The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #6187 Message #36152
Posted By: Barry Finn
27-Aug-98 - 05:57 PM
Thread Name: Stephen Foster - How original was he?
Subject: RE: Stephen Foster - How original was he?
Hugill says of Stevie's biographer, Howard, that the chorus of "Camptown Races" is from the English ballad "Ten Thousand Miles Away", which if so says Hugill (he also says there is only a faint resemblance) that he believes that seamen took this to seawhich was used as a shanty & added to it a chorus from some existing Negro song, the result being the shanty Sacramento, which would've heard durning the 49 gold rush days, he then goes on with another theory. Foster copyrighted this in 1850 but didn't have it in print until 1856, in 49 Sacramento was heard from the decks of the Sea Whitch, Flying Cloud, Romance Of The Seas, etc. so it was already well sung before 1850. Alot of ifs & buts. Barry