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62
THE
MUSIC
TRADE
REVIEW
APRIL 20,
1918
They just drink in the light and the music. Be-
sides, it keeps up esprit de corps."
Philip Gibbs Gives Graphic Description of Man-
Unlike conditions in the early days, when
ner in Which Singing Serves to Keep Up
men who craved for music had to fall back on
Spirits of Soldiers on Battle Front
combs and tissue paper, and a few old mouth
organs, there are many bands in the field. I
The important part that music, and particu- have seen them playing in the queerest places
larly vocal music, plays in the lives of the sol- close to the battle line, where the crash of gun
diers in the trenches is graphically described fire thundered above the big drums.
in a special dispatch to the New York Times
All this helps to keep human nature alive in
from Philip Gibbs, the war correspondent, now the war, which otherwise might deaden the
on the Western Front in France. Mr. Gibbs' spirits of many men. In the men themselves
interesting dispatch is as follows:
there is a natural vitality which makes them re-
The other day, that is to say, a week or two cover very quickly from hammering under shell
ago, the Germans began to bombard a section fire, and the heart of youth in them is so ab-
of our trenches pretty heavily with 5.9s, which solutely determined to live that not even the
are big things making a horrible noise and a most frightful conditions will kill it or the sense
worse mess. In that part of the line there hap- of comedy which belongs to it as long as there
pened to be a battalion of Royal Fusiliers, who is life itself.
are mostly London men, and it must have sur-
prised the enemy a good deal to hear through
the din of the shellfire the sound of singing. WATCH THOSE "HUMOROUS" SONGS
It was a popular song called "These Hard Public Officials and Theatrical Managers Get-
Times," and it was roared out in a great chorus
ting Rather Critical Regarding the Songs
by men who knew they might be blown to bits
That May or May Not Be Featured
between one verse and another.
Last night I heard some of the same men
With Federal Government inspectors and the-
singing the same song. It was a big hall atrical managers acting as censors on so-called
of sticks and canvas which holds 500 men, and humorous war songs, it would seem that song
is so designed that it can be removed and put writers and publishers must use extraordinary
up elsewhere in a couple of days. Five hun- care in the selection of titles to avoid having
dred men were there, packed tightly, and with the ban placed upon the productions. In one
all eyes fixed with fascination upon the little or two instances brought to life where songs
lighted stage, where there was a bit of comedy have been condemned, it would seem that the
and s/>ng, which witched these men's souls away action has been a little drastic. One of the
songs at least may be said to have been sug-
from war.
The fighting zone was not far away, as gun gestive to an extent, hut there have been scores
range goes. When I came out of this soldiers' of "Daddy" songs and other numbers based
theatre the night sky was filled with the flash- on civilian events and ideas that have been de-
ing of shells and with the white glare of signal cidedly more risque in their titles and lyrics,
lights going up along the lines. The men came The point is, however, that there is evidently a
out into the darkness, back of their billets and campaign under way to censor songs that are
camps, whistling and humming the songs they not absolutely innocuous in every way. In
had heard, and laughing still at the thought of other words, a song that is good only for a
the trick cyclist who rode his "bike" any old hearty laugh from the ordinary personage is
heralded as a shocking display of vulgarity by
way with marvelous skill and fearful grimaces.
The tenor aiid baritone had done a duet from the straight-laced critic. To have a song con-
one of Verdi's operas as well as one could hear demned, whether justly or not, does little good
it on the London stage. The men whistled with to the public. No amount of vindication at a
shrill siren blasts to show their appreciation of later date is going to offset published reports
the high-class "stuff," but of course it was of the condemnation of a number. It would,
laughter they liked most and they had their therefore, be well to have the O. K. of some
fill of it when a tall, droll-faced jock played the well-informed Sunday school superintendent and
likewise the endorsement of the Anti-Vice So-
simpleton sublimely, and when a mimic Charlie ciety, and the several Federal Intelligence Bu-
Chaplin twirled his ridiculous hat.
reaus, before taking a chance on being wrong.
"It takes a deal of organization," said the
officer in charge of the entertainment, "but it's
Consult the universal Want Directory of
worth it a hundred times. We might have lost
this war if it hadn't been for laughter. Imagine The Review. In it advertisements are inserted
what it is for men just out of the trenches to free of charge for men who desire positions
see a show like this. It is fairyland to them. of any kind.
WHAT THEY SANG ON THE 'TUSCAN1A' VALUE OF MUSIC IN THE TRENCHES
"Where Do We Go From Here, Boys?" Sung
by Soldiers and Sailors as Ship Was Sinking
In a recent story by'Irvin Cobb in the Sat-
urday Evening Post a graphic account of the
sinking of the "Tuscania" under the title of
"When the Sea-Asp Stings" appeared. At the
close of the story appeared the excerpt below
which is probably one of the greatest tributes
ever given a popular song:
•
"Next day, here in London, I read that not
a man aboard the 'Tuscania,' whether sailor or
soldier, showed weakness or fright. 1 read how
those Yankee boys, many of them at sea for
the first time in their lives, stood . in ranks
waiting for rescue or for death while the ship
listed and yawned and settled under them; how
the British sang 'God Save the King,', and the
American sang the same good Allied air, 'My
Country Tis of Thee'; and how at last, descend-
ing over the side, some of them to be drowned
but more of them to be saved, those American
lads of ours sang what before then had been a
meaningless, trivial jingle, but which is destined
forevermore, I think, to mean a great deal to
Americans. Perry said: 'We have met the
enemy, and they are ours.' Lawrence said:
'Don't give up the ship.' Farragut said: 'Damn
the torpedoes, go ahead.' Dewey said: 'You
may fire, Gridley, when you are ready.'
"Our history is full of splendid sea slogans,
but I think there can never be a more splendid
one that we Americans will cherish than the
first line, which is also the title of the song
now suddenly freighted with a meaning and a
message to American hearts, which our boys
sang that black February night in the Irish Sea
when two hundred of them, first fruits of our
national sacrifice in this war, went over the sides
of the 'Tuscania' to death: 'Where Do We Go
From Here, Boys; Where Do We Go From
Here?'"
TO FEATURE SONG BOOK IN NEW AD
The khaki song book published by Leo Feist,
Inc., under the title "The Songs the Soldiers
and Sailors Sing," will be featured in a quarter-
page announcement in the Saturday Evening
Post issued on April 25. This will be the sec-
ond advertisement which the Feist house has
placed in the Post featuring the book and will
without doubt add considerably to the sales,
which are already large.
Walter Jacobs, the prominent publisher of
Boston, was a visitor in New York last week.
While here he attended the weekly luncheon of
the Greater New York Music Publishers' and
Dealers' Association.
BUY YOUR MUSIC FROM
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WALTER JACOBS
"KEEP THE HOME-
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BOSTON P "M i
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PUBLISHERS, PRINTERS AND ENGRAVERS OF MUSIC
i
Main Offices: 62-64 Stanhope St., Boston.
Branch Houses: New York and Chicago.
ROBERT TELLER SONS & DORNER
Music Engravers and Printer*
SEND MANUSCRIPT AND IDEA OF
TITLE FOR ESTIMATE
311 W«»t 43d Street
New York City
"KHAKI BILL"
The Favorite Song of the National Army
"EB'RY ROSE
Is Sweeter for de Rain"
Going by the thousands
The Dealers' Opportunity
(Cfjurcfj.
i}3axs>on anb Compani'
I*. K l l \ I>\S V V . M . \ \
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Book No. 1
Book No. 2
Standard Numbers that Sell on Sight at
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A Trial Order From Your Nearest Jobber
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WINN SCHOOL OF POPULAR MUSIC
Established 1900
155 West 125th Street, New York
Correspondence Solicited