Music of the First World War

(Hardback)

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Description

This book discusses WWI-era music in a historical context, explaining music's importance at home and abroad during WWI as well as examining what music was being sung, played, and danced to during the years prior to America's involvement in the Great War. Why was music so important to soldiers abroad during World War I What role did musicranging from classical to theater music, rags, and early jazzplay on the American homefront Music of the First World War explores the tremendous importance of music during the years of the Great Warwhen communication technologies were extremely limited and music often took the place of connecting directly with loved ones or reminiscing via recorded images. The book's chapters cover music's contribution to the war effort; the variety of war-related songs, popular hits, and top recording artists of the war years; the music of Broadway shows and other theater productions; and important composers and lyricists. The author also explores the development of the fledgling recording industry at this time.

Reviews

This is a rich resource for specialized music and American-history collections. * Booklist, Starred Review *
The short descriptions, links to online resources, and citation data for sheet music provide a needed starting point. Recommended for music, college, and public libraries celebrating the First World War Centenary. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Don Tyler is a retired music professor from the College of Central Florida in Ocala, FL.