Stephen Foster to be honored

Today marks the official commemoration of Stephen Foster Day, a day set aside to celebrate… Today marks the official commemoration of Stephen Foster Day, a day set aside to celebrate the music and life of a man who, in many ways, epitomized American culture through his music.

Pitt’s Center for American Music, Center for Theater Arts and part of the School of Arts and Sciences has teamed up with the Allegheny Cemetery Association to organize this day to recognize his important place in the history of music.

According to Deane Root, director of Pitt’s Center for American Music, Pitt houses the collection of Foster’s original manuscripts and is the center for worldwide interest in his music.

“People celebrate his music and his life all over the world; we should do it here in Pittsburgh,” Root said.

Foster was born in Lawrenceville on July 4, 1826, into a family of 10 siblings. He had little formal music training, spending only one month in college before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he began composing many of his popular songs, including “Oh! Susanna.”

According to Root, the eclectic cultural mix in Pittsburgh during this time period inspired much of Foster’s music.

“Pittsburgh was sort of this incubator of American culture when he was here,” Root said. “He was a composer who tried to build cultural bridges between many immigration groups.”

But Foster’s music has also been used in ways that were demeaning and derogatory to certain racial groups, which, according to Root, is not how Foster intended his music to be used.

Foster died on Jan. 13, 1864 at the age of 37. If he were alive today, he would be a billionaire. But he died with a mere 38 cents in his pocket.

Jacquiline Longmore, a member of the Lawrenceville Historical Society, has been closely involved with Foster’s commemoration for 15 years. She said that attendance at the event has increased over past years, which she credits to a heightened interest in local history.

“Nowadays I think people have more time. They’re more prone to dig into their roots and acknowledge all that we have in our own neighborhood,” Longmore said.

She will give a speech in honor of Foster at 10 a.m. this morning, joining other speakers and performers at the Temple of Memories Mausoleum in the Allegheny Cemetery to start off the day.

From there, the commemoration continues at the Charity Randall Theater, located in the Stephen Foster Memorial on Pitt’s campus. This segment starts at noon and features performances by the Stephen Foster Chorus of the Stephen Collins Foster School, guitarist Joe Negri and special guest Thomas Douglas.

Attendees will be given a tour of the Stephen Foster Memorial following the program.

Negri, who will perform the songs “Oh! Susanna”and “Laura Lee,” said that he has enjoyed Foster’s music since childhood and often thinks that he is not properly recognized for his work.

“He had such a strong American flavor to his music,” Negri said. “Many people I know in the business admire him for the same reason.”