Monday, April 07, 2003

We finally reviewed some sheet music that once belonged to a family member who played movie-house piano for the silents. What has some our way is mostly of World War I vintage, with lots of lyrics about the Huns. Many are hits, such as "How Ya Gonna Keep 'em Down on the Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?" (there must be thousands of copies of this sheet music, with its comic cover, by one Barbelle, surviving). There is imagery of Red Cross nurses, cast as angels: "There's an Angel Missing in Heaven (She'll Be Found Somewhere Over There)" and another great one of "When the Boys Come Home" (lyrics by Lincoln's war secretary, John Hay, and music by Oley Speaks). My favorite is "Let's Keep The Glow In Old Glory And The Free In Freedom Too" (published by McKinley Music, 1918, Chicago), with a full-color cover that's wonderful. Frank Henri Klickmann, its composer, came up with some humdinger song titles.

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