Most Americans are familiar with such classic folk tunes as "Ten Little Indians," "Oh Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?" and "Listen to the Mockingbird." But the composer behind these childhood favorites has been all but forgotten. Septimus Winner: Two Lives in Musicchronicles the life and achievements of one man's extraordinarily unusual career in music. Though Septimus Winner was considered one of the forefathers of nineteenth-century American popular song, he published his most popular and enduring works under the female pseudonym of Alice Hawthorne. The author sheds some much needed light on one of the most interesting anomalies in American musical history Septimus Winner a.k.a. Alice Hawthorne. While Winner was certainly not the first male artist to publish under a woman's name, his case is distinct in that he created an entire persona for Alice Hawthorne and consistently used the pseudonym for well over three decades. "The Hawthorne Ballads," as they were generally known in the nineteenth century, were among the most successful songs of their day, rivaling Foster in popularity. Why would Winner make such a choice at a time when women were either struggling against the social conventions of the time or were disguising their own identities with male pseudonyms? Remson addresses this question and numerous others, shedding light on one of the most interesting anomalies in American musical history. The book is supplemented by alphabetical and pseudonymous listings of Winner's songs and arrangements of his music, as well as annotations for books, articles, and poetry written by Winner.

The Songs of Septimus Winner is a testament to a man with an extraordinarily unusual career in music. Most modern-day readers may have never heard of Septimus Winner or Alice Hawthorne. But the music they created is now part of the pantheon of what we might now term "America's folk songs". Most Americans might remember songs such as "Ten Little Indians" or "Der Deitscher?s Dog" from their childhood just as they may know "Jimmy Crack Corn" or "Oh, Susannah!" but few know the men and women who wrote these songs or their significance to generations of nineteenth-century Americans. Septimus Winner (1827?1902) is one of these forefathers of American popular song. His musical contributions are significant: well over 300 popular songs, over 2000 arrangements of both his own and others' music, and an astounding array of pedagogical books. Culled from the original sheet music publications and presented unedited, this volume explores twenty-two of Winner's best loved songs including "Ten Little Injuns," "Whispering Hope," "Listen to the Mocking Bird," "The Deitscher's Dog" and "Give Us Back Our Old Commander."