File:Famous American songs (1906) (14763778751).jpg

Identifier: famousamericanso00kobbrich (find matches)
Title: Famous American songs
Year: 1906 (1900s)
Authors: Kobbé, Gustav, 1857-1918
Subjects: Songs, English -- History and criticism National songs -- United States
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell & co
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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red and sixty. Manyof them have become genuine songs 35 famoug american ^ongg of the people, and the most popular,Old Folks at Home, has been trans-lated into nearly all European andseveral Asiatic languages. Even dur-ing Fosters lifetime his music was onthousands, perhaps millions, of lips,but the people who sang his songspassed the man by. It has been saidwith justice that during the last yearsof his life, which were passed in NewYork, the most familiar sounds heheard about him were strains of hisown music, the least familiar sight aface he knew. Now he is recognized —and, after the way of the world, too latefor it to prosper him—as having pos-sessed positive genius for the inventionof simple yet tender and refined melodywhich has not been without its influ-ence in shaping the development ofmusical taste in this country. The re-finement of Fosters melodic inventionis an important factor. Sometimes apopular air is the starting-point of theformation of musical taste. It may be a36
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STEPHEN COLLINS FOSTER flDlD Jfolfiis at l^ome far cry from Old Folks at Home toappreciation oftheNinth Symphonyor Wagner opera; but it would be afurther one if Foster had caught popu-lar fancy with slap-dash, vulgar tunesinstead of with the refined and gentlymelancholic strains of his best pro-ductions. Doubtless it was this refine-ment and tenderness which attractedWilhelmj to the air he asked for—even if his ignorance of English ledhim to call it Black Jack. Foster wrote the words for nearly allhis songs. They are not remarkable aspoetry, but they go very well with themusic. Moreover they express senti-ments that are universal—love ofhome, of mother, of wife, of sweetheart—sentiments that appeal instantly tothe popular heart, and they are melo-dious and easy flowing. Probably notone person out of a thousand, if somany, had heard of the Swanee Rib-ber before Fosters Old Folks atHome was published, and but for that 37 jFamoug American ^ongg song, the stream doubtless still woul

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