Harmoneons

The Harmoneons were a blackface musical singing group in the 19th-century United States. The group began as the "Albino Family" in 1843, and later became the "Harmoneon Family."[1] Principal group members included L.V.H. Crosby;[2] Marshall S. Pike (1818-1901);[2][3] James Power;[2] and John Power[4] Through the years others associated with the group included: F.B. Howe;[5] Francis Lynch;[4] W.H. Mower, manager;[4] T.B. Prendergast;[4] and F.A. Reynolds.[4] In 1847 the Harmoneons performed for President James Polk at the White House.[2] The group sang throughout the U.S., including Baltimore, Maryland (1846-1847, 1850, 1853);[6] Trenton, New Jersey (1847);[7] Portsmouth, New Hampshire (1848);[8] Lowell, Mass. (1849); Salem, Mass. (1849); Belfast, Maine (1850, 1852);[9] and in Boston at the Melodeon (1849), Horticultural Hall (1849, 1851), and other venues. They also toured in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[10]

Harmoneons, 1846

In the 1860s, the tune of their most famous song, "Dearest Mae," became the tune to which the enormously popular college song, "My Last Cigar," was sung. Though James M. Hubbard has always been credited as the composer of "My Last Cigar," its true tunesmith is James Power of the Harmoneons.[11]

Songs
  • "Carolina Melodies" (1845) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "O Give Me a Home If In Foreign Land" (1845) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "O Where Is De Spot Dat We Was Born On" (1845) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "Miss Nancy Paul" (1845) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "I Forget the Gay, Gay World" (1846) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "We Come Again With Song to Greet You" (1846) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L. V. H. Crosby.
  • "The grave of Washington" (1846) / words by Marshall S. Pike, music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "Dearest Mae: a celebrated Ethiopian song" (1847) / words by Francis Lynch, tune by James Power, arranged for piano by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "The Lone Starry Hours" (1850) / words by Marshall S. Pike, tune by James Power, arranged for piano by J. P. Ordway.
  • "Home Again" (1850) / words and music by Marshall S. Pike, arranged for piano by J. P. Ordway.
  • "Happy Are We Tonight" (1850) / words and music by Marshall S. Pike, arranged for piano by J. P. Ordway.
  • "The Indian Warrior's Grave" (1850) / words and music by Marshall S. Pike, arranged for piano by J. P. Ordway.
  • "The Widowed Bride" (1851) / words by Mrs. H. M. Stephens, music by Francis Lynch.
  • "Faded Flowers" (1851) / words by J. H. Brown, music by James Power.
  • "The Happiest Time Was Then" (1854) / words and music by L.V.H. Crosby.
  • "Somebody is Waiting for Somebody" (1858) / words by Charles Swain, music by L.V.H. Crosby.

References
  1. New Hampshire Patriot. Sept. 26, 1844.
  2. Edward Le Roy Rice. Monarchs of minstrelsy, from "Daddy" Rice to date. Kenny publishing company, 1911.
  3. Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events. 1902.
  4. Melodies of the Harmoneons. Boston: G. P. Reed & Co., 1851.
  5. Flyer for Flagg's Hall Worcester. The Harmoneon Troupe... May 2, 1851.
  6. Baltimore Sun. March 16, 1846; etc.
  7. Trenton State Gazette. Aug. 16, 1847.
  8. New Hampshire Gazette and Republican Union. April 25, 1848.
  9. Joseph Williamson. History of the city of Belfast in the state of Maine: from its first settlement in 1770 to 1875. Loring, Short, and Harmon, 1877.
  10. Atlantic Canada Theatre Site. www.lib.unb.ca
  11. "Second-Hand Smoke: James Maurice Hubbard and the Search for the Elusive Author of America's Second Favorite Song," by Daniel Paul Morrison. Doylestown (PA): Doylestown Institute, 2019.

Images
Members of the troupe
  • John Power
  • James Power
  • Francis Lynch
  • T.B. Prendergast
  • F.A. Reynolds
  • W.H. Mower, manager
Concerts
  • 1848, Cambridge, Mass.
  • 1851, Horticultural Hall, School Street, Boston
  • 1852, Worcester, Mass.
  • Halifax, Nova Scotia, 19th century
  • Flyer for Portsmouth, NH concert, 1859
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