On Monday I presented two types of
nostalgia defined by Harvard professor Svetlana Boym. Today, let’s focus on
restorative nostalgia and look at how Stephen Foster uses this type of
sentiment in his music.
Professor Boym defines restorative
nostalgia as “attempt[ing] a trans-historical reconstruction of the lost home.”
Foster lived during a time marked by restorative nostalgia as America underwent
a period of transition and experienced a series of changes brought on by the
move to large industrial cities, leaving the rural farmland behind. Though
excitement existed for the burgeoning urban centers, some Americans longed for
the simple past: a past that in their minds, could be connected with their
idealized lives in rural environments.
Of Foster’s forty-two nostalgic songs,
restorative nostalgia or referencing past events, people, and places,
characterizes thirty-seven of them. Though fictional, these songs reflect the
past as relayed by the narrator’s experiences. The nostalgic narrator clearly
speaks of a person, a home, or a time they once experienced. Those who endure
this type of nostalgia spend their time attempting to restore the object for
which they long. This restoration may be through memory or by physically
bringing something of the past into their present situation.
The example I want to show you today
is nostalgia resulting from the loss of a loved one. The nostalgic narrator of
the song longs for a deceased person. Songs of this category contain
reflections on a past experienced with the deceased individual, demonstrating
that the narrator had some type of relationship with the deceased. Though
actual physical restoration of the object of nostalgia is impossible, the
narrator attempts to restore them through memories that in turn will help to
heal the pain.
Stephen Foster’s “Gentle Annie”
(1856), a parlor ballad, exemplifies restorative nostalgia:
In the lyrics of “Gentle Annie,”
phrases such as “Thou wilt come no more,” “thy spirit did depart,” “never more
behold thee,” and “thy tomb” clarify to the performer and listener that the
object of nostalgia has passed away. The narrator’s reflection on past
experiences with the deceased individual shows his attempt to restore her to
memory. Phrases such as “never hear thy winning voice again” and “the streams
and meadows where we strayed” suggest that the narrator has heard Annie’s voice
and walked with her through a meadow at some point in the past.
Stephen Foster’s ability to write
songs characterized by restorative nostalgia led to his overwhelming popularity among 19th-century Americans. Despite his ability to create music
defining the sentiments of the world around him, Foster’s personal life was
characterized by reflective nostalgia. On Friday, we will look at an example of
reflective nostalgia in Foster’s music.
Interested in Stephen Foster and his
music? Then don’t forget to tune in to 90.9 WGUC July 3 at 8:00pm for a Stephen
Foster special hosted by Naomi Lewin!
