Choral Programme from 3YA A Song with a History

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 14, 16 October 1931, Page 19

Choral Programme from 3YA A Song with a History

ON Wednesday, evening, October 21, a programme of part-songs, trios, and quartets will be presented from 4YA by the Hanover Street Church Choir, under the conductorship of Mr. H. P. Desmoulins. One of the part-songs will be the ever popular traditional "Old Folks at Home," a song with an interesting history. It ig from Stephen Foster’s

\] brother, Morrison, that we hear of its origin.

"One day in 1851," he says, "Stephen came into my office, on the bank of the Monogahela, Pittsburg, and said to me: ‘What is a good name of two syllables for a southern river? I want to use it in this new song of ‘Old Folks at Home.’ " I asked him how Yazoo would do. ‘Oh,’ said he, ‘That has been used before. I then suggested Pedee. ‘Oh, pshaw!’ he replied, ‘I won’t have that.’ I then took down an atlas from the top of my desk and opened at the map of the United States. We both looked over it, and my finger stopped at the ‘Swanee,’ a little river in Florida emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. ‘That's it, that’s it exactly,’ exclaimed he, delighted, as he wrote the name down; and the song was finished, commencing, ‘Why down upon the Swanee Ribber." He left the office abruptly, as was his custom, and I resumed my work, Just at that time he received a letter from E. P. Christy. (a noted ‘negro minstrel’ of the day) of New York, asking him if he would write a song for him to sing before it was published. Stephen showed me the letter and asked what he should do. I said to him ‘Don’t let him do it unless he pays you.’ At this request, I drew up a form of agreement for Christy to sign, stipulating to pay Stephen five hundred dollars for the privilege asked. This was forwarded to Christy, and return mail brought it back duly signed by the latter. The song happened to be ‘Old Folks at Home.’" Such was the history of what is probably Foster’s greatest song.