The MoD presents:
MUSIC OF THE
FIRST WORLD WAR

INTRODUCTION

Music played an important role in the First World War. For the most part, it kept up morale by entertaining and distracting from the toils of war. However, music also played a role as propaganda -- bolstering recruitment campaigns and encouraging enlistment.

Between 1914 and 1918, many musicians were writing and composing songs that had nothing to do with the war. However, as the major event of the day, the war was well highlighted through song, and other forms of art -- visual art, poetry, literature, and dramatic plays.

While many popular wartime tunes were composed in Europe and the United States, Canadian composers and lyricists 'did their bit' to add to the wartime repertoire. Thousands of copies of sheet music were printed (usually in Toronto) and sold across Canada. Canadian composers did quite well for themselves especially because the United States did not enter the war until 1917.

The affordability of sheet music, along with rising popularity of the gramophone (record player) and availability of records, meant the music of the day was enjoyed by the masses. Crowd favourites were most often heard live in music halls, played on the family piano, or sung (and parodied) by fighting forces.

The most popular style of music was a fusion of ragtime and the military march. Some songs became so popular they were regarded as unofficial anthems of the war. However, they were not immune to shifts in popular opinion as the result of wartime experiences.