Song Clearance Sheet
5 sources citedBeautiful Dreamer
Parlor Ballad1860sPictured: Original sheet music (public domain) · source
77BPM
D♯ majKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in D♯ major → · More “Public Domain” →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
Algorithmically estimated; acoustic-era recordings are a documented hard case for automated tempo/key detection.
The verdict
Public Domain
In the public domain — but check the Rights Status below; a specific host's copy can carry its own caveat.
Used by independents?
Yes — it’s in the public domain — free for any independent artist to use, with no clearance needed.
Origin
Published posthumously in March 1864. The first edition claimed it was "the last song ever written by Stephen C. Foster... but a few days prior to his death," but the copyright is dated 1862, suggesting it was written ~2 years earlier. At least 20 other songs also claim to be Foster's "last" — genuinely unknown which truly was
A deliberate stylistic turn
Foster's earlier career (like many of his era) included minstrel-dialect material, but his songs from the early 1860s onward, including this one, moved toward the more universal “parlor ballad” style — sentimental, narrative, slower
A tragic, documented death
Foster died January 13, 1864 in New York City at age 37 — destitute and ill. He fell in his Bowery hotel room, was found in a pool of blood, and died three days later at Bellevue. In his pocket were 38 cents in Civil War scrip and a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts"
Rights Status
Licenses explained →Public domain is not one blanket badge — each source can carry its own caveat
The compositionPublic domain
The early recordingPublic domain
Cultural Impact
Documented covers, adaptations, and cultural echoes — each with a real, dated source
One of America's most enduring serenades
Despite the tragic circumstances of its publication, "Beautiful Dreamer" became and remains one of Foster's most performed and recorded works.
Song of America · read it →
A poignant historical coincidence
Foster reportedly died in the same New York hospital (Welfare Island) where songwriter Jerome Kern would later die in 1945.
American Songwriter · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?Yes — free to use without clearance
References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full PD research (batch NEW)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass