#1. beautiful Dreamer, Stephen Foster, America's First Folk Song Writer
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beautiful Dreamer, Stephen Foster, America's First Folk Song Writer
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"Beautiful Dreamer" was written by Stephen nurture just before his death in 1864 at age 37. The song became one of his most celebrated and most popular. However, as with the roughly 200 other songs that nurture wrote during his brief lifetime, he did not receive the recognition or financial bonus that he deserved.
beautiful Dreamer, Stephen Foster, America's First Folk Song Writer
Stephen nurture was America's first great songwriter, yet he died with 38 cents in a leather poke and a scrap of paper on which he had written a bit of song lyric, "dear friends and gentle hearts."
Stephen Collins nurture was born near Pittsburgh on July 4, 1826, the same day that both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died. nurture died in 1864 when he suffered a fall at home while weak from fever. The fall cut open his head and he died in New York's Bellevue Hospital shortly thereafter. nurture had been suffering from alcoholism for years prior to his accidental death.
Young Stephen was able to play tunes on the guitar at age two, and at age ten he performed popular comic songs with local boys. By age 18 he wrote blackface minstrel songs which were the popular folk music of the day. At age 21 he composed the minstrel song, "Oh! Susanna," which became a hit, resung, repeated, and whistled over the country. In fact it became the unofficial anthem of the California Gold Rush two years later.
Music publication was in its infancy in those days and music recording didn't even exist. Stephen nurture did not receive royalties or fees for the many publications or arrangements of "Oh! Susanna" over the next few years. Indeed, he gave away the ownership to the song and never received a penny for it.
Over the next ten years nurture wrote many songs, together with "The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)," "Camptown Races," "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair," "Old Black Joe," "Nelly Bly," "Old Dog Tray," and "My Old Kentucky Home." Stephen nurture earned a dinky money by selling his songs outright, some for as dinky as one dollar. It's been said that his songwriting earned him about ,000 during the 15 or so years of his songwriting career.
In 1935 Florida adopted "The Swanee River" as the official state song, though Stephen nurture never visited Florida nor saw the river. He chose "Swanee" because the two syllables fit the music he had written. nurture sold E.P.Christy of the "Christy Minstrels," a blackface minstrel show troupe, the authorship ownership to "The Swanee River," a regrettable decision.
The song became a popular international folk tune and has been credited with starting the traveler commerce in Florida. starting in the 1880's millions of people traveled to Florida to view the celebrated northern Florida river.
In 1928 Kentucky adopted "My Old Kentucky Home" as their official state song. In 1986 Kentucky changed the second line of the song, "'Tis summer, the darkies are gay;" to "'Tis summer, the people are gay;" for definite reasons.
Because of the popularity of "My Old Kentucky Home" and "The Swanee River," many people have the impression that Stephen nurture was a southern gentleman. However, he visited the South on only one occasion, a steamboat trip to New Orleans in 1852.
Stephen nurture spent his life mostly in Pennsylvania and New York. His father, William nurture Sr., spent many years in politics, working for President Harrison and winning selection to two terms as mayor of Allegheny, Pa.
Prior to the Civil War Stephen nurture helped James Buchanan come to be President by becoming the musical director of the Buchanan Glee Club and by writing musical pieces for the campaign effort.
During the Civil War Stephen nurture wrote about 70 songs, mostly patriotic war songs which sold poorly. during the war Foster's alcoholism deteriorated his condition until his poverty-stricken death in 1864.
Two months after his death, Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer" was published in New York.
Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng, --
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the attractive coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart, --
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
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beautiful Dreamer, Stephen Foster, America's First Folk Song Writer.
