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All's Well!

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/97af8c70-e466-0135-4ad8-0050569601ca-c
No Copyright - United States (RightsStatements.org)

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.

Descriptive Information

Title
All's Well!
Alternative Title
Cover: All’s Well / Foreign Legion Soldier
Composer
Miles, Nellie  
Lyricist
Fisher, George Nelson  
Publisher
Geo. Nelson Fisher  
Place of Publication
New York (N.Y.)  
Year of Publication
1918  
Date of Copyright
1918-11-09
Physical Description
1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
Comment
This was one of two war-related lyrics out of eight song-texts written by George Nelson Fisher in 1918. All eight texts were set by Nellie Miles; all were self-published; none had any discernible impact. These eight titles were the only lyrics Fisher produced.
Historical Note
  • The copyright is registered to Fisher in Newton, Massachusetts. He actually lived in Somerville; Nellie Miles lived in Lynn; and the copyright line on the imprint places Fisher in New York. No explanation for the discrepancies has emerged.
  • The Zouaves (verse 1) were a French regiment originally formed in Africa in the early 1800s. They wore a distinctive uniform; though the French Foreign Legion was different, strictly speaking, the two were often conflated in the public mind. Thus the protagonist of this song is, apparently, a man from Tennessee who has volunteered to fight with French troops and has been assigned to the Zouave regiment.
  • There are no documented performances, recordings, or promotional activities.
Musical Note
This semi-high-class ballad is framed by unharmonized quotations in the piano part: the introduction pairs the Irish song “The Dawning of the Day” with “Reveille”, and the refrain is followed by a full quotation of “Taps.” A phrase from “The Dawning of the Day” also appears in the verse at the end of line four, which contains those words. The tempo changes from Andante Moderato to Allegro at the refrain; ritardandos, fermatas, and other expressive marks define the genre. Awkward voicings, clumsy prosody, and incorrect harmonic spellings are somewhat surprising in view of the composer’s extensive experience as a conductor. The instruction “once only” precedes the refrain; probably the intention is to sing the first verse and refrain, omitting the closing quotation of “Taps,” and then to sing the second verse, omit the refrain, and go directly to the closing quotation.
Dedication
Dedication
Subject - Topic
  • World War, 1914-1918  
  • Songs and music  
  • Popular music  
  • Soldiers  
  • Death  
  • Separation (Psychology)  
  • Songs and music  
  • Letters  
  • France. Armée. Légion étrangère  
Subject - Geographic
  • Tennessee  
  • France  
  • United States  
Subject - Temporal
1911-1920  
Lyrics
  • [verse 1] All's well the weary sentry cries, / E'er it was passed along its way, / The sun had lit the eastern skies / The throbbing drums began at the dawning of the day. / Rousing from his fitful slumbers / A dying soldier lad in Zouaves blue, / From his dreamings of his loved ones, / Whose tender heart was leal and true; / Clenched in his hand all soiled and frayed was a letter from his Dixie Belle, / And he muttered as he kissed it, Nellie loves me, all is well.
  • [refrain 1] His all he gave, his life is sped / He's resting there in Picardy; / Dreamless his sleep 'till time has fled / When trumpets sound final recall and Reveille.
  • [verse 2] O'er there in France he did his best, / For country love and Tennessee, / Calmly he went to his long rest / As bugle notes began that morning's reveille. / Letters of his saucy darling, / Came often to him from o'er the main / But the promise in this one brought / Great longing to get home again; / Tho' well he knew ne'er more he'd see the sweet face of his Dixie Belle, / And he sighed, smiled and died, Nellie loved him, all is well.
Musical Genre
Semi-high-class ballad
Repository
Newberry Library
Rights
NoC-US
Rights Description
The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
Cover Description
Text with inset photograph of George Nelson Fisher; simple art nouveau border and ornaments. Brown on white; unsigned.
Back Cover Description
Blank.
Interior Description
Plate number: p. 3, BL: All is Well 2
Performance Medium
Voice and piano.  
Original Location
Box 163
Local Identifier
nda163_037
Collection Title
James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
Collection
World War I Sheet Music from the James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
TitleAll's Well!
Alternative TitleCover: All’s Well / Foreign Legion Soldier
ComposerMiles, Nellie  
LyricistFisher, George Nelson  
PublisherGeo. Nelson Fisher  
Place of PublicationNew York (N.Y.)  
Year of Publication1918  
Date of Copyright1918-11-09
Physical Description1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
CommentThis was one of two war-related lyrics out of eight song-texts written by George Nelson Fisher in 1918. All eight texts were set by Nellie Miles; all were self-published; none had any discernible impact. These eight titles were the only lyrics Fisher produced.
Historical Note
  • The copyright is registered to Fisher in Newton, Massachusetts. He actually lived in Somerville; Nellie Miles lived in Lynn; and the copyright line on the imprint places Fisher in New York. No explanation for the discrepancies has emerged.
  • The Zouaves (verse 1) were a French regiment originally formed in Africa in the early 1800s. They wore a distinctive uniform; though the French Foreign Legion was different, strictly speaking, the two were often conflated in the public mind. Thus the protagonist of this song is, apparently, a man from Tennessee who has volunteered to fight with French troops and has been assigned to the Zouave regiment.
  • There are no documented performances, recordings, or promotional activities.
Musical NoteThis semi-high-class ballad is framed by unharmonized quotations in the piano part: the introduction pairs the Irish song “The Dawning of the Day” with “Reveille”, and the refrain is followed by a full quotation of “Taps.” A phrase from “The Dawning of the Day” also appears in the verse at the end of line four, which contains those words. The tempo changes from Andante Moderato to Allegro at the refrain; ritardandos, fermatas, and other expressive marks define the genre. Awkward voicings, clumsy prosody, and incorrect harmonic spellings are somewhat surprising in view of the composer’s extensive experience as a conductor. The instruction “once only” precedes the refrain; probably the intention is to sing the first verse and refrain, omitting the closing quotation of “Taps,” and then to sing the second verse, omit the refrain, and go directly to the closing quotation.
DedicationDedication
Subject - Topic
  • World War, 1914-1918  
  • Songs and music  
  • Popular music  
  • Soldiers  
  • Death  
  • Separation (Psychology)  
  • Songs and music  
  • Letters  
  • France. Armée. Légion étrangère  
Subject - Geographic
  • Tennessee  
  • France  
  • United States  
Subject - Temporal1911-1920  
Lyrics
  • [verse 1] All's well the weary sentry cries, / E'er it was passed along its way, / The sun had lit the eastern skies / The throbbing drums began at the dawning of the day. / Rousing from his fitful slumbers / A dying soldier lad in Zouaves blue, / From his dreamings of his loved ones, / Whose tender heart was leal and true; / Clenched in his hand all soiled and frayed was a letter from his Dixie Belle, / And he muttered as he kissed it, Nellie loves me, all is well.
  • [refrain 1] His all he gave, his life is sped / He's resting there in Picardy; / Dreamless his sleep 'till time has fled / When trumpets sound final recall and Reveille.
  • [verse 2] O'er there in France he did his best, / For country love and Tennessee, / Calmly he went to his long rest / As bugle notes began that morning's reveille. / Letters of his saucy darling, / Came often to him from o'er the main / But the promise in this one brought / Great longing to get home again; / Tho' well he knew ne'er more he'd see the sweet face of his Dixie Belle, / And he sighed, smiled and died, Nellie loved him, all is well.
Musical GenreSemi-high-class ballad
RepositoryNewberry Library
RightsNoC-US
Rights DescriptionThe organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information.
Cover DescriptionText with inset photograph of George Nelson Fisher; simple art nouveau border and ornaments. Brown on white; unsigned.
Back Cover DescriptionBlank.
Interior DescriptionPlate number: p. 3, BL: All is Well 2
Performance MediumVoice and piano.  
Original LocationBox 163
Local Identifiernda163_037
Collection TitleJames Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music
CollectionWorld War I Sheet Music from the James Francis Driscoll Collection of American Sheet Music

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