Stephen Foster Song Book

By: Foster, Stephen

Book Overview

Stephen Foster's music "Is part of every Americans culture," wrote composer Virgil Thomson, and certainly this is true, for few American composers have created songs as lastingly popular as "Beautiful Dreamer," "Oh Susanna," "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair," "Swanee River" (properly "Old Folks at Home"), "Camptown Races," and "My Old Kentucky Home, Good Night." The fact remains, however, that Foster's melodies have suffered continually at the hands of revisers and arrangers, so that often whet we hear today is only a corrupt version of what Foster actually composed.
This book corrects that situation by assembling 40 songs as Foster originally wrote them. Many have been reproduced from original first-edition sheets, others from early editions, others from facsimiles of first editions. All are reproduced with their covers, to help capture the flavor of the period. Along with the old favorites listed above you will find "The Glendy Burk," "Ah May the Red Rose Live Always," "Massa's in de Cold Ground," "Old Dog Tray," "Old Black Joe," "Nelly Bly," and 28 more. Among these are patriotic songs about the Civil War, plantations slave songs written in dialect, minstrel songs written for traveling companies -- most notably the original Christy Minstrels, and the soft, easy, sentimental ballads that have endeared Foster's music to so many for so long.
Musicologically this volume is an important contribution to the reevaluation of Foster's work. It will also help bring people a little closer to the original work of one of America's best-loved composers. The text by Richard Jackson, head of the Americana Collection of the Library and Museum of the Performing Arts, New York Public Library, covers Foster's life and music and gives a short critical examination of each piece reproduced in this book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486230481
• ISBN13: 9780486230481
• Release Date: June 1974
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.0" x 11.9"

Customer Reviews

An essential of every American Song collection

Stephen Foster has written the largest number of "folk songs" of any American composer. Of course, his compositions are not folk songs by definition, but because they are so widely known, many of these pieces are thought to be just that. Within this volume there are a wide range of songs that the casual singer, voice student or professional singer can successfully work with. The accompaniments are extremely simple, and the vocal melodies are very reasonable for nearly any level and range, not exceeding an octave for the most part. This book is a collection of original sheet music, and it takes the original printing and artwork, which provides a great view into the music. However, the dated notation can make for some difficult reading, particularly with the piano parts. Fortunately, these pieces are simple enough that this should not affect the accompanist.