Songs of Stephen Foster

Intro: The in this book and the greater part of the knowledge we now have of Stephen Foster’s life and work have become available largely through the efforts of Josiah Kirby Lilly, of Indianapolis, Indiana. His fondness for the melodies of Stephen Foster led him to search for first editions of these songs, and then for portraits of Foster, and for information that would throw increasing light on the composer’s life. A small building erected on his estate to house a pipe organ was named Foster Hall, and from 1931 to 1937 it became a fascinating treasure house of all things pertaining to Stephen Foster. In 1937 these things were given by Mr. Lilly to the “people of the United States,” and they are enshrined in the Stephen Collins Foster Memorial, located on the University of Pittsburgh campus in the city of the composer’s birth.

This collection of Foster songs is here presented for the second time. It first appeared in the Foster Hall edition published in 1934 by Mr. Lilly, who has since transferred publication rights to the University of Pittsburgh.

NOTE: I purchased this vintage 1953 book at an antique mall in Maryland.