Today is Stephen Foster Memorial Day. We can hear some of you asking: Who is Stephen Foster and why are we remembering him?
Stephen Foster is a 19th century American song writer that unfortunately died at the young age of 37. He is known as the father of American music and his songs reflected American traditions and folklore. During his short life, he wrote over 200 songs. Although most of his songs were either parlor or minstrel in style, he incorporated Irish melodies, German songs, and Italian operas, making his music as much of a melting pot as the American culture.
Some of his songs we still sing today, such as Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, and Beautiful Dreamer. Kentucky chose his song My Old Kentucky Home as their official state song while Florida chose Old Folks at Home (also known as Swanee River) as theirs.
His songs represented America as she existed then. Over the decades, some of the lyrics have been deemed racist and have been revised.
On October 27, 1951, the United States Congress passed a joint resolution authorizing the President to issue a proclamation declaring January 13, the date of his death, as Stephen Foster Memorial Day, which President Truman did on December 13, 1951.
Hopefully this little taste as whetted your appetite to learn more about Stephen Foster and his music. Take time today to honor his unique place in American history.