Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1923-07-21
DEDICATION OF THE
OLD ROWAN HOUSE
Home Of Foster, Author Of my Old
Kentucky Home" Who Sprang
From Eastern Shore Stock

Perhaps no man has given more
pleasure to the American people and
is remembered with greater a1fecti0n
than Stephen Collins Foster, the song
writer. It was a national event at
Bardstown, KY, on the Fourth OF
July, when the old Rowan house,
where Foster on his honeymoon COM
posed "My Old Kentucky Home" was
dedicated as a estate shrine" The
grandson Of a Londonderry emigrant.
ne was born near Pittsburgh on lnde-
Lendence Day, 1926. His mother was
Eliza Clayland Tomlinson, whose
family had lived on the Eastern Shore
OF Maryland since it's settlement by
the English. She is said to have been
"a woman of superior intellect and
culture, endowed with fine poetic
fancy" From both his parents the
composer received inspiration for his
life work: his father was musician
OF some pretensions. At the age OF z
the boy learned to play the fiageolet
At 16 he composed his first published
song, "Open Thy Lattice, Love-
Louisiana Belle" "Old Uncle Ned
and "Oh, Susannah," belong to the
year 1845-46, when he was still less
than 20. These three songs he COM
posed for a meeting of young men
who gathered twice a week at his
fathers house to practice singing. 1t
is worth noting that they rebelled a.
gainst the ballads then in vogue.
Foster has been called a Bohemian,
but he was never man of loose life.
Educated at the Athens Academy and
jefferson College, he was not only
an Industrious student of music but
a painter of promise. One wonders
whether he was not indebted to Mo.
Fart, Beethoven and Weber for the
melody that ran through all his, COM
positions. His days and nights were
occupied with those masters. 1t has
been said that Foster got most of his
inspiration from the negro folk songs.
The fact is that they did not seem to
interest him. At 26 he married and
moved from Pittsburgh to New York.
He lived in these two cities for
most of his life. It was day Of
travelling minstrel shows. Christy's
paid Foster $500 for the right to sing
his "Old Folks at Home" It became
profitable to write songs for such en-
tertainers, and until 1861, when Fos-
ter composed cold Black Joe," he
seems to have done little else. Dr..
Frederick Louis Ritter, who has writ
ten one of the best sketches Of Foster,
says Of him in Emusic in America:
His ballads are, with regard to
melodic and harmonic treatment,
very naive and simple; tonic,
dominant and subdominan t are
all the harmonic material upon
which they rest. But beyond this
natural simplicity, a genuinely
sweet and extremely pleasing
Though at times little too SEN
timental) expression is to. be
found; and good deal of origi-
nality in melodic inventiveness'
belongs to the Foster ballad, tho
in some Of his later ballads, after
he had reached great popularity,
the composer often repeated him
self.
DR.. Ritter calls Foster "the Ameri-
can peoples composer par excel
lence," He inspired music in others.
John Browns Body" for instance, is
Fosters "Ellen Boyne" made over.
The popular song writers today are
constantly initiating him. The "neg-
no ditties" are recognized with the
opening strain and linger in the
memory. But he could do work that
commanded the admiration of cult
waited musicians. What more haunt
ing serenade is there than "Come
Where My Love Lies Dreaming" :?
The number of Fosters songs
words as well as music generally
written by himself, was at least 1875.
The melody jotted down on paper,
came first into his mind. He added
the words at leisure.
The appeal to honely things in the
life of the common people accounts in
part for Fosters popularity as an
American composer. But the melo-
dies that carried the words to the
heart will live as long as there. is an
America. Foster had no vanity, TO
pride of authorship. He allowed one
of his greatest inspirations, "Suwanee
River" to be published as, the work
of Christy. How few people nova
days, other than musicians and pub
fishers, know that "Laura Lee" Old
Dog Tray" "Gentle Annie" and
i 0Rao+; Droo m owl xxyo,.o conopococ