Romantic / 19th-century American · 1864
Beautiful Dreamer
S. Foster
- Key
- Eb
- Time
- 9/8
- Tempo
- ♩=66
- AO focus
- AO1
Incipit
Form
Parlour song — Foster's last published work, in the genteel American 'serenade' tradition. Strophic, two verses, simple piano accompaniment.
Teaching points
- 9/8 metre — gentle compound triple, lulling, suits the 'dreamer' text
- Vocal range a 9th (E♭ to F) — ideal for amateur tenors / sopranos
- AO1: the easiest of the canonical English-language art songs to bring to performance
- AO3: 19th-century American song tradition — Foster as the bridge between European parlour music and the emerging blues / spiritual lineages
Full score ↓Public domain
Score: IMSLP (1864 first edition, public domain).