Foster, Stephen Collins (1828-1864). The Social Orchestra for Flute or Violin. A Collection of Popular Melodies Arranged as Solos, Duets, Trios, and Quartets. . New York: Firth, Pond & Co. . 1854. First edition, variant issue. 4to. 83, [i] pp. Cloth-back original publisher's printed boards. Boards heavily scraped and and worn, front free endpaper and title separated from the block, verso front endpage with two lines of music in an unknown hand, stray ink marks to title, ownership signatures on inside front board, inner front hinge split, occasional foxing but internally very good. Whittlesey and Sonneck, p. 47-48. OCLC 6979477. Howard, p. 395.
"The 'Social Orchestra' is a notable volume. Its eighty-three pages of music present various instrumental arrangements of popular airs of the day, melodies from well-known operas, arrangements of Foster's own songs, and several new instrumental works composed by himself." (Howard, p. 237).
With this publication, Foster turned his hand to instrumental music aimed very specifically for the parlor. The Social Orchestra, published in 1854 by Firth, Pond, & Co., was a compendium of 73 arrangements for flute, violin, piano, and other instruments. The selections ranged from the operatic, including thirteen tunes by Donizetti, and the classical, Jullien, Abt, Mozart, and Schubert, and finally to popular airs, including his own. The collection was ideal for informal home entertainment. The arrangements lent themselves to various combinations and numbers of instruments and included many tunes for dancing, a favorite parlor pastime. The collection proved to be very popular, but for Foster it was not a money-maker. He received a flat fee of only $150 from the publisher, which may explain why this was his only venture into instrumental arranging. Foster occasionally composed piano pieces, but song writing was his forte, and he returned to it once the Social Orchestra was completed.
Foster, Stephen Collins (1828-1864). The Social Orchestra for Flute or Violin. A Collection of Popular Melodies Arranged as Solos, Duets, Trios, and Quartets. . New York: Firth, Pond & Co. . 1854. First edition, variant issue. 4to. 83, [i] pp. Cloth-back original publisher's printed boards. Boards heavily scraped and and worn, front free endpaper and title separated from the block, verso front endpage with two lines of music in an unknown hand, stray ink marks to title, ownership signatures on inside front board, inner front hinge split, occasional foxing but internally very good. Whittlesey and Sonneck, p. 47-48. OCLC 6979477. Howard, p. 395.
"The 'Social Orchestra' is a notable volume. Its eighty-three pages of music present various instrumental arrangements of popular airs of the day, melodies from well-known operas, arrangements of Foster's own songs, and several new instrumental works composed by himself." (Howard, p. 237).
With this publication, Foster turned his hand to instrumental music aimed very specifically for the parlor. The Social Orchestra, published in 1854 by Firth, Pond, & Co., was a compendium of 73 arrangements for flute, violin, piano, and other instruments. The selections ranged from the operatic, including thirteen tunes by Donizetti, and the classical, Jullien, Abt, Mozart, and Schubert, and finally to popular airs, including his own. The collection was ideal for informal home entertainment. The arrangements lent themselves to various combinations and numbers of instruments and included many tunes for dancing, a favorite parlor pastime. The collection proved to be very popular, but for Foster it was not a money-maker. He received a flat fee of only $150 from the publisher, which may explain why this was his only venture into instrumental arranging. Foster occasionally composed piano pieces, but song writing was his forte, and he returned to it once the Social Orchestra was completed.