Stephen Foster—Beautiful Dreamer and Seminal American Songwriter
Arguably, songwriting as a profession in Amercia started with Stephen Foster.
Born on the 4th of July in Pennsylvania in 1826, Stephen Collins Foster is credited with composing some of this country's most beloved and performed songs, including "Beautiful Dreamer," "My Old Kentucky Home," and "Oh! Susanna." According to NNDB, "He was the youngest child of a merchant of Irish descent who became a member of the state legislature and was related by marriage to President James Buchanan."
His chief early success was gained by writing songs used in "black-face" minstrel shows, such as those made popular by E.P. Christy, leader of Christy's Minstrels.
"Foster attempted to make a living as a professional songwriter and may be considered a pioneer in this respect, since this field did not yet exist in the modern sense. Consequently, due in part to the poor provisions for music copyright and composer royalties at the time, Foster saw very little of the profits which his works generated for sheet music printers. Multiple publishers often printed their own competing editions of Foster's tunes, paying Foster nothing. For 'Oh, Susanna,' he received $100." —Wikipedia.
The Christy's Minstrels shows were a phenomenal success for the day. According to the book, Love and Theft: Blackface Minstrelsy and the American Working Class (Race and American Culture) by Eric Lott, Christy paid Foster $15,000 for the exclusive rights to the song "Old Folks at Home."
However, for the most part, Foster was paid little or nothing for his sogs and songwriting talent. He even sold the "authorship" of "Old Folks at Home" (aka "Swanee River"), not just the publishing rights. You can see from the image of the sheet music that the song was published as "Written and Composed by E.P. Christy."
Old Folks at Home (aka "Swanee River") Lyrics
Way down upon the Swanee River,
Chorus:
Chorus
One little hut among the bushes,
"The song became a popular international folk tune and has been credited with starting the tourist industry in Florida. Beginning in the 1880s millions of people traveled to Florida to view the famous northern Florida river.
"In 1928 Kentucky adopted 'My Old Kentucky Home' as their official state song. In 1986 Kentucky changed the second line of the song, 'Tis summer, the darkies are gay;' to *'Tis summer, the people are gay;' for obvious reasons.
"Because of the popularity of 'My Old Kentucky Home' and 'The Swanee River,' many people have the impression that Stephen Foster was a southern gentleman. However, he visited the South on only one occasion, a steamboat trip to New Orleans in 1852."
My Old Kentucky Home Lyrics
The sun shines bright in the old Kentucky home,
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
Weep no more my lady. Oh! Weep no more today!
Stephen Foster died on January 13, 1864, at the age of only 37. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970.
"Alcoholic, penniless and consumed by loneliness and debt, Foster died in New York City on January 13, 1864. His death followed the completion of his last great song 'Beautiful Dreamer.' Written two weeks earlier, Foster wrote in his trademark sentiment about escape from bitter realities. He is said to have died with a purse carrying less than $.40 and a scrap of paper reading 'Dear friends and gentle hearts.'" —Songwriters Hall of Fame.
See this wonderfully extensive website, including rare photos, all about the life of Stephen Foster.
Oh I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
Oh, Susanna, don't you cry for me
I had a dream the other night when everything was still,
Beautiful Dreamer Lyrics
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! "Although America's first great songwriter, Stephen Collins Foster, died 140 years ago, his legacy lives on in the hundreds of songs he left behind. Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster was recorded to celebrate his enormous gift to American culture. Foster's compositions (including 'Oh! Susanna,' 'My Old Kentucky Home,' 'Camptown Races,' 'Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair' and 'Hard Times Come Again No More') are woven into the fabric of our national identity, yet most music fans today know little about him. Foster has been unjustifiably overlooked in recent decades. No collection of his music recorded by contemporary artists has existed until now. Although tribute albums have become much too common, this project's historical significance distingusihes it from a crowded field. Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs Of Stephen Foster is a collection of Foster's most beloved compositions – and lesser-known exquisite parlor songs of his day – sung by some of today's most respected musical artists. The album includes songs by: Raul Malo, Alison Krauss with Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor, BR549, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Judith Edelman, The Duhks, John Prine, Henry Kaiser, Beth Nielsen Chapman, David Ball, Michelle Shocked & Pete Anderson, Grey De Lisle, Mavis Staples, Ollabelle, Roger McGuinn, Suzy Bogguss, Will Barrow and Ron Sexsmith.
"All of the proceeds from Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster will benefit American Roots Publishing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving American regional culture through literature and art. Goals are accomplished by supporting artists who honor regional culture through their work and by linking them with communities in focused educational programs."
SIDEBAR: Mark O'Connor is widely considered the greatest fiddler of his generation (he was born in 1961). He conducts the highly acclaimed Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp in Tennessee. Visit his website here.
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