The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1859-05-13
WHO WRITES OUR SONGS.
[From the New York Evening Pos


the great majority ofour songs, and wh1'e pro-
dnctI2ns have the witrs: popularity among the
masses o! our people, is known to very few o
them, even by reputation. The new mplndies
that greet The public ear month after month";
and az" 2ung, whislled, and hummed by thou
) Sahds-ibat are thnmp-d on piano toFteS, thTum-
'aed on banJoes, breajhed on flutes, tortured
INTO variations, and enjoy wide, though,
alter all rvanescent popularity, are chiefly thr
product Of one fertile brain-and that brain,
!, as Mr. Mica "ber would say, is the brain
apPrrla hing to Mr.. Stephen G. Foster. This
gentleman Is native of Pittsburg, and has
speni all his days there, excepting three years
IN Cincinnati, and two at New York. He was
born on the hoi July, 1926, 0he very day
that JOHN Adams and Thomas Jefferson dledI
and rs tterriorr, noW in the thirty-third year.
His father, Mr.. William B. Foster. was "a
PEtSburg merchant, member of the State
legislature, afterwards mayor Of Allegheny
City, and subsequently, occupied an official post
under The federal government. His oldest
sister is the wife OF the Rev. Z. Y. Buchanan,
the oal Throther Of th- President of the United
States. Stephen c. Foster is the youngest of
! his family
He enjoyed but limited opportunities for mu-
I seal instruction, and took but few lessons -
( When nineteen years old, he composed for
SOCIAL quartette club Of which he was a member
7 his first successful song, the popular iavorite,
''U Rcle Ned" II was shortly afterwards sung
at public consert in Cincinnati, and received
such applause that Mr. VIM. c. Peters, the
music publisher in that city, requested the
privilege Of publishing it, which was at once
J Sranfed. Mr. Foster next composed ''Sus1n-
ma" which vas more eimpie in its style, and
became even more popular. In a private
letter Mr.. Foster writes
''l hai.up TO this time neither received nor
though! OF any pecuniary remuneration for
my Efforts in the musical line Imagine my
delight, therefore, on rpceIving for my next
song Que hundred dollars in cash Though
this song was not successful, vet the two ffy-
dollars notes which I received, for II had the
Ell Ct Of start ne me n my present vocation OF
4 s.ng-"fiter."
Il would render this article too much like
catalogue Of popular and standard music" to
give ist u Mr.. Fosters songs. 'sMassa'S in
tn Co't Ground" s-OId Kentucky Home"
s. ~ I-a.s, Garry re Long" SHELLY was
e's = 41as Z ~ ,;,l Hs:e y NAV be
"Susanna' melody has been seized ov MANS
planlst>, tamnng whom may be mentioned Herr
and lhaIberg) as melodic theme peculiarly
suited far treatment wilh variat ions, and
some OF the other negro melodies have
obtained ar equal popularity. Nor is this |
popularity merely local one. In many of I
the Southern States Mr.. Fosters songs have
ben adopted by the slaves to pnlven them
IN thrr corn huskings and field !abors. Their
lame ms also crossed the ocean. In a private
letter rom one who has secently returned from
an extended pedestrian tour through the border
land o Scotland. where th- songs of Burns
and th. Older oral Scotch ballads are known
and sulg By every one, occurs the following
passag
81 sent several weeks among the poetic
hills Eurick, along the braps of Yarrow, so i,
ilmrdn Scottish border minstrrlsy, and here ;
found Gmr Of Fosters earIirr melodies w4r. !
a'mostdISplacIng, IN the estimation Of the :
sh~phtd boys and cottage girls. The s,nos
OF Buns and Ramsay. Often, in the Scottish a
ootiags, after the bag pipes have droned ont "
lleir accompaniment 10 Scots wha hae' and :
LordAihoi's Cou-tship,' a voice will take M :;
'nr these American melodies, and all :,
ialh"ed around the ingle-sid- will Join in the
amps refrain and thus the Pantive, touching :;
'lraln;Iat are first sung m The dark. soo,v :"
aFay above the smoke and steam of CITY hE4 y
lbat across tn" Atlantic, and>ar heard upon -
IL heaihrry hills Of Ettfick, and anopr the "a
UkS that grow on The 'braes OF Yarrnw.n
kvorahIr mention has also been made Of ,h-n
pm California, China, Australia, and even :.
# deserts "t Africa, through the foreign and :
lmr correspondence Of our newspaD.Gs
/ Ethiopian mnstrtl.y, as it is called. has. "a
Pprecatng this fact, Mr. Foster has lately
tnewlat changed his styL', and abandoning ~
Y use of negro jargon, he now writes sonpS " '"
ttcr adapted for general use. While ne " .1
Elodies Exhibit decided improvement. the
Prds ar" rythmical, always unexcpp,ionahle ~,
point OF moral, and as good, porticalIy ca
hsldered, as The majority Of songs We do ~
h say that Mr.. Fosters "nelodirs" can bp
80 I'D - p .'.oSe 'na' IaVF immor'aluzed tn,
Is Moore hut we do maintain that the COM
Fsr who produced such popular and pleasing
PCS as ''GrntIp Annie" ''WilIie we have
Used You," "Maggie bv nv side" 81 See of
Fr Still IN my Dreams" "Old Dog Tray,' no
fannle with the LIght Brown Hair" &c, TO
E"rves an honorable mention, as one OF those ey
10 has enlarged the pleasure Of thousands. yo
The reason OF the popularity Of Mr.. Fosters IN
gs ies IN their easy flowing melody, the in
heretce 10 plain chords in the acconpanl-
pts AID The avoidance of ruiricacy in the ,hi
Ilmon, or embarrassing accidentals in the Da
fody They have family resemblance. tha
mot eeater than the simpler melodies OF ocC
| pini al Donizpt,i, and the composer is no Uni
Re try open to The charge ofsrIf-pagarism ph
p arehose Italian meodisis. And, as Mr.. mo
Her istlll young, he mav improve and dre