This song was written by Stephen Foster and published in 1854 by Firth, Pond & Co. In the mid 1850’s, Pittsburgh was in the grip of out of control unemployment and disease; cholera one summer killed 400 people. To help ends meet, the Foster family took into their already crowded home a minister. Written in 1854, it was likely inspired by the growing political divisions and rising tensions in the United States at the time; the issue of slavery was poised to rip the nation apart in the Civil War, and the nation’s economy was rapidly transforming thanks to the rise of factories in the North and growing infrastructure. The nation would soon find itself falling on hard times if ever there were hard times. The song survives to the present day as a folk song, as does much of Foster’s work, and has been covered by many, ranging from the legendary Bob Dylan to the composer Geoff Knorr in his work for the video game Civilization 6. Acclaimed during his lifetime as one of America’s best songwriters, Stephen Foster wrote nearly 300 songs in a variety of styles. His early works, such as his first song, “Open Thy Lattice, Love” (1844), were modeled after the concert songs of English composers such as Henry Bishop and Charles E. Horn. Foster’s first truly successful songs, however, were his minstrel songs (such as “De Camptown Races” and “Oh! Susanna”). These were often characterized by their brisk tempos, diatonic melodies, heavy use of dialect, and the inclusion of a three- or four-part chorus. Later, Foster focused on writing songs laced with nostalgia–feelings of lost youth, home, family, and friends. “Hard Times Come Again No More” (published 1854) is a merger of Foster’s compositional styles. Melodically, it belongs to the category of minstrel songs; a four-part chorus is included. However, there is no dialect, no mention of slavery or other minstrel themes, and the song is described on the cover simply as one of “Foster’s Melodies.” In fact, the most “ethnic” feature of “Hard Times Come Again No More” is its basis in a melody that Foster heard as a child in an African-American church in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania.
Songs with Banjo from Harold Hagler
