Publishing then was not centralized but instead operated by "sharing" publication materials and processes. Publishers presented sentimental parlor songs and published popular songs of the nineteenth century and minstrel songs from the black-face minstrel show (Gay Online).
In the nineteenth century, minstrelsy was one of the prime sources for published popular music and would be imitated by composers like Stephen Foster. The first black dialect song known to be published in the United States was "Back Side of Albany Stands Lake Champlain" written by "Micah" Hawkins. Hawkins was a white grocer who learned fiddle playing from a family slave, Toney Clapp. The song was first performed in Albany in 1815, then later in New York City by actor Hopkins Robinson. The number was done to the tune of an old familiar Irish ballad, with the actor appearing in blackface wearing a sailor's suit. Hawkins wrote at Toney Clapp's death: "His artless music was a language universal and its effect, most irresistible... though of a race despis'd" (Sanjek 161). This latter reference reflected the popular view of that time of black inferiority and eccentricity, yet Hawkins also realized that the roots of black music were deep, powerful and ultimately extremely popular.
Many black songwriters of the era made use of the black minstrelsy troupes to get their songs before the public, and one of the most important of these was James A. Bland, the foremost black composer of minstrel songs. He was educated at Howard University and worked as a page in the House of Representatives while going to school. He taught himself to play the banjo and spent hours composing and singing his songs to his own accompaniment. He was often invited to perform at parties in Washington and before members of various private clubs in the area. He wanted a career on the stage as a minstrel, but when he applied he was rejected because he was black. He would later join...