In 1850, Stephen Foster married Jane Denny McDowell, whose nickname was "Jennie." The marriage was short-lived, however, as the pair suffered numerous conflicts and ultimately separated in 1853. Perhaps in attempt to win back his wife, Foster composed "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" in 1854. The opening texts of each stanza support the speculation that the song was written with Jane in mind: "I dream of Jeanie" (verse one); "I long for Jeanie" (verse two); and "I sigh for Jeanie" (verse three).
While today "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" remains one of Foster's most beloved parlor ballads, the song was virtually unknown during its time. When it was first published, the royalties on the ten thousand copies sold earned just over $200 dollars for Foster. However, Foster, who experienced financial difficulty through most of his career, had to sell the rights to "Jeanie" (as well as other songs, including "Old Folks at Home") to make ends meet. After his death, the rights to "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" were reverted back to Jane and to Foster's daughter Marion in 1879.
By the nineteenth century, music was becoming more widely recognized, performed, and written in America. One of the most famous and leading songwriter of the time was Stephen Foster (1826-1864). Although he lived a relatively short life, his works continued to be popular and sung even through to the present day.
“Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” was written in 1854 right around the time that Stephen Foster stopped writing minstrel songs for the most part and began to focus on writing parlor songs. Parlor songs, including “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,” were meant to be performed in people’s living rooms in a more casual setting for fun and enjoyment. This piece is relatively short and simple so it could be performed by amateur singers and easily accompanied on another instrument. The piece has a straight forward strophic form and as a ballad, the melody is very expressive, particularly toward the end of the song the singer sings “Oh,” the singer must sing up the scale a major ninth. The lyrics are almost entirely syllabic as well. Stephen Foster wrote his own lyrics to the piece which make references to nature, a common characteristic of his poetry. This particular song was also written just after his wife left him and the emotion definitely comes through in the lyrics.
I really enjoy this piece’s simple yet expressively dreamy quality. It’s melody flows beautifully over the simple accompaniment and certainly makes for a great parlor song. People find it easy and enjoyable to sing and play which I’m sure contributed to its immense popularity.
'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair,' one of the many catchy American folk-songs by Stephen Foster is a really great example of augmented dominant chords, not to mention the subtleties of the different phrases in the quaternary form. Foster's song consists entirely of two bar phrases, which demand a lolling simplicity from the performer. It is extremely necessary that the work is not over-performed, as it was most likely intended for ameture entertainment.Quaternary form can be described as aaba, the first a is up through measure 4, the next a through measure 6, b through measure 13, and the final chorus through until the end. One interesting thing about this quaternary form is the second 'a' which only lasts 2 bars is only a small recap of the original a secion.
The chordal analysis for measures 13-end goes as follows:
m. 13 V7
m. 14 I
m. 15 I V6 IV6-5
m. 16 V7/V Vadd6 IV6
m. 17 V64 53 I
The b section of this work is contrasted from the chorus because of two distinct characteristics. Firstly, Foster begins temporarily tonicizing V with V7/V chords that include Fi (A natural). This helps enforce the feeling of the b section, or the bridge, because we really know that V (Bb major) is not the true tonic. This further creates a desire to return to the final a chorus. Additionally, another deviation in the bridge lies in the rhythms which begin to include dotted-eigth and 16th note figures. The combination of increased rhythmic complexity, and the temporary tonicization of V through the use of Fi both are key elements in contrasting the b section from the a section in Foster's 'Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair.'
As I mentioned earlier, this song contains many elements of American folk tradition such as simple melodies, simple harmonies, and a great deal of repetition. While this work isn't entirely complex, it is important to emphasize the cool chords in each of the songs!
"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair"
Chord Analysis:
m. 13: V7
m.14: I
m. 15: I V6 vi6
m. 16: V7/V Vadd6 ii43
m. 17: I64 V I
The structure of this piece follows the form aaba, or quaternary form. This song has a simple chordal progression, and the "a" and "b" sections mainly differ because of rhythm. The difference is not extremely significant because the B section still has that flowing quality to it. In addition, it ends on a half cadence. The new harmony that is apparent in this piece is the Vadd6 chord. I really like the placement of this chord in measure 16. Foster places it in the second half of the second beat, then has a pause, which then leads to the final cadence of the song. This formation definitely emphasizes the jazz sound of that unique chord.
If I were to perform this, I would make sure to place a lot of emphasis on dynamics due to the simplicity of the song. I would also try to give it as much as a flowing and light-heardted feeling.
Posted by Catherine at11:05 PM