Songs of War: Anglo-Canadian Popular Songs on the Home Front, 1914-1918

Authors

Sara Karn

Abstract

This article explores the production, content, and reception of Anglo-Canadian popular songs composed during the First World War. It argues that popular songs reflected the changing attitudes of Anglo-Canadians, as composers and publishers created music to fulfill different purposes for those on the home front at various stages of the war. In the beginning, the majority of songs were patriotic marches composed to gather support for Britain and the Empire. As the war continued, there was an increase in the number of patriotic songs that expressed a growing sense of wartime Canadian nationalism to enlist recruits. Throughout the war, music was significant to the First World War experience on Canada’s home front.

Recommended Citation

Karn, Sara "Songs of War: Anglo-Canadian Popular Songs on the Home Front, 1914-1918." Canadian Military History 28, 2 (2019)