Songs for Remembrance

Subject: Songs for Remembrance
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 03:29 PM

I'm giving thought presently to what I'll be singing in the build up to Remembrance Day. As one who wears my poppy with pride, I'll be looking for songs respectful to valour & the sacrifices that have been made (and continue to be so) in the field of Human Conflict. Any ideas?

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 03:57 PM

Some Gave All, Arlington, Drive On, 50,000 Names to name just a few

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Rumncoke
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:12 PM

Trawling through my book of words brings only a meagre haul I'm afraid -

peat bog soldiers

the ladies go dancing at Whitsun

Lord Marlborough perhaps?

Love farewell

When cannon are roaring

How stands the glass around

Soldiers of the Queen

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Mr Happy
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:15 PM

I usually do Jon Hislop's 'Poor Murdered Men' - says it all really [IMO]

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,The Ballad of The Bold Researcher
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:24 PM

Number 4071 Private Bennett - Maggie Holland

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,The Ballad of The Bold Researcher
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:28 PM

any of the Coope, Boyes and Simpson World War One projects CD's are worth checking out for material

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,Puck
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:33 PM

Ref T B O T B R[above] In particular I think 'Sounding Rafters' rings out loud and clear.

Cheers Pee

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,The Ballad of The Bold Researcher
Date: 03 Nov 07 - 04:41 PM

Thanks Pee. Sounding Rafters is from Twenty Four Seven I believe.

Cheers

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 02:17 AM

'Only remembered' - Coope Boyes and Simpson do a fabulous rendition of this on the Passchendale Concert Party CD "We're here, because we're here" and John Tams sang part of it in the Sharpe series.

'The Rose of York', as sung by Roy Bailey, from 'What you do with what you've got' is also pretty good.

LTS

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: The Walrus
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:26 AM

I've posted this elsewhere, but it may be of use here.
http://janus001.blogspot.com/It's a Regimental newletter posted elsewhere and I can't work out a way of finding/extracting the YouTube piece (ignore the dancing apes).
I don't know how long it will be there.

Tom (aka Walrus)

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 05:28 AM

Remembrance Day is for World War I or is it for all foreign wars? Forgive my ignorance. here in the USA, it is called Veteran's Day althought it was once called Armistice Day.

When I was growing up Veteran's Day (I was born in the mid 1960s) - Veteran's Day was rather focused on World War I. Every year we'd have local WWI Veterans marching and giving speeches and of course, there was the sale of the paper poppies. By the time I got to HighSchool, WWI Vets were becoming scarce and the day shifted towards commemorating WWII.

So my question is, do you want songs about a specific Era or songs that were popular during those eras? I suggest the following as being good ones to perform :

The Flowers Of The Forest
and Eric Bogle's songs:
- And the Band Played Waltzing Matlida
-Green Fields of France

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: The Walrus
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 06:03 AM

I've found the song (Pittance of Time?) as a seperate entity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bXGZr-IJJ4

Any use?


Dave's Wife,

Remembrance Day started as Armistice Day here too and, initially, was based on the British and Commonwealth dead of the Great War, however, with the Second World War, the emphasis shifted to the dead of both World Wars and with Korea and the withdrawl from Empire etc. it has expanded to cover the B&C fallen from the Great War onward.

There are some foreign contingents which also march on Armistice Day in Whitehall, For some years there were ex-patriot Poles (ex Free Polish Army) and in recent years, there seem to have been a group of Foreign Legion veterans on parade.

W

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,Uncle Jaque in Maine
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 07:20 AM

I've been asked to do a little bit in our local small town Veteran's Day ceremony on Sat. the 10th by our American Legion Post Commander, and the theme this year will be on WW-I.

So I've been studying up a bit on my "Great War" history, as I've mostly focused on American Civil War era reenacting and music.
It's fascinating stuff, really, how everybody seemed to get dragged in to a horrendous war that nobody except the "Central Powers" seemed to want to get involved in.

Another one of those bloody "Inevitable Wars" that keep happening about every generation.

One of the things he asked me to do was to fire a 3-round salute with my original Model 1917 Remington rifle, which is probably, along with it's formidable 17 inch sword bayonet, a combat veteran of WW-I, and give a little speech.

I may sing a song / play my tin whistle as well, and the song that kept popping into my head is Eric Bogle's "No Man's Land" which I think was referenced above as "Green Fields of France". Posted about it previously here.

It could be construed as a little "anti war" I suppose, which might be somewhat out of sorts with such an event.
I'm not known for being generically anti - war, per se... but I think that when it comes to "The War to End all War" - which it obviously didn;'t - it seems quite appropriate.

There are a lot of period sound files in online archives - I just downloaded enough to nearly fill up a CD.
Check the Smithsonian and LOC audio archives to start with.

The sound quality of these early recordings is of course a little rough, but they suffice to give you the general idea of what people were singing back then.

If one were really clever and had the right audio software, I suppose that a lot of those old recordings might be cleaned up and restored somewhat.

As i mentioned in earlier posting, I wondered if anyone had ever set the famous WW-I poem "Flanders Fields" to music.
I searched around and can't find where anyone has, so I have set about to have a crack at it.

So far I've got a start, and it's got potential.

Did a "Metrical matchup" as was commonly done in the 19th Century between lyric and tune, and found that the old hymn "Higher Ground" was a pretty close match, so I built a melody line around that, having to tweak it a bit to allow for the poem's somewhat irregular meter - especially in the middle verse.

It's got some finishing up to do around the edges, but if anyone is interested let me know and I can try to share a graphics file of the score once I get a coherent version written up, or if you can recommend a good on-line repository for sound files, I can try posting a WAV or mp3 of the tin whistle version.

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 08:00 AM

A Pittance Of Time lyrics from Terry Kelly's website:

http://www.terry-kelly.com/pittance/pittance_en_lyrics.htm

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Leadfingers
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 08:01 AM

Eric Bogle's 'All The Fine Young Men' covers both world wars

And Remembrance day in UK is for ALL Conflicts !

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 09:48 AM

Another Eric Bogle song that will guarantee not a dry eye in the house would be 'The Gift of Years', the narative of an old ANZAC soldier returning to Galipoli to pay his respects to his old buddy. The song just says it all - 'thank you'.

LTS

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Ian Burdon
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 12:19 PM

Two off the wall suggestions both by Jake Thackray

The Remembrance and The Cenotaph



You might also consider The D-Day Dodgers of which there are a number of variants. This is one - http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/song-midis/D-Day_Dodgers.htm

Ian

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GEST
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 04:40 PM

From GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador:
The Legionnaires Song by The Sharecroppers
Remembrance Day by Eric Waterman.

Subject: Lyr Add: CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES (J McCutcheon)
From: topical tom
Date: 04 Nov 07 - 04:56 PM

One of the most moving songs about war that I have ever heard is John McCutcheon's "CHRISTMAS IN THE TRENCHES":

My name is Francis Tolliver. I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here,
I fought for King and country I love dear.
It was Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung.
Our families back in England were toasting us that day,
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lyin' with my mess-mates on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys", each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singin' bloody well you know", my partner says to me.
Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony.
The cannons rested silent. The gas cloud rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished a reverent pause was spent.
'God rest ye merry, gentlemen' struck up some lads from Kent.
The next they sang was 'Stille Nacht". "'Tis 'Silent Night'" says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.
"There's someone comin' towards us" the front-line sentry cried.
All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shone on that plain so bright
As he bravely strode, unarmed, into the night.

Then one by one on either side walked into no-mans-land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.
We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell.
We traded chocolates, cigarettes and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.
Young Sanders played his squeeze box and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more.
With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war.
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night
"Whose family have I fixed with in my sights?"
It was Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung.
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone for ever more.

My name is Francis Tolliver. In Liverpool I dwell.
Each Christmas come since World War One I've learned it's lessons well.
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same.

-- John McCutcheon "Christmas in the trenches"

Mp3Lyrics.org

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 07:23 AM

I sometimes do that one Tom, but I feel the need to iron out some of the inaccuracies and un English bits.

Home Lads Home is a lovely song and the words were written in 1916.

kipling's Gethsemane another moving WW1 song.

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,Young Buchan
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 07:49 AM

There's a simple little cross out at Mons
Just a simple little cross out at Mons.
There's a little pile of stones
That stand above the bones
Of Private William Jones
Out at Mons.

And the cross is just a simple soldier's gun
With the business end still pointing to the sun;
There's a bayonette 'cross the top
And it doesn't look a lot
But now that's all he's got
Out at Mons.

And there are no pretty flowers on the grave;
And there is no fine memorial To The Brave.
He's a hero, so they say,
But he gave his life away
For fourteen pence a day
Out at Mons.

This is not a modern effort. It was a 'hit' in the music halls around 1919. Had anyone tried to do it a couple of years earlier they would probably have been lynched. But by 1919 the music halls were full of ex soldiers who knew very well what the score had been.

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: GUEST,Mingulay at work
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 09:04 AM

Les Sullivan's "Menin Gate" is a fine song about the little known Naval Battalions who fought and died in WW1, many of whom are remembered on that memorial.

Subject: RE: Songs for Remembrance
From: Carol
Date: 05 Nov 07 - 09:12 AM

13 Florins on the Bar by Mike Sparks, The First Time by Deborah Cooke and All The Fine Yound Men by Mr. Bogle, allthough the first two are about WW1.