Originating from Stephen Foster’s 1850 song “Angelina Baker,” this tune has evolved into a staple of the old-time and bluegrass repertoire. Commonly played in D major, it’s often one of the first tunes new fiddle players learn.

Foster wrote many popular songs that became a part of American folk music including “Oh, Susanna” and “De Camptown Races.” “Angeline the Baker” was crafted for Christy’s Minstrels, a popular blackface minstrel troupe of the time. Over time, “Angelina Baker” underwent a transformation from a vocal piece into an instrumental fiddle tune that found favor among fiddlers and string bands. This evolution was part of a broader trend in American music, where many songs from the minstrel tradition were adapted and adopted into other musical forms.