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Biographies

Stephen Collins Foster

Early Years  

      Stephen Foster was born July 4, 1826 in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania

      He received some formal musical training from a German immigrant, Henry Kleber, an accomplished and versatile musician in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

      At an early age Foster showed aptitude for the flute. At the age of 13 Stephen Foster wrote “Tioga Waltz” it was a score for 4 flutes in which he was a performer

Music Career  

      His first song was published in 1843 at the age of 18, “Open Thy Lattice Love”

      In 1846 when he as 20 he went to work as a bookkeeper for his brother Dunning’s steamship firm in Cincinnati

      While he was there he sold some of his songs and piano pieces to local music publisher

      In 1847 Foster’s published “Louisiana Belle” the first of minstrel songs

      Foster name did not appear as composer because W.C. Peters secured the copyright

      In 1848 “Oh Susanna” was performed by Christy Minstrels. It was pirated by more than a dozen music publishing firms. He only received $100

      On December 3, 1849 he signed a contract with the New York music publisher, Firth, Pond, and Company

      In 1850 Stephen has 12 compositions in print

      He married that same year

      1852 the couple took a delayed honeymoon to New Orleans with friends. This is the only known trip Foster made to the deep south.

Facts of the Times

      He was the first in the United States to earn a living solely through the sales of compositions to the public

      There was no way of earning money except through 5 to 10 percent royalty

      He earned nothing for the other arrangers’ settings of his songs, Broadsides printings of his lyrics, or for other publishers’ editions of his music

      In the 1850’s an income of a little less than $2000 a year was adequate for comfortable living  

Song Writing Style

      His intention was to write the people’s music, using images and a musical vocabulary that would be widely understood by all groups

      Rather than writing nostalgically for an old south or trivializing the hardships or slavery, Foster sought to humanize the characters in his songs, to have them care for one another, and to convey a sense that all people—regardless of their ethnic identities or social and economic class—share the same longings and needs for family and home

      Foster wrote ballads and dances for parlor singers sand pianists as well as minstrel songs. There were often referred to as “Ethiopian” songs, he began offering a different image, that of a black as a human being experiencing pain, love, joy even nostalgia.

      Foster began using the term “plantation song” for his new compositions, many of which were gentle and nostalgic in text with music that hinted at Irish or Italian ancestry

      Soon he dropped altogether from his texts and eventually referred to his songs as “American melodies”

Declining Career

      In 1853 Foster composed “Social Orchestra,” publishing in 1854 by Firth, Pond, and Company

      The Collection proved to be very popular, but it was not a money-maker for Foster

      He received a flat fee of $150 from the publisher

      He experienced several hardships between 1853 to 1855

      He and Jane separated for a time in 1853

      His close friend Charles Shiras died around same time

      Both his parents died

      He was forced to draw advances from his publishers and found himself unable to supply the new songs he promised them

      As the Civil War approached, Foster’s once-promising songwriting career seemed to be doomed

      His contracts with his publishers had ended, and he had sold all future rights to his songs to pay his debts

      Because of the uncertain economy of war time, he no longer could get a publishing contract

      He collaborated with George Cooper to write the lyrics in 1862 or early 1863

      “There Are Plenty of Fish in the Sea”

      “Kissing in the Dark”

      “My Wife is a Most Knowing Women”

      “If Wife if a Most Knowing Women”

      “Mr. and Mrs. Brown”

      “Willie Has Gone to War”

      “For the Dear Old Flag I Die!”

      During his final years Foster wrote a group of Sunday hymns for song books published by Horace Waters, which were intended for children

      Foster produce almost one hundred songs during his final years in New York  

Financial Crisis

      Fosters only real income was the royalty he earned on sheet-music sales. Altogether he made $15,091.08 in royalties during his lifetime and almost nothing in performing rights

      His heirs, Jane and Marion equally, later earned $4199 in royalties which comes to a total of $19,290 

Annual Contracts

      In 1850 – 1856 the contracts he signed with Firth, Pond and Company of New York and with F.D. Benteen of Baltimore gave him a fair income

      In a little more than 6 years Firth, Pond had paid him a total of $9,596.96, and Benteen $461.885

      In the 1850’s an income of a little less than $2000 a year was adequate for comfortable living

      By 1857 he offered to sell his future rights to 36 songs to Firth, Pond and Company for $2,786.77. It was settled for $1500 in cash and notes. Also they cancelled the amount of $372.85

      In 1858 Foster made a new contract with Firth, Pond and Company in which he agreed to compose for them exclusively for 2 ½ years

      He was to receive a royalty of 10% on the retail price of his songs and advance $100 on each song he wrote, up to 12 a year

      In the 2 ½ year agreement until August 9, 1860, he published 16 songs which earned royalties of only $700

      July of 1860, he was overdrawn at the publishers by nearly $1400. He sold his future rights to Firth, Pond and Company, this time for $1600

      The publishers deducted the overdraft and paid Stephen $203.36

      Firth, Pond and Company was said to have offered him a salary of $800 for writing 12 songs a year

      A Philadelphia publisher Lee and Walker, agreed to pay him $400 for 6 songs

      These arrangements would assure him of at least $1200 A year

      The salary contracts with Firth, Pond and Company and with Lee and Walker did not last long he began selling songs for cash to the publishers

Failing Health  

      By the summer of 1861 Jane and Marion went to Lewistown, Pennsylvania, to visit Jane’s sister

      Stephen lived alone for several months, and his loneliness made him drink more heavily

      By this time his habits were becoming a serious problem, and Jane paid what money she could for various “cures”

      By September Jane was worried. She borrowed train fare from Morrison Foster, and made a trip to New York

      After one look at Stephen, she decided he must not be alone, and the family tired living in a boarding house. But it did not work.

      She realized that New York was not the place for Stephen, and she did everything she could to get him away and to have him join her in some place where the strain and tension would be less

      Various family members tried to help Jane persuade Stephen to leave

Death

      In January of 1864, he was living at North American Hotel. He was ill and suffering from a “fever and ague.” He may have had tuberculosis; Several of the Fosters are known to have had the disease

      On the morning of January 10^th, George Cooper received a message to come quickly to the hotel

      Stephen had risen from his bed and fallen on a piece of crockey

      Alone his neck, near the jugular vein, was a long, bloody cut.

      A doctor came and sewed the cut with black thread. Then they dressed him and took him to Bellevue Hospital

      Stephen improved at first, but on the third day in the hospital he fainted while his wounds were being dressed, and never became conscious again

      He died at half past two on the third afternoon of Wednesday, January 13, 1864

      Morrison and Jane joined his brother Henry, came to New York and took Stephen’s body from the morgue, back to Pittsburgh, where he was laid to rest in the family plot in Allegheny Cemetery

Music Genre List

       Abraham Lincoln – 80.7568.10

       Cantata – 80.7568.20

       Dance Music – 80.7568.30

                   Fox Trot

                   Galop

                   Hornpipe

                   Jig

                   Mazurka

                   Polka-Mazurka

                   Polka-Redowa

                   Polka

                   Polonaise

                   Quadrille

                   Quickstep

                   Redowa

                   Reel

                   Schottisch

                   Tyrorienne (Fr. Tyrolese, Tyrolean)

                   Tyrolienne

                   Waltz (Fr. Valse)

       Dirge – 80.7568.40

       March – 80.7568.50

                   Funeral

                   Grand

       Minstrel (Popular) – 80.7568.60

                   Air (Aria)

                   Art Song

                   Ballad (English, French, German, Irish, and Italian)

                  African American Dialect

                  Domestic

                  Ethic

                  Firefighters

                  General

                  Lost Love

                  Love Song

                  Nature Song

                  Novelty Song

                  Ocean Song

                  Sea Song

                  Temperance

                  Traditional

       National – 80.7568.70

       Opera – 80.7568.80

                   Ballad Opera

                   Comic Opera (English)

                   Opera Buffa (Italian)

                   Opera Comique (French)

                   Scena

                   Singspiel (German)

       Orchestral Music – 80.7568.90

       Political – 80.7568.100

                   Campaign                                      

                   Candidates

                   Election

                   Nominees

                   Propaganda

                   Emancipation

                   Women Suffrage

       Religious – 80.7568.110

                   African American Spiritual

                   Chant

                   Hymn

                   Sacred

       Sonata – 80.7568.120

       Suite – 80.7568.130

            Serenade

       War Songs – 80.7568.140

                   Mexican-American War (1846-1848)

                   United States Civil War (1861-1865)

                  Confederate States of America

                  Union States of America

                   Spanish-American (1898)

                   War World I (1914-1918)

                  African American Troops

                  Anti-Abraham Lincoln

                  Anti-Jefferson Davis

                  Anit-McClellan

                  Anti-War

                  Battle

                  Death of Soldier

                  Draft

                  Marching

                  McClellan

                  Rally

                  Soldier Song

                  Peace

                  Victory

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