Folk Music

Forks of the OHIO

Artist (Composed By): 
Schmertz, Robert
1959

This song appeared on the albums Vivien Richman Sings Folk Songs of West Pennsylvania and Sing Oh! The City Oh! (1959). A manuscript can be found in the Robert Schmertz Collection (box 4, item 104).

Lock Number Ten

Artist (Composed By): 
Schmertz, Robert
1976

Robert Schmertz included this song in A Picture Book of Songs & Ballads Composed and Illustrated by Robert Schmertz (1976).

Monongahela Sal

Artist (Composed By): 
Schmertz, Robert
1947

Robert Schmertz wrote “Monongahela Sal” in 1947 and first recorded it in 1949 at the studio of George Heid in Pittsburgh. It was a favorite of Pete Seeger.  

Robert Schmertz Collection

Born in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, Robert Watson Schmertz (1898–1975) was an architect and folk musician. He attended Peabody High School and Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University), where he studied architecture. After graduation, Schmertz became a professor in the School of Architecture at Carnegie Tech and operated a successful private practice.

Schmertz, Robert

Date of Birth: 
1898
Date of Death: 
1975

Robert Schmertz was an architect, banjo player, and folksong composer.

Stephen Foster Collection

Stephen C. (Collins) Foster (1826–1864) was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. He wrote songs in his youth to perform in amateur blackface minstrel shows and in parlors with his friends. After the immense success of “Oh! Susanna” and “Uncle Ned,” in 1849 Foster signed contracts with music publishers and embarked on a career as a songwriter.