Stephen Collins Foster

Books about Stephen Collins Foster and his music

Ken Emerson Doo-Dah: Stephen Foster and the Rise of American Popular Culture Da Capo Press, 1998; ISBN 0306808528; 416 pages In "the first true biography of Foster in more than sixty years and the only good one . . . Emerson lays out this complex story with grace, originality, dispatch, and insight" ("Robert Christgau, "The Los Angeles Times"). 34 illustrations. Price indication: $ 18.95

Ellen Hunter Ulken Beautiful Dreamer: The Life of Stephen Collins Foster Xlibris Corporation, 2005-03-16; ISBN 1413467369; 108 pages While East Coast composers of the mid-1800s continued to imitate the music of their European forebears, Pittsburgh native Stephen Foster infused his compositions with the rich and diverse flavors of river life. By mixing this "western" essence with the style of traditional English folk songs, he created an original American sound. "Oh! Susannah," his first hit, became the banner song of forty-niners during the California gold rush. "Old Kentucky Home," "Old Folks at Home," "Camptown Races" and "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair" are still sung a century and a half later. But despite the popularity of his music, the pioneer of American songwriting died in poverty. Beautiful Dreamer is his story. Price indication: $ 6.69

Helen Boyd Higgins STEPHEN FOSTER BOY MINSTREL Bobbs-Merrill Company Inc, 1963-01-01 Price indication: $ 1.76

Susan Zannos The Life and Times of Stephen Foster (Masters of Music) Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2003; ISBN 1584152133; 48 pages Stephen Foster was a musical genius born at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and into the wrong family. The middle of the 19th Century was an era of development, of conquering the land and building canals and railroads. The men who were admired were the engineers and builders, the developers and inventors, not artists and composers. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cincinnati, Ohio where Stephen grew up and spent his early years were rough river towns. Fortunes were made and lost transporting goods on the rivers. The Foster family was originally successful, but by the time Stephen was born on the 4th of July 1826, they were losing their land and their home. The years of Stephen's childhood were spent in cheap boarding houses or living with relatives. Little attention was given to the quiet, dreamy boy who wanted only to wander with his flute down along the levee. There he listened to the music of the African Americans who worked on the riverboats. Stephen's father considered his interest in music to be a bad habit. Stephen persisted in writing songs—the best-loved and most famous songs in America. But he wrote his songs before the days when copyright laws protected songwriters. If he had written his music today—"Oh! Susanna," "My Old Kentucky Home," "Camptown Races," "Old Black Joe," "Way Down Upon the Swanee River" he would be a millionaire many times over. When Stephen Foster died in poverty in New York in 1864, he was not completely penniless. He had 38 cents in his pocket, one penny for each year he lived. Price indication: $ 12.97

William W. Austin Susanna, Jeanie, and the Old Folks at Home: The Songs of Stephen C. Foster from His Time to Ours Macmillan Pub Co, 1975; ISBN 0025045008; 420 pages Price indication: $ 0.38

Dorothy Berlinger joint arr Commins and Sharp and Stephen Collins Foster and John Tasker Howard and A treasury of Stephen Foster No publisher, 1946; 222 pages Price indication: $ 0.45

John Tasker Howard Stephen Foster, America's troubadour Tudor Pub. Co, 1943; 445 pages Price indication: $ 0.94

John Tasker Howard Stephen Foster: America's troubadour Tudor Pub. Co, 1945; 445 pages Price indication: $ 3.50

Helen Boyd Higgins Stephen Foster: Boy minstrel (Childhood of famous Americans) (Childhood of famous Americans) Bobbs-Merrill Co, 1963; 200 pages Price indication: $ 4.05

Stephen Foster and William Sharp (illustrator) and John Tasker Howard (Historical notes) and Deems T A Treasury of Stephen Foster Random House, 1947 Price indication: $ 2.75

Esther; Illustrated By Jo Polseno Douty The Story of Stephen Foster. Signature Books Series Grosset & Dunlap, 1954-01-01 Price indication: $ 0.75

Paul Green The Stephen Foster story Samuel French, 1960; 107 pages Price indication: $ 44.90

John Tasker Howard Stephen Foster, America's troubadour Tudor Pub. Co, 1940; 445 pages Price indication: $ 6.00

Harold Vincent Milligan Stephen Collins Foster: A biography of America's folk-song composer G. Schirmer, 1920; 116 pages Stephen Foster occupies a unique position in the history of music, not only of this country, but of the world. No other single individual produced so many of those songs which are called "folk-songs," by which is meant songs that so perfectly express the mood and spirit of the people that they become a part of the life of all the "folk" and speak as the voice, not of an individual, but of all. So completely do the "folk" absorb these songs and adapt them to their own uses, that the individuality and frequently even the name of the originator is completely lost, thus giving rise to the erroneous idea that a "folk-song" is a song created not by an individual but by a community. It is obvious that all things must have a beginning, however obscure, and every folk-song is first born in the heart and brain of some one person, whose spirit is so finely attuned to the voice of that inward struggle which is the history of the soul of man, that when he seeks for his own self-expression, he at the same time gives a voice to that vast "mute multitude who die and give no sign." Such a one was Stephen Foster, more fortunate in his fate than that glorious company of nameless poet-souls, whose aspiration after "the fair face of Beauty, haunting all the world," is preserved in the folk-songs of the world. Price indication: $ 15.50

Sheet music, libretti, etc.

An Old Kentucky Garden: Operetta in Two Acts Based on the Music of Stephen C. Foster - Raymond A. Hoffman Co
Vocal score and libretto complete for operetta based on the music of Stephen C. Foster. Includes full directions for staging costumes and dance steps. The arrangements preserve the delightful simplicity and purity of Stephen Foster's original work. Musical numbers include: The Merry, Merry Month of May; Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair; Some Folks; Camptown Races; Oh! Susanna; and other songs. Charming work features a melodramatic story with unpaid debts, stolen jewels, and of course, true love.

Memories of Stephen Foster. An Album of Songs by America's Most Beloved Composer [ songbook ] - NY, Edward B Marks Music

Stephen Collins Foster: Sixty Favorite Songs (Bill's Music Shelf) - Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
Sixty of American composer Stephen Collins Foster?s (1826-1864) best-loved songs in the composer?s original piano arrangements with added guitar chords. The texts have been revised to capture the spirit Foster intended, eliminating obsolete or objectionable lyrics. A detailed introduction by musicologist Steven Saunders describes both Foster?s biography and the traditions surrounding nineteenth-century popular songs. Well-known Foster songs like ?Camptown Races,? ?Oh Susanna,? and ?Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair? are included, along with a number of pieces that have been popularized by contemporary recordings such as ?Slumber My Darling? and ?Hard Times Come Again No More.? Songs never before included in published collections, like ?The Voice of By Gone Days,? ?Turn Not Away,? and ?Willie We Have Missed You,? provide singers the opportunity to become familiar with new titles. The collection demonstrates Foster?s range as a writer of parlor songs, comedic ballads, Civil War tunes, and religious hymns.

Stephen Foster & Co.: Lyrics of the First Great American Songwriters - Library of America
Stephen Foster (1826-1864) is the trunk of the tree of American song. His blackface minstrel songs, including "Oh! Susanna," "Old Folks at Home" ("Way down upon the Swanee River..."), and "My Old Kentucky Home," and his parlor ballads, such as "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" and "Beautiful Dreamer," have inspired composers, songwriters, and performers from Charles Ives and George Gershwin to Ray Charles and James Taylor. Foster devoted as much care and craft to his lyrics as he did to his timeless melodies. In this comprehensive new selection, acclaimed music historian Ken Emerson introduces and annotates the lyrics to more than 30 of Foster's best and best-known songs. These masterpieces by America's first full-time professional songwriter have been so deeply absorbed into our culture that they are often assumed to be folk music. Alongside are 49 other 19th-century American popular songs that influenced Foster or that he in turn inspired, from "Home! Sweet Home!" in the 1820s to "Western Home" (the original "Home on the Range") in the 1870s.<br> "With his usual taste and insight, Ken Emerson has given us a much-needed collection of the lyrics of Stephen Foster and the other trailblazing talents who first defined American popular songwriting." -Elijah Wald, author of <i>How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'N' Roll</i><p>

Stephen Foster : Immortal Melodies - New York: Robbins Music

Stephen Foster Favorites (From the Bastiens...) - Neil A Kjos Music
Eleven cherished favorites of the great American composer Stephen Foster in easy, single line form. Some include simple accompaniments. Appealing first-year supplementary reading material for use with any piano course. Level 1.

Stephen Foster for Mountain Dulcimer - Mel Bay Publications, Inc.
This book presents fretted dulcimer arrangements of 58 Stephen Collins Foster classics. Each song is written as a melody line in standard notation with dulcimer tablature beneath plus complete lyrics, historical notes, and suggested guitar chords. Cover graphics from the original nineteenth century sheet music publications lend grace and authenticity, and songwriters and music historians will find much interest in this book. The tunings used are DAD, DAA, DGD, and DAA#D. Intended for experienced beginners to intermediate players, many of these pieces require a 6 1/2 fret dulcimer and a capo. The author includes an insightful essay on the life of Stephen Foster (1826-1864)-a gifted, once successful songwriter whose career decisions and abuse of alcohol lead to personal financial disaster, a broken family, and an early death. His legacy is a treasury of songs reflecting the social issues and romantic illusions of his time. This spiral-bound volume contains both well-known and lesser known tunes. The attached companion CD contains 33 of the book's 58 tunes. Notation and tablature.

Stephen Foster Song Book - Dover Publications
<DIV><DIV>Forty favorites: <I>Beautiful Dreamer</I>, <I>Camptown Races</I> (<I>Gwine to Run All Night</I>), <I>Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair</I>, <I>Oh! Susanna</I>, <I>Old Black Joe</I>, <I>The Song of All Songs</I>, <I>That's What's the Matter</I>, <I>There Are Plenty of Fish in the Sea</I>, <I>Way Down in Ca-i-ro</I>, <I>When This Dreadful War Is Ended</I>, more.</DIV></DIV>

Stephen Foster Songbook 87 Worlds Favorite - Ashley Publications Inc. - 39 titles, including: B

Stephen Foster Songs for Harmonica - Not Avail
Stephen Collins Foster was the "tune smith" of the 1800 s. His music was everywhere. Foster s music has become part of our folklore and is still being played today. This book gives you 60 of these popular tunes simplified for easy playing. There are patriotic songs, Civil War songs, sentimental love songs, comedy songs, nonsense songs and mournful songs. Almost any type of harmonica, diatonic 10 hole, chromatic harmonica, blues harp, tremolo and octave tuned double reed instruments are able to perform this music. Tablature (arrows and numbers) is provided to help you understand the playing techniques for the harmonica. The split-track CD provides 23 selected tunes for the listening portion of this book with harmonica on one channel and accompaniment on the other. The audio will help "ear" players to enjoy these special tunes.

The Songs of Stephen Foster - Hal Leonard Corporation
The first great American songwriter, Stephen Foster's songs are now part of the American folk tradition. This collection presents 30 of his compositions, plus photos and a new biography. Includes: Beautiful Dreamer * Camptown Races * Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair * My Old Kentucky Home * Oh! Susanna * Old Folks at Home (Swanee River) * more.