"Nelly Bly" is a minstrel song published in 1850 by
Firth, Pond & Co. of New York. According to Ken
Emerson, the titular character was a servant who poked
her head out of a cellar door to listen to Foster
serenade friends. The name struck Foster’s fancy, and
she appeared as a guest at a ball in "Oh! Lemuel!"
(1849). "Nelly Bly" anticipates the joys of marriage
and housekeeping, according to Emerson, and its melody
has a “merry, nursery-rhyme charm”. He describes
the song as a “sweet and ...(+)
"Nelly Bly" is a minstrel song published in 1850 by
Firth, Pond & Co. of New York. According to Ken
Emerson, the titular character was a servant who poked
her head out of a cellar door to listen to Foster
serenade friends. The name struck Foster’s fancy, and
she appeared as a guest at a ball in "Oh! Lemuel!"
(1849). "Nelly Bly" anticipates the joys of marriage
and housekeeping, according to Emerson, and its melody
has a “merry, nursery-rhyme charm”. He describes
the song as a “sweet and domestic idyll".
SHEET MUSIC