Printed: | 1998 | Author: | Ken Emerson |
Publisher: | Da Capo Press | ISBN: | 0306808528 |
Suppliers: |
The Atlantic Monthly, Phoebe-Lou Adams
As everyone surely knows, Stephen Foster (1826-1864) was a prolific composer of American popular
songs that spread around the world. Bayard Taylor (1825-1878) heard "Oh! Susanna" sung in
Hindi in Delhi. Foster's songs were irresistible. Foster himself was a feckless drunk who managed to be paid
very poorly for his music at a time when other popular composers prospered. Mr. Emerson covers the rise of
American popular culture as well as Foster's sad career, and does it well.