Piano Music

Nevin, Ethelbert

Date of Birth: 
November 25, 1862
Date of Death: 
February 17, 1901

Ethelbert Nevin was a composer and pianist from Sewickley, Pennsylvania. 

Oetting, William H.

Date of Birth: 
1875
Date of Death: 
1969

William H. Oetting was an organist, composer, and educator.

Old Folks at Home Variations

Artist (Composed By): 
Foster, Stephen C. (Collins)
1851

There is no record of nineteenth-century copyright entry, nor is there evidence that “Old Folks at Home Variations” was published in the nineteenth century. 

Old Folks Quadrilles

Artist (Composed By): 
Foster, Stephen C. (Collins)
1853

“Old Folks Quadrilles” was entered for copyright deposit on March 11, 1853 by Firth, Pond & Company. The song was an arrangment of four Foster tunes: “Old folks at home,” “Oh boys, carry me ’long,” “Nelly Bly,” and “Farewell My Lilly Dear.” A quartet arrangement of the song appeared in Foster’s The Social Orchestra.

Polonaise Américaine

1936

Polonaise Américaine is a composition by John Alden Carpenter. William H. Oetting made an arrangement for two pianos. His manuscript is dated November 3, 1936, and lists multiple performances, the first of which occurred at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute on March 15, 1937.

Prelude (Antique)

Artist (Composed By): 
Foerster, Adolph M. (Martin)
1894

This manuscript in Adolph M. Foerster’s hand is dated March 10, 1899. It may be a draft of a movement from his Twelve Phantasy Pieces for Piano, op. 38, which was published by Kleber in Pittsburgh in 1894. Among those pieces are two movements titled “Prelude” and “Antique.”

Santa Anna’s Retreat from Buena Vista

Artist (Composed By): 
Foster, Stephen C. (Collins)
1848

W. C. Peters of Louisville submitted “Santa Anna’s Retreat from Buena Vista” on December 30, 1848. It appears the song had already been published because it was advertised for sale in the Louisville Daily Dispatch on August 8, 1848.

According to Evelyn Foster Mornweck’s The Chronicles of Stephen Foster’s Family: 

Snowbirds

1936

Snowbirds is a composition by Cecil Burleigh. A four-hand piano arrangement was made by William H. Oetting. The manuscript in the William Oetting Collection is dated October 22, 1936. 

Soiree Polka

Artist (Composed By): 
Foster, Stephen C. (Collins)
1850

“Soiree Polka” was submitted for copyright on February 12, 1850, by W. C. Peters of Baltimore. An arrangement for four hands was submitted on September 3, 1850, although it Is unclear if Stephen Foster made that arrangement himself.

According to Evelyn Foster Mornweck’s The Chronicles of Stephen Foster’s Family:

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.

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