WWI Military Sheet Music
(WW1 / World War One)

In this striking book, Glenn Watkins investigates the unique power of music to chronicle the Great War and to memorialize its battles and fallen heroes. Through WWI music, society recalls home and hearth on distant battlefields and reflects upon loss long after the guns had been silenced. Music provided a cultural marker of World War One, reflecting society's profoundest doubts and aspirations. By turns it challenged or supported the legitimacy of war, chronicled misgivings in miniature and grandiose formats alike, and inevitably expressed its sorrow at the final price exacted by the Great War. 45 illustrations, 14 music examples, 1 CD. 614 pages.

Lists all US published WWI songs, with information on lyricists, composers, and year of publication, and provides the complete lyrics to some 300 songs. Includes b&w illustrations of sheet music covers. 542 pages.
ISBN: 0899509525

The haunting songs of the First World War still have a powerful emotional impact. These are the words the soldiers actually sang - by turns funny, cynical, bawdy, angry, wistful- amidst the appalling carnage of the battlefield. The stoic courage and bitter humour of the ordinary soldiers shine through such songs as We are Fred Karno's Army, Hanging on the Old Barbed Wire and It's a Long, Long Way to Tipperary. Each song is introduced by Max Arthur, giving its historical background.

Throughout our nation's history, patriotic songs have lifted our spirits during hard times and brought us closer to our heritage and to each other. Behind these "songs sung red, white, and blue" are unforgettable stories that will enrich your appreciation of their unique power. From the soaring chorus of "God Bless America" to the quiet poetry of "America the Beautiful," historian Ace Collins takes you inside the creation of thirty-two classic songs spanning two centuries. Military anthems like "The Marine's Hymn" and "Anchors Aweigh" share pages with other songs of war, such as the War of 1812's "The Star-Spangled Banner" and the Civil War's "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Other favorites like "This Land Is Your Land" and "This Is My Country" reflect on our nation in times of peace. You'll meet a surprising and diverse cast of behind-the-scenes characters, which includes both everyday Americans -- teachers, preachers, and soldiers -- as well as celebrated songwriters like Irving Berlin and George M. Cohan. 240 pages.