Alfred Adolphus Farland Sr. (April 10, 1864 – May 5, 1954) was a Canadian-American banjoist, playing in the classic banjo style for more than 40 years.

"[7] Farland based his performances initially out of Pittsburg, but later moved to New York, in order to be closer to potential students during his off season.

His father was a tailor, and Alfred and his brothers (and sometimes his sisters) worked in the woolen mills that turned sheep's wool into cloth.

[17][18] In 1880 when he was 14 years old, Alfred Farland worked as a weaver in a woolen mill in Westerly, Rhode Island.

[20] About 14 years later, Alfred would receive acclaim in his music-playing profession, playing the banjo, accompanied on piano by his niece Annie, Joseph's daughter.

[22] Farland entered show business in 1884, the "minstrel days", as a "blackface comedian and song and dance man.

[27][28] After a career in blackface, Huntley broke ground by performing in "whiteface" on the stage in 1884, eliciting the newspaper comment, "Mr. Wm.

"[29] Early in his career, Stewart had included lessons for performing in blackface, but it was a small part of his larger business and magazine, both centered around a refined banjo image.

[27] Gregory was the son of the president of a philharmonic society and had applied his classical-music knowledge to the banjo, beginning about 1892.

[4] Farland adapted works by European composers to the banjo and played them across the United States.

[33][34] Examples cited at concerts during the summer of 1894 include the "Miserere" from Verdi's Il trovatore, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, Op.

[35][36] Other works played in 1894 included: Beethoven 8th Sonata; Handel "Largo"; Chopin Polonaise, Op.

2; Moszkowski Spanish Dances, Nos.1, 2 and 3, Sonata; Schubert, Serenade; Bach, Sixth Sonata, Preludio, Minuet, Gigue; Wieniawski Second Polonaise Brilliant; Paderewski Minuet a l'Antique; Haydn Gypsy Rondo; and Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night's Dream incidental music, Op.

[39][40] For about 10 years, Farland toured the United States, traveling as much as 1000 miles in a day and playing classical music on one of Stewart's banjos.

[41][42] Some of Farland's audience was aware of the elite instrument, commenting on it in a letter to Stewart, which was published in his journal.