The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-07-11
STEPHENFOSTER
MASTEROFSONG
AUTHOR OF FAMOUS BALLADS
RESTS UNDER PLAIN GRAVE
STONE - HOW HIS FAMOUS
MELODIES WERE WRITTEN.

The Fourth Of July, 1925, marked
the half century of the birth of the
American nation, and naturally was
celebrated with a great display Of ora
tory and fireworks. 1t was about noon
of that day-the same day on which
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
died-that a patriotic company on the
outskirts of old Pittsburg were listen
ing to the national salute from the
arsenal cannon and martial airs from
the band, when word came that a son
had been born to the man who was the
chief spirit of the celebration. The
child who made his advent under such
glorious aSpfceS was destined to be-
come Americas most popular song
writer, the author Of my Old Ken
lucky Home" and "Suwannee River"
and $50 other ballads that everybody
used to stng-Stephen Collins Foster.
His body rests today under a plain
gravestone. Of the old-fashione6 sort,
just like his songs, and many think
that more elaborate memorial would
be out of keeping. But others hold
that by such a memorial Pittsburg
would be honoring herself, rather than
the poet and composer and so a move
ment is on foot to have the obscure
grave in the Allegheny cemetery, al
most within view of the spot where he
was born, marked with suitably dig
nified monument. One already exists
in Highland park, but it is not COM
mensurate with Fosters fame and his
high rank as a writer of songs. An
other suggestion is to have the memo
rial take the form of a music pavilion
in Schenley park.
1t was Foster who first delved into
the rich fount Of negro melody to find
the inspiration Of truly American
music. There is no primitive people
that has a greater wealth of haunt
ing themes than the descendants of
the African slaves, and the ante bel
lum plantation resounded with the
tinkle of the banjo and the chant of
the cotton pickers. When Stephen
was still a child he would frequently
be taken to a negro church and camp
meeting by a mulatto girl, who was a
bound servant in the household, and so
he got some of the rhythmic tunes
of the darkies early into his blood.
There had been a musical strain in
his makeup from the first-his ances-
try was Irish and one of his mothers
antecedents was Italian. When little
Stephen was only two years old he
would often pick out harmonies on a
guitar lying on the floor, and when he
was only seven he was taken into a
music store, where he took up a flute,
and in a few minutes had mastered
its stops sufficiently to play Hail Co
lumbia."
A Native Musical Genius.
About that time there were several
negro airs that had become very popu-
lar; especially Jim Crow and Zip
Coon" A number of the boys in the
neighborhood had fitted up an old car
riage house as a theatre and gave
juvenile performances, at which nine
year-old Stephen was the musical star.
He was a native musical genius; that
fact was admitted by his comrades,
who granted him the only salary"
paid out by the company, the others
assuming the risks of management.
When there was a surplus in the
treasury a dividendw as declared suf-
ficient to enable the company to see
Edwin Forrest or Julius Brutus Booth
on their visits to the old Pittsburg
theatre.
Native musical genius was not the
sole equipment of the future song
writer. He had lessons from Henry
Kleber. who had opened proably the
first music store in Pittsburg. His
brother has recorded that he gave
much time to the study of Beethoven,
Mozart and Weber. He delighted in
improvisation upon the piano. He sang
with profound feeling. One of his IA
vorite songs was Tennyson's May
Queen" set to music by Dempster, and
as he sang the pathetic words tears
would often flow from his cheeks.
1t was inevitable that he should try
his hand at composition. He was 16
when his first song was published: it
was open They Lattice, Love" Two
or three years later a club Of young
men used to gather to sing some OF
the popular negro melodies of the day
under his leadership, and, to enlarge
their repertoire, he suggested that they
produce some songs of their own.
THE Louisiana Belle" was the first
both words and music, and a week
| later came odd Uncle Ned" which
made him famous. The following year
| he was in Cincinnati, working as a
| bookkeeper for his brother, when he
wrote "Oh, Susannah," another big hit
He gave these two songs to friend
| in the music publishing business, who
made $4,000 out of them. Foster had
| the usual lack of practical business
ability which marks geniuses.
The sweetest and most widely SUNG