-string)
Handwritten: Recorded: aabaaba. [mistake]
Composed by Thomas ("Daddy") Rice, 183-?
"Jump Jim Crow" has its origins in the minstrel stage, where the tune was used for an often extravagant or elaborate set dance. The song and dance were created by Thomas ("Daddy") Rice in the later 1830s. The published versions show connections to Henry Reed's set, but they are also different in many respects--frequently a bit rough and angular--suggesting that the folk process has extracted some grace from the angularity of the minstrel originals. The pace in this set is slower than in typical breakdown tunes, suggesting its use in a clog or other slower-paced fancy dance.