CALIFORNIA QUICK STEP. INTRODUCING THE POPULAR AIR OF UNCLE NED. ARRANGED BY EDWARD L. WHITE

Boston, MA: Published by Oliver Ditson, 115 Washington Street, 1849. self paper wrappers. Music. folio. self paper wrappers. [2] pages, on two leaves; leaves separated at spine. Melody Used by Permission of Mr. W. C. Peters, Proprietor of the Copyright. Entered according to Act of Congress AD. 1849 by Oliver Ditson in the clerk's Office of the District Court of Mass. Only the slightest hint of foxing / soiling, else a fine copy.



OCLC locates eight copies under two record numbers (OCLC 367615422: Yale University; Middle Tennessee State University; Brigham Young University; OCLC 22354465: University of Pittsburgh; Peabody Essex Museum; University of Cincinnati; UC Berkeley; California Historical Society). An example is also at the Homestead Museum, Los Angeles. From "The Homestead Blog" (online):



"One of several Gold Rush inspired sheet music pieces from the Homestead Collection, 'California Quick Step,' by Edward L. White, a Boston composer and teacher, was published by Oliver Ditson, also of Boston, and tnered in the Library of Congress in March 1849. The melody of 'California Quick Step' was based on 'Uncle Ned' or 'Old Uncle Ned,' a well-known song in what is generally now termed as African American Vernacular English from famed composer Stephen C. Foster that appeared in 1848. As a quick step, however, it was in a much faster tempo than the ballad of Foster's piece."



Exceedingly scarce in commerce: Rare Book Hub contains just a single record for an example having appeared at auction or in the trade, in 1979 (Randle and Windle).