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| "Beautiful Dreamer" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music, 1st edition | |
| Song | |
| Written | possibly 1862 |
| Published | March 1864 |
| Songwriter(s) | Stephen Foster |
"Beautiful Dreamer" is a parlor song by American songwriter Stephen Foster. It was published posthumously in March 1864, by Wm. A. Pond & Co. of New York. The first edition states on its title page that it is "the last song ever written by Stephen C. Foster, composed but a few days prior to his death."[1] However, Carol Kimball, the author of Song, points out that the first edition's copyright is dated 1862, which suggests, she writes, that the song was composed and readied for publication two years before Foster's death. There are at least 20 songs, she observes, that claim to be Foster's last, and it is unknown which is indeed his last. The song is set in 9
8 time with a broken chord accompaniment.[2][3]
The song tells of a lover serenading a "Beautiful Dreamer" who is oblivious to worldly cares and may actually be dead. Foster's works feature many dead young women, including his sister Charlotte[3] and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair".[2] Helen Lightner writes, "This sentimental ballad is folk-like in character with its repetitious but lovely melody and its basic harmonic accompaniment ... The quiet and calm of this mood is portrayed by the monotony of the arpeggiated accompaniment, by the repetitiveness of the melodic pattern, and by the strophic form itself."[4]
- ^ Catalogue of first editions of Stephen C. Foster (1826–1864). Library of Congress. p. 9.
- ^ a b Carol Kimball. Song: a guide to art song style and literature. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 248.
- ^ a b Michael Saffle. 2000. Perspectives on American music, 1900–1950 Taylor & Francis. p. 382.
- ^ Helen Lightner. Class voice and the American art song: a source book and anthology. Scarecrow Press. p. 32.
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