, 1859-04-28

lFthA the New } ME- SGill+. Fust1
The musical composer who really furnishes
the great n,n orjty If our songs, and WHOSE pro
ductions hase the widest popularity amoug I'll.
nasses Of our people, is knuwn to very few o
them, even by reputation. The new melodie.
that gree, the public car mouth after month
J aud are sung, whis,led, and hummed by 1luu
sands-tl4nt are thumpcd TN piauo-foetes, thrum
med On baujocs, breathed On flutes, tortured
j into variations, and enjoy wide, though, after
all, csanesccnt popularity, are chiefly til. pro-
duct Of Que fertile Lrailr--and that BRAIN us
| Mr. Micawlrr would s4v, is the brain apper-
timing to Mlr. Stephen Z. Foster. This gentle
man Is native of Pittsburgh, aua has spent I'LL
his DAYS there, excepting three years 1T Cincin-
nati and two 1T New York. lie was born Oh the
al, Ut July, 1e4s;, thc very day that John,
| Ada,,,s nud Tln..nas jefferson died, and is,
therefore, HOW in his t!sirty-third year. Ills
father. Mr. Wil!jaln i3. Foster. was a Ph,sbnrs
| merchant, =: member Of the State Legislature,
sclueutly occupied an otGcial post Gndcr the
| federal 4nyrrll,lstnt. His oldest sister is tile
wife Of Rev E. !. buchanan, the only brother
Of the President Of the United States. Stephen
| G. Foster is tie Youngest ot his family.
lie enjoyed but limited opportunities for nlu-
| sicai instruction, and touk hut few lessons.
! Wien Minetceu years old he composed fur a
social quartettc club, Of which he WAS nlen,-
ber his first successful song, the popular fayor-
| ite, Cncc Ned" it WAS shortly afterwards
| sung at i public conccrt in Clncinnati. aud
received snch applause that Mr.. William {. Pc
! tcrs, Il music publisher in that city, requested
| the privilege III publishing it, which was at
once granted. Mr.. Foster next composed " :su-
.anna.' which was lllurc simple in its style, and
became even naorc popular. III 4 private letter,
Mr.. Foster writes: II had up 10 This time nei-
ther received nor thought Of my pecuniary
remuneration for my efforts i'll tile musical line.
Imagine MY delight, therefore, on receiving for
my ncAt sous ont hundred dollars in cash !:
Though this song was not successful, yet the
two tilly dollar notes which l received for it
had The ebert II starting me in my PR sent so
cati,n of :, song writer.
1t would rcndcr this article too much like
catalogue Of popular and standard music" 10
give list Of Mr. Fosters songs. "Massa's in
Tie Coid Grunnd," "uld Kentucky Home"
Iii: Boys, Carry me Long" :" Nelly WAS
Lady" anil old Folks ut Ilone,' nay be men-
tened as slu.oug the nlust popular His *'susan~
ia ,ncioIy tas been seized BY MANY pjnnists.
,sl%ong whom may be mentioned Herr and
Tlal!,er. as :. nltlodc theme peculiarly suited
or treattlsrnt with variations, and some of the
utlcr 1,r.ro melodies hare obtained all equal
popularity. Nor is this popularity merely u To-
cal ono. III ,llauv ot the southern states Mr..
Fosters songs havr been :,i"pte.I by the siaves
II cnlvtn item in their curil Luskin.s and field
iAbors. Their E1ulc llas aisu crossed thu ocean.
In private Latter from one who las recently
returned from All extended pedestrian tour
through the border land Of Scotland, where the
songs Of burns and the older oral Scotch bal
l:uIs are known u aud sung by every one, Of
cssrs the following passage: :" spent several
weeks amid the poetic hills Of Ettrick, along tile
brars nf larrnw, 20 famed in Scottish border
minStrclsy, and shcre fund >tue u Fnster's
earlier melodies we're almost dlsplacing, in the
estimation Of tt.r shepherd boys a;1d cottage
girls. the songs Of Burns and Ka,llsar. Often,
III tue Scottish cottages, after the bagril'rs have
l:unrd out their accompaniment IL Sc"s wEa
har and Lord lthol's t'nuriship.' voice will
take N, nHc Of these American melodies, and all
gathered around the inslr-sdc will join in the
simple refrain; and thus tl'v pl.lltiye, touching
Strains TINT arr first sun. III the dark, $ooty
tywh ot Ptt>bur@, IN the Mu,nnEateia rise
.lway abuye tn. smoke and steam ot the city
!ilc, toat :lcrn** the itnic and are heard upon
tie Aratlrry Hills If l:,tricS. am. anlony the
Iirks that grew IN the bt:lcS If lurrt,w'' -
Favorable mention has also ('eru made Vi them
!rom California, China, Australia, aud eren tile
deserts If Africa, through triurti gn aad hnnle
correspondence If our newspapers,
Ethiopian 'ssi,,>,rc!*y, it is allied, has, how
ever. eliminated, and is HI" mi decline APP
,rreia;!n- this fact, Mr. l>trr has lately su'slr-
Ntl;u chatlstI lis >tylr. and abandoning, the
st~r If negro jargon, lie now writes sengs let
Ter adapted ior general usr- "hilt tho ssseso-
dies 4rAhibit ! decided improvement, t1e words
>lre rytl,:Eica1, always uht1c"rtiunahlt III rul:t
If 'n"ral. and :,> g"nd roc,ieally c"'t>,lercd
tue MAJORITY nj songs. We 'fu nut sly that Mr.
Fosters "i,itln.lics'' c:n BE- Compared with those
that have iInnoltasIxcu tie nalllrs Ut DurES,
Barry Cornwall "r Thomas Noore; hut We do
maintain that the es''l'n.rr" VII" produced snch
popular and pleasant songs rs 't:rntlr Annie,
Willie w have Missed inu,' Maggie by my
SIDE" Il s,r Her Still in lily l'rrau1s," "Hll
l1t.. Tray" "jcannic with the Light Brown
Hair" Ae., deserves I'LL honorable mention, as
BAL If
thousands.
Tl,t reason Of thc popularity Of Mr. Fosters
>,'tsSs lics in their easy, lluw1y melody, thc aa-
hsrrnve ~ plain Guards in lie :ceuMpauinacnts,
an'l '''v avoidance Of inricarT in tic harmony
"r embarrassing aecs'le'tals in thu nlcluty.
1|an the simpler lt4clndiys Of iirllini ami uuu-
@ttti :Ii te r"l;,:"=r: i more trulv open to
shr charge uf >tli-I,laSiAriem 1hau ;.rt tts,>t
italian rlrimii>t<. And, is Mr. Foster is still
,nuns, hr may improve and elevate Ills style.
ill liz :ttains Il musical reputation that will be
1l,'rr than crhrihesal.
CHILDREN CNpEN FutKrEEs 1nE Theatre.
IN act in rtli1inn to tho Stw lurk theatrcs.
sd bv the late 1c-istaturr> provides that il
.l,ll In i,uIuviu ~; .nv owner, lessee. HAIL
accr, nSrrt .r o'licer If any theatre in the city
nj New Ynrk so a>l.nN tn auy theatrical cxhib-
tiun. lIed in the evening. any minor under the
.e u! fourteen 1eafs. unt>S s,tcll ll'1lof Is ae~
cn,n,,anied bv aud IL in care Ut same nduit per
,un. The law makes my person violating this
provision guilty uf II nlisdctlranor, and liable Ia
liAt, nut l.ss than tWchtv'iivo dollars, nor
n.nrc than one hundred dollars. or i,nptisnll~
,lr,1 for u term not less than ten nuEe than
ninety days fur each offence.
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Paraguay Manners aud Customs.
From the pen If the traveller who cu.slsnuni-