Stephen Foster's sketchbook
| Stephen Foster's Sketchbook | |
|---|---|
 page from Stephen Foster's sketchbook | |
| Created | June 26, 1851 |
| Location | Stephen Foster Collection, Center for American Music, Stephen Foster Memorial, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America |
| Author(s) | Stephen Collins Foster |
| Purpose | Stephen Foster's working sketchbook containing his handwritten, original musical compositions, lyrics, illustrations and notes |
Stephen Foster’s sketchbook is the hand-written book authored by early American composer and lyricist Stephen Collins Foster. It spans a nine-year period beginning on June 26, 1851. It was donated to the University of Pittsburgh Library System by the Foster family in the early 1930s. It measures 12 inches by 8 inches (30.9 x 20.5 cm) and contains 113 leaves of half-bound paper. The papers are of the same material and contained in a cover of thick paper boards, covered in red and blue marbleized paper and brown leather. Eight pages are missing. One page had been cut out by the composer’s granddaughter but was restored to its original place in the sketchbook. The entries are consistent, similar and handwritten with pencil. The book is inscribed “Allegheny City June 26 1851” in Foster’s hand on page 1.[1]
Contents
The sketchbook contains handwritten draft texts for sixty-four different songs. Some of these were some of his most popular. Some pages contain musical notations, draft lyrics are for unpublished songs, scribbles, doodles, and exercises. In some places it appears that Foster practiced his signature and initials.[1][2]
In addition to the digital version, a photostat of the sketchbook was published by the staff of the Foster Hall Collection in 1933. This full transcript of the book was created by Deane L. Root and edited by Kathryn Miller Haines in June 2000. The Transcript field within the database contains the text and is searchable.Foliation (recto and verso) numbers were supplied in 1986 using archival techniques.[1]
The draft and original text for Foster's song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is contained in the sketchbook.[3] In addition, Foster records his meeting with Charles Dickens while Dickens was visiting in Pittsburgh.[4]
Digitizing the Sketchbook
Dr. Julia Craig-McFeeley of the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford, England created the digitized version of the sketchbook in March 2005. The digitizing was performed by a PhaseOne PowerPhase FX digital scanning back mounted on a Fuji GX 680 III professional SLR camera body and medium format lens at a resolution of 800dpi.[1]
Stefan Forster's sketchbook was used as a display and exhibition for recent visits from library archivists.[5]
Stephen Foster Collection
The Stephen Foster sketchbook is only one of the many items that are part of the Center's Stephen Foster Collection housed in the Stephen Foster Memorial on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Other items in the collection include: music manuscripts, his bound account book, his personal and family correspondence, musical instruments, business records, photographs, and newspaper clippings. Much of the collection has been digitized and is available online.[6][7][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Stephen Foster's Sketchbook". Foster Hall Collection, Center for American Music, University of Pittsburgh Library System, University of Pittsbrugh. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- 1 2 Blake, Sharon (2005). "Stephen Foster's Personal Sketchbook Now Online, Pages show original lyrics and doodles of America's first professional songwriter". University of Pittsburgh News Service. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ↑ Foster, Stephen (2016). Stephen Foster collection : 10 early American songs for solo voice and piano - medium high edition. Van Nuys, CA: Alfred Publishing Company. p. 41. ISBN 9781470635886.
- ↑ Powel, John (2001). Biographical dictionary of literary influences: the nineteenth century, 1800-1914. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 158. ISBN 031330422X.
- ↑ Sostek, Anya (22 May 2014). "Manuscript Society gets a new look at some very old writings in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2016-08-14.
- ↑ "Center for American Music Library". Foster Hall Collection, Center for American Music, University of Pittsburgh Library System, University of Pittsbrugh. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- ↑ Tomaschewski, W (2008). "Stephen Foster Collins, Hopeful Beginning".
