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From an early age, Stephen Foster sought out an escape from his less-than-happy upbringing in Pennsylvania. His father’s alcoholism and the family’s financial plight led Foster and his siblings to retreat elsewhere. And, so, music became a temptation and inevitably, Foster’s lifelong devotion.
He began his career in 1844 with a tune named “Open Thy Lattice Love”. But it wasn’t until 1847, when he was 21 that the world began to take notice. The well-known Foster tune, “Oh! Susanna” made its debut in 1848 with “De Camptown Races” following in 1850.
Success starting in 1849 allowed Stephen to abandon his mundane job as a bookkeeper and take on work with a publishing company. It was from this base that Foster began composing the music that defined his career. However, Foster’s financial situation never improved and his health and mental state deteriorated at the same time. He died, penniless and alone, in New York City at the age of 38.
Although relatively little is known of Stephen Foster, he was the first professional composer in American History. His folk tunes are still as much a part of America’s past musical accomplishments today as they were in the 19th Century.
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