The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-16
Henry T. Finck, in the Nation.

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 VVT7 HAT is American music? The
 \x/ question of nationality Is a
 w more difficult one in music than in any other art. Handel was born in Germany, but he spent the last 47 years of his life in England, where he came under the influence of its greatest com poser, Henry Purcell, and otherwise ab- sorbed so much of the musical-and re- ligious-spirit of the Britons that he may be classed as an English composer. Two other Germans, Gluck and Meyerbeer. helped to build up French opera in the genuine French style. Beethoven was ethnologically a Belgian, but his. grand father made his home in Bonn, and the great composer, from his childhood, lived in a Teutonic atmosphere which resulted in making his works enthusiastically Ger man, or Austrian. Griegs paternal an- cestors were Scotch, and there are some, including the Grieg specialist, Percy Grainger, who hold that there is more of the Scotch spirit ins his music than of the Norwegian.
 Coming to America, how shall we class ifly, say, Walter Damrosch? He was born at Breslau but came to America as a boy and has done all his work here. His compositions are commonplace, and there is in them no more trace of Americanism than there would be if he had remained in Prussia. It is otherwise with Victor Herbert. He was born in Ireland, and for some years practiced music in Stutt- gart; yet his numerous compositions are neither Irish as a rule, nor German, put unmistakably American Indeed, MT. Her bert, in his 40 operettas, or comic operas, helped to build up a real American school of music,'' to- use conventional expression. The most thoroughly Ameri- can of all composers, however, are Stephen Foster and Edward Mcdowell, who were born in this country.
 Stephen Foster has been for decades the most popular of all composers in America. No other songs are sung so often at so- cia, gatherings as his My Old Kentucky Home" Nellie Bly," ''Massa's in de Cold, Cold Ground" willie, We Have Missed You,' and, particularly, 'The Old Folks at Home" of which nearly mil- lion copies were sold before his death in 1884, At recitals one does not hear these delightful songs, because their accom- paniments are so simple; but there can be no doubt that if singer should revive some of the less known of Fosters songs, his or her audiences would appreciate and warmly applaud them Of course, some of the best of them are not available Tor this purpose, as they require chorus for the refrain.
 few years ago a fierce battle ragged around the name of Foster His songs, all the pundits admitted, are popular, but can they be called folk-songs? It is of course all a matter of definition. The chief German authority, Dr. Riemann, in his s'Musik-Lexicon," describes a volks- lied comprehensively as "a song which originated among the people, the author s and composers name being no longer known; or one which has passed into pop ular favor; or. finally, one which has been composed purposely in a popular manner, and is simple and easily understood, har- monically as well as melodically." Others, including pr. Friedlander and several prominent American critics, hold that the name folk-song can be properly applied only to songs the authors of which are unknown. The narrowness and absurdity of this view can be glaringly exposed by a simple question. Suppose some delver among old manuscripts casually discov- cred the names of the creators of a dozen melodies which everybody now classifies as folk-songs; would they, therefore, sud denly cease to be such? Fosters songs are, from every point of view. real folk music; they are American folk-songs.
 Louis C. Elson. in his History of Amer ican Music" tells the story of Foster life, and does not hesitate to class his melodies as real folk-songs; giving, also in chapter on National and Patriotic Music, information about others. like Root and Work, whose war tunes may De classed as fo,k-songs. And now comes the chief of the music division of the Li- brary of Congress with a book of 79 pages devoted entirely to list of Eos ter's songs, compliment which they fully deserve. for the best of Foster s melodies are as genuinely inspired as the folk-songs of any European country. In the preface to this little book MT. Son neck remarks that many of Foster songs. of course. belong to the mid nine teenth century type of sentimental Amer ican parlor ballad. not exactly distin- guished by either beauty or skill, but some of his songs possess the beauty and power of imperishable folk-songs." He calls attention to the rarity of original editions of Fosters songs: at least 15 of them have defied research. Possibly his