The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-06-13
MAN WHO WROTE. B.sUwANEE.
Though He Has Been Dead Since 1854,
His Ballads Are still Popular.

In one of the largest music houses
the other day chanced to overhear
young lady giving an order for sew
eral songs, says well known Mil
waukee musician. AS she read off
the list | paid no special attention un-
til my ear caught the titles, "Old Ken
lucky Home "Gentle Annie" and
one or two others.
"What !" l SAID to myself, "are
Fosters songs still sold ?" | had had
a general idea that they were sung
from memory when sung at all, or
that a few copies, yellow with age
and reposlng at the bottom of the
piles of music in some old fashioned
parors, were all that remained of the
once popular ballads. But a few
words with the clerk proved to me
that | was wrong. He told me that
1t was no rare thing for people to ask
Tor them that, If not In stock, they
could still be obtained of Fosters pub
fishers.
This set me to thinking of the
young composer and the melodies
which won for him worldwide fame
Stephen Collins Foster was born in
what is now a part of Pittsburg, July
a, 1926, and died in New York IAN
uary I3, 1864. He was educated at
Athens Academy and Jefferson Col
lege. He was not distinguished for
unusual scholarship, but was a quiet,
serious boy, with fondness for scrib-
bling on scraps of paper in odd corn
ers. His first published song was
"Open Thy Lattice, Love-" written in
IS42, when he was little more than
sixteen years old, and his last work,
beautiful Dreamer" appeared in
1862.
1t is the ballad writer's of a time
that most directly address the people
Foster had word to say, and though
more than fifty years have passed
since he wrote his best songs, they
still have power to speak to us. The
opening notes OF "Nelly Gray" or
"Hazel Dell" or Suwanee River" will
cause hush to fall upon the gayest
company, and to almost every breast
will be conjured up some memory,
sweet or sad of the days that have gone
by.
Stephen Foster was not a musical
prodigy; he had not even a good
technical knowledge of music. His
talent lay rather in the possession Of
an exquisite taste and in a natural
use of the simple rules of harmony
also in his ability to fit words and
notes together. By the very mesmer-
ism of his own heart,power he gave
to his songs life feeling that was
wonderful and that has made them
live. They had a spirit and lnspira-
tlon which made them genuine works
OF art for what can art do better
than to reach the heart?
The popularity attained by Fosters
composition may best be judged by
noting the following figures: "Su.
WouSS INiNSi tuCiS hdNC pCCl oOlQ
considerably over 100000 copies; Of
"My Old Kentucky Home, more
than 100000 copies; "Massa's in the
Cold, Cold Ground" 100000 copies.
Nearly 100, 900 copies of "Old Dog
Tray" were sold in six months.
The Inspiration tor "Massa's in the
Cold, Cold Ground" came to Foster
at Covington, KY. He heard an old
slave bewallling the death of a kind
master, and that he and several other
slaves, aged and worn out in faithful
service, would pass into the hands
of less kind owners. "Old Kentucky
Home" is said to have been suggested
to Foster on hearing an old negro
speak with love and longing of his
former home in Kentucky. Foster
took frequent journeys for the purpose
of acqusinting himself with slave life
i'll all its phases; therefore his work
bore the impress of truth.
His body was taken from New York
to Pittsburg tor burial, aud reposes
in the old Allegheny cemetery, near
the arsenal.-Mk7Oaukee Sentinel