The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1857-01-28
THE DAILY GAZETTE.
From tho Cincinnati Gazette.
THEPOPULAR MICRO NEL0DIHs.

If popularity is any test Of merit, to
Stephen <. Fosters Melodies must
be assigned high rank. Probably
no mans ideas have been more often
repeated, when we consider singing,
playing, whistling, etc. His tunes
are perpetual solace to the miner OF
California, the slavein the cotton fields
Of the South, and they gladden. the
tedious watches OF the sailor in every
sea reached by American or English
enterprise. 1t is hardly too much TO
assert, there is not family in this
country where any musical taste ex-
lists, that hs1 not been cheered with
the melody Of his songs. la fact they
are sung all over the civilized world,
the sea-coast cities OF China not ex
cepted. We lately read OF an Alneri-
can traveller Bayard Taylor, We think
teaching "Uncle Ned to the Arabs
in Africa, and explaining to them, at
their request, the meaning ofthe words
in their own dialect. a Paris cor
respondent of Boston paper, says, on
. hearing "Oh, Susannah'' whistlel
through the streets, he enthusiastical-
" cried out "America for ever..'
Dickens speaks Of its popularity in the
prisons of England, and a friend who
has spent some time in Central A mefi-
ca, says he has heard the native amuse
themselves by the hour, in singing
snatchss OF Fosters early songs, which
they had caught from the rowing Cali
fornians.
Some account Of these songs may
prove interesting. For the main facts
we are indebted to Mr.. Wm.C Peters
Who was one OF the first to discover
the extraordinary talant OF Mr.. Foster,
and who has been from first to last,
his firm friend and adviser. His at
tention was called to the subject by
Mr.. Blancagniel OF Louisville, who
had heard Mr.. Foster at some must.
cal soiree at Pittsburgh, and was 30
struck with the originality of his
music, and its perfect adaptation to
the sentiment of the words, that be
offered to procure him publisher.
Fosters earliest song was "uncle
Ned, (which was first sung in Cncin-
pati, at concert by Pond, McCann,
and Others, in 1S45, and enthusiast
cally eDcored. 1t was soon published
by Mr.. Peters; and reached sale till
then unknown in the music publishing
business. With one exception, there
have been more copies OF it sold, than
Of any piece..on his catalogue.
"Oh, Sussannah," was the next
piece, and about equallsd uncle Ned,
in popularity. Several editions of
each having been surreptitiousiy
printed at the East, it is impossible to
say how many thousands have been
sold.
"Camptown Races" soon followed,
and was also very popular; so much
so, ithad the effect (perhaps not COM
plimentary to the song) OF compelling
the good people Of Camptown, New
Jersey, to change the name of their
place. We suppose every new ac-
Quaintance to whom they were intro
duced, involuntary calculated, ''Du-
dah!n
"The Old Folks at Home" next
appeared, which has reached a sale OF
upwards Of one hundred Thousand
copies in this country, and about as
many in England.
OF his later pieces, there have been
sold eighty thousand copies OF "My
Ola Kentucky Home seventy thous'
and of "Old Dog Tray and about
the same number Of "Massa's in the
cold, cold Ground " --
OF the ballad style, "Wlllie, We
have missed you,' is the most popu.
lar, maggie by my Side," and Jen-
ME with her light brown hair" have
also had q great run. His last song
is "Gentle Annie"
Like Tom Moore, Haynes Bayley,
and Mrs. Norton, the poetry OF Mr..
Foster is welded 10 his own melodies
1t 10 this intimate connexion between
his poetry and music that gives such
q charm to his compositions. His
subjects are always simple, and so is
his treatment OF them; yet they are
broad aud well defined. 1t is iupos
sible to conceive of anything better
suited to the popular ear, than the
subject matter Of his melodies and
words.
Mr.. Foster resides somewhere near
Pittsburgh and has always contented
himself, we think, with a moderate
clsrkship and small percentage on
the sale ofhis songs. With the most
amiable character and the lnodesty
allied to true genius, he has never re
sorted to any clap trap, or putting o!
the press, to bring himselfor his music
into notice. In fact, we have seldom
or never observed passing ''notice, y
Of any ofhis songs in the papers, al
though the songs themselves are "ia
miliar as household words" all over
the civilized globe.