Online Encyclopedia

STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER (1826-1864)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 733 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER (1826-1864)  ,
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American
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song and ballad writer, was born near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, on the 4th of
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July 1826 . He was the youngest child of a merchant of Irish descent who became a member of the state legislature and was related by
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marriage to President Buchanan . Stephen early showed talent for
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music, and played upon the
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flageolet, the guitar and the
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banjo; he also acquired a
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fair knowledge of French and German . He was sent to school in
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Towanda, Pennsylvania, and later to Athens, Pennsylvania, and when thirteen years old he wrote the song " Sadly to Mine Heart Appealing." At sixteen he wrote " Open thy Lattice, Love "; at seventeen he entered his
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brother's business house,
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Cincinnati,
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Ohio, where he remained about three years, composing meanwhile such popular pieces as " Old
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Uncle Ned," " O Susannah!" and others . He then adopted song-writing as a profession . His chief successes were songs written for the negro melodists or Christy minstrels . Besides those mentioned the following attained
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great popularity: " Nelly was a Lady," " Old
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Kentucky Home," " Old Folks at Home," "
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Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground," &c . For these and other songs the composer received considerable sums, " Old Folks at Home " bringing him, it is said, 15,000 dollars . For most of his songs Foster wrote both songs and music . In 1850 he married and moved to New York, but soon returned to Pittsburg . His reputation rests chiefly on his negro melodies, many of which have been popular on both sides of the
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Atlantic and sung in many tongues . " Old Black Joe," the last of these negro melodies, appeared in 1861 .

His later songs were sentimental

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ballads . Among these are " Old
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Dog
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Tray," " Gentle Annie," " Willie, we have missed you," &c . His " Come where my Love lies Dreaming " is a well known vocal quartet . Al-though as a musician and composer Foster has little claim to high rank, his song-writing gives him a prominent place in the
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modern developments of popular music . He died at New York on the 13th of
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January 1864 .

End of Article: STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER (1826-1864)
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