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Article " Julep Song (The Good Old Mint Julep for Me!)" by Will Marion Cook

Julep Song, 1904, by Will Marion Cook, 1869-1944.
Julep Song, 1904. Will Marion Cook, 1869-1944. Music Division, Library of Congress. Call number: M1508.C

Will Marion Cook's musical The Southerners remains a milestone in the history of Broadway theater. Premiering at the New York Theater on May 12, 1904, The Southerners was the first Broadway musical to feature a racially integrated cast. Characters with speaking parts were portrayed by white actors in blackface and were supported by an all-black chorus of singers and dancers. Cook's wife, Abbie Mitchell, was one of the featured singers in the non-speaking role of Mandy Lou.

Julep Song, with lyrics by Richard Grant, was a first-act chorus in The Southerners. Set for TTBB male voices, the chorus extols the Southern beverage and toasts the health of Southern girls. The two unison verses are set in a lilting 6/8 meter, changing to 2/4 to introduce a unison refrain, "So here's a health to the Southern girl, I quaff in a Southern brew. . . . You may keep all the wine if you think it divine. The good old mint julep for me." The entire refrain is repeated in four-part harmony; the score also includes a simpler, two-part ossia of the refrain.

Julep Song was first published in the piano/vocal score of The Southerners in 1904 by York Music Co., New York. The popularity of the piece prompted a solo edition published in the same year by John H. Cook Publishing Co., New York. John H. Cook was Will Marion's brother.

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Title

  • " Julep Song (The Good Old Mint Julep for Me!)" by Will Marion Cook

Headings

  • -  Cook, Will Marion
  • -  Progressive Era to New Era (1900-1929)
  • -  Songs and Music
  • -  Parlor and Concert Stage
  • -  Articles

Genre

  • article

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" Julep Song The Good Old Mint Julep for Me!" by Will Marion Cook. Web.. https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200185377/.

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" Julep Song The Good Old Mint Julep for Me!" by Will Marion Cook. Web.. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200185377/>.