Sheet Music: Turkey in the Straw

TitleTurkey in the Straw
Alternate titlesOld Zip Coon
ComposerTraditional American
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyC major
RangeE4–C6
Time signature2/2
Tempo90 BPM
Performance time0:45
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (46 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (360 kB)
Date added2009-06-01
Last updated2009-06-01
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.3 (not so popular)
Categories
American Civil War, Minstrel songs, Traditional/Folk

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Monday 1 June 2009

Tune of the Day: Turkey in the Straw

aka “Old Zip Coon”

This is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century. The tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers.

“Turkey in the Straw” is still popular today among street fiddlers and ice cream trucks. It can also be heard in many movie sound tracks; the song was already in the public domain by the start of sound film, so it was extensively used. In animated cartoons it is commonly used for suggesting farms or rural life, or old fashioned country people. Perhaps the first use of the tune in an animated cartoon soundtrack was in Steamboat Willie (the first sound cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse).