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 an attempt to win back his wife, Foster composed "Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair" in 1854. Show 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 10,000 copies sold earned Foster just over $200. 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” reverted back to Jane and their daughter Marion, in 1879. –Library of Congress TextJeanie With the Light Brown Hair I dream of Jeanie with the light brown hair, I long for Jeanie with the day dawn smile, Photo: Jeanie with the light brown hair by Stephen C. Foster. New York: Firth, Pond and Co., 1854. Performing Arts Reading Room, Library of Congress. VideosSheet MusicStephen Foster Song Book (Dover Edition)Composer(s): Stephen Foster Buy via AmazonThe Library of Congress is providing access to these materials for educational and research purposes and makes no warranty with regard to their use for other purposes. The written permission of the copyright owners and/or other rights holders (such as holders of publicity and/or privacy rights) is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. There may be content that is protected as "works for hire" (copyright may be held by the party that commissioned the original work) and/or under the copyright or neighboring-rights laws of other nations. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permission ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Users should consult the bibliographic information that accompanies each item for specific information. This catalog data provides the details known to the Library of Congress regarding the corresponding items and may assist users in making independent assessments of the legal status of these items as related to their desired uses. Items included here with the permission of the rights holders are indicated as such in the bibliographic record for each item. In some cases, the Library was unable to identify a possible rights holder and has elected to place some of those items online as an exercise of fair use for strictly non-commercial educational uses. The Library of Congress would like to learn more about these materials and would like to hear from individuals or institutions that have any additional information or know of their history. Please contact: Performing Arts Reading Room. Suggested credit line: Library of Congress. 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. Audio:
Who wrote I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair?Steven FosterI Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair / Lyricistnull
When was Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair published?Jeanie with the light brown hair by Stephen C. Foster. New York: Firth, Pond and Co., 1854.
What genre is Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair?Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair (TV series). What does Jeanie sing in hair?It became a chant. A trap door in the stage opens and out pops Jeanie, who sings Air, a song about air pollution. At the end of the song, Jeanie climbs out of the “manhole” to reveal she's pregnant by a crazy speed freak, and is in love with Claude.
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Who wrote the text for jeanie with the light brown hair?
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