Music+In+World+War+1

Music has always been thriving throughout history. From the start of old folk tunes to the creation of hiphop, music has been something people have relied on. Music inspires people and sometimes helps them get through rough times. The Music written and played during World War 1 was not only used to soothe the population, but also used as a tool for propaganda. Some people used the esscense of music to get valuable messages accross; people wrote songs about how the war was beneficial, others wrote how it hurt the nation. Nether the less, music was an important aspect of American life during World War 1.

=**JOHN McCORMACK **= Originally from Ireland, John McCormack became one of the most influential tenors who sang during World War 1. After gaining American citizenship in 1914, McCormack began to sing across the country, entertaining all types of crowds. John McCormack was best known for his ability as a concert performer, always performing to sold-out houses. One season, he was noted for his whopping 95 concerts performed across the country. In 13 of those years, he grossed well over five-million dollars, and when his record royalties exceeded the earnings of the other great opera stars of the time.

What is most interesting about John McCormack was that he gave up his operatic career to sing and write art songs only. As a tribute to World War 1, he was a firm believer in getting the message out there through song. Some of his songs that he sung included //Keep The Home Fires Burning//, //It's a Long Way to Tippery, Roses of Picardy//, and many other songs involving themes of World War 1. John McCormack was not only a star, but he fought for what he believed in by singing songs related to themes ruing during the war.

Here's a link below of singing //Keep The Home Fires Burning:// [|Keep The Home Fires Burning sung by John McCormack]

=**SONGS SUNG IN THE TRENCHES **= The soldiers during World War 1 were a very interesting bunch. Often before, during, and after battle, soldiers were often heard singing from the fighting trenches. These trenches were often dirty, mud-oriented, and built low in the ground. These are not exactly key conditions for a pleasurable outing. So to keep calm and collected, soldiers were often singing songs. Some popular songs included //Mademosielle from Artimeteres, Bombed Last Night, Where Are Our Uniforms?, Gillymong, When This Lousy War is Over, Raining and Grousing, I Wore A Tunic,// and many more songs that became anthems during the war. These songs uplifted the men, making seem as though fighting in the war wasn't as bad as it seemed. The music sung throughout the trenches was inspiring and kept the men in check.  Here's a website you can go to and listen and sing along to a trench warfare song. This is called //When This Lousy War is Over://

//http://www.ww1photos.com/WhenThisLousyWarIsOver.html//

=**LEO FEIST INC. **= Leo Feist Inc. was a publishing coorporation that pushed for the publishing of music pieces and songs. Before the war, they published many things such as book, papers, and music. When World War 1 began, this corporation pushed for the production of music that dealt with themes about the war. This music printing company firmly believed that "music would win the war" (see parlor songs) Leo Feist even went ahead as to write an article about why music would help win the war. In the article, Feist quotes Major General Wood, "It is just as essential that the soldiers know how to sing as it is that they carry rifles and know how to shoot them."

Leo Feist Inc. devoted many pages within sheet music to promote the theory about how music will help win the war. They were the most aggressive music publishing industry in the United States during World War 1. Leo Feist Inc. even went ahead to organize the different types of war music into separate categories. This way, if they wanted to match up a newly written war song, they could do so easily. The categories to separate each war song were the "Cheer Up", the Ballad, the Stirring March, the Appealing (these songs appealed to the public to gain support for either for/against the war, depending on the song), the Comic, and the Victory. Although this coorporation was sued soon after the war for violating the Sherman Anti-Trust act, Leo Feist Inc. was an effective resource for musicians to get their music about the war published, heard, and played by the government.



=**JOHN PHILLIP SOUSA **= = = Known as "the March King", John Phillip Sousa was notorious for writing patriotic songs and anthems. He was born on November 6, 1854 and died March 6, 1932. Throughout his life, he wrote many patriotic marches such as //Glory of the Yankee Navy, Who's Who In Navy Blue,// and many others. One of his most famous works, written during World War 1, was //U.S. Field Artilery.// This song soon became the official song sung by the U.S. army during wartime.

During World War I, Sousa was requested to join the U.S. Navy. On May 31, 1917, he enlisted and became a lieutenant. He was able to make a special agreement with the Navy so that he could play with the Sousa Band each summer during his enlistment. His love and passion for music was undeniable, he couldn't deal without it even when fighting in a war. During his enlistment, he organized his new Navy Band. Because of his name and widepsread fame throughout the U.S., new recruits rushed to enlist so that they could play in the Navy Band under his conduction. He ended up with so many musicians that he formed several bands and assigned them to various ships and naval stations. After the war, one of the larger bands he formed played concerts and marched in parades to promote the sale of Liberty Loan Bonds, the Red Cross, Navy Relief, and Recruiting for the armed forces. Sousa was able to get men to enlist as well as help the men do something that they would enjoy and take their mind off of the war for a little while.

His musicianship proved to excel during wartime, and after the war was over, he continued to play in band and write songs for people to sing and love. His contribution during wartime was quite effective and led to some of the success of people enlisting to fight for the country during World War 1.



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =SOURCES = [] [] __[] http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/McCormack-John.htm http://www.ww1photos.com/WhenThisLousyWarIsOver.html __ __[] __