[Texas]:

$950 · Offered by William Reese Company · No longer available

THE TEXAS QUICK STEP AS PERFORMED BY THE MILITARY BANDS ARRANGED FOR THE PIANO FORTE. A scarce piece of sheet music published by the prolific music firm of Firth, Pond & Co., likely produced to celebrate the annexation of Texas or to capitalize on the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s. The lithograph on the front page, accomplished by George Endicott, depicts a soldier in uniform marching in the direction which a sign labels "to Texas," with his pack slung over a bayonetted rifle on his shoulder. In the background is a column of other soldiers in formation. While the United States recognized Texan independence as early as 1837, Mexico never acknowledged the rebellious state until it was ceded to the United States in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo more than a decade later, and skirmishes between Texan rebels and Mexican and indigenous forces continued more or less regularly until the outbreak of the Mexican-American War. In addition, the possible annexation of the large slaveholding state was one of the most significant political issues in the middle of the 19th century, and would have loomed large in the minds of most Americans. This piece plays on the patriotic angle, and purports to be a faithful rendition of a march performed by the military bands of Texas.This copy, copyrighted (and presumably composed) by J. Willis and engraved by D.C. Driscoll in 1841, was published by Firth, Pond & Co. of New York. Firth and Pond, formerly in partnership with William Hall, were l

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