Between the Covers

Unbound. A collection of 16 folded pieces of sheet music from World War One. Each is a quarto, ranging in condition from good to near fine with some modest age-toning, edgewear, and with some tearing. Each music sheet is illustrated, with 15 done so in color and the last in black and white.

A particularly interesting collection given the importance that music played in World War One as a source of morale and a way to produce propaganda in order to entice men to join up. Although American, the music seems intended to be sung in the style of the British Music Hall, tickets for which could be bought fairly cheaply, and where the war song found its audience. However the tone of the music shifted and by 1915 recruitment songs were out of favor due to the rising number of casualties. Instead composers were writing laments for the dead, Ed Thomas’ “The Boys Who Won’t Come Home”, and dreamt of the end of war, John W. Bratton’s “Then I’ll Come Back to You.” The American songwriters of Tin Pan Alley adopted the slogan, "music is essential to win the war," to encourage the writing of socially conscious songs as well as encouragement for the young men overseas. After being drafted in 1918, Irving Berlin changed his perspective from “we must speak with the sword not the pen to show our appreciation to America for opening up her heart and welcoming every immigrant group" to his sarcastic take on military life in his song “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning.” Originally written without commercial intent, “the song soon made the rounds of camp and became popular with other soldiers, partly because hatred of reveille was universal,” according to David A. Jasen. An extensive collection of music demonstrating the changing viewpoints of World War I over the four years of fighting.

The sheet music includes:

‘The Land of the Red, White and Blue’ by Otto C. Schasberger
‘Frenchy Come to Yankee Land’ by Sam Ehrlick and Con Conrad
‘Then I’ll Come Back to You’ by John W. Bratton
‘Now My Peace Days are Over’ by Van and Schenck
‘Yankee Pep’ by O.D. Hopkins
‘The Russians Were Rushin’, the Yanks Started Yankin’’ by Chas McCarron,
‘Oh! How I Hate to get up in the Morning’ by Irving Berlin
‘Y’ by C. Irving Valentine
‘My Dream of the Big Parade’ by Jimmy McHugh
‘Khaki Sammy’ by John Alden Carpenter
‘The Boys Who Wont Come Home’ by Ed. Thomas
‘They’re on their way to Germany’ by Halsey K. Mohr
‘A Soldier’s Rosary’ by Jos. A. Burke
‘Soon you’ll be Coming Home Lads’ by Philip E. Layton
‘Lond Boy’ by Barclay Walker
‘Coo-ee’ by Otto Motzan.

Item #386706