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A-M-E-R-I-C-A

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/ecc08840-c556-0134-2373-0050569601ca-9
No Copyright - United States (RightsStatements.org)

This item is in the public domain.

Supplementary Document

Title
A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Lyrics
Composer
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
Lyricist
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
Publisher
D. W. Cooper Pub. Co.  
Place of Publication
Boston (Mass.)  
Year of Publication
1917  
Local Identifier
2014_12996_048
Collection
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection

Descriptive Information

Title
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
Alternative Title
p. 2, top: A-M-E-R-I-C-A / America
Composer
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
Lyricist
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
Publisher
D. W. Cooper Pub. Co.  
Place of Publication
Boston (Mass.)  
Publisher Address
600 Washington St.  
Year of Publication
1917  
Date of Copyright
1917-02-21
Physical Description
1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
Type
Musical notation  
Comment
This song is one of many that imitated “M-O-T-H-E-R,” the 1915 hit by Theodore Morse and Howard Johnson. Although D. W. Cooper plugged the song briefly at a local theatre and registered mechanical rights in 1918, it appears to have had very little impact.
Historical Note
  • Dallin’s statue, pictured on the cover, was installed at the entry to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on January 23, 1912, and Coolidge’s photograph was taken about that time. The statue quickly became a symbol of Boston’s civic pride as well as an iconic image in American culture. There is no textual link to the song, and the motivation for the choosing this cover image remains obscure.
  • There appears to have been only one printing, and there are no known recordings or piano rolls.
Musical Note
This spelling song is a march song in duple meter, with a slightly unusual 40-bar refrain that results from the extension of the third line and the interjected spelling of “America.” The verse is conventional, with ragtime rhythms used extensively in the first two phrases. Sequence is used prominently at the start of the verse and the in the penultimate phrase of the refrain.
Repository
Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Rights
No Copyright - United States
Rights Description
This item is in the public domain.
Back Cover Description
Advertisement and samples for “When the Sun Sets in Galway” (© 1915 08 02) and “I’m Going Back to the Girl I Love” (© 1915 12 07).
Local Identifier
2014_12996_048
Collection Title
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
Collection
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
TitleA-M-E-R-I-C-A
Alternative Titlep. 2, top: A-M-E-R-I-C-A / America
Composer
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
Lyricist
  • Greene, May  
  • Lang, Billy  
PublisherD. W. Cooper Pub. Co.  
Place of PublicationBoston (Mass.)  
Publisher Address600 Washington St.  
Year of Publication1917  
Date of Copyright1917-02-21
Physical Description1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
TypeMusical notation  
CommentThis song is one of many that imitated “M-O-T-H-E-R,” the 1915 hit by Theodore Morse and Howard Johnson. Although D. W. Cooper plugged the song briefly at a local theatre and registered mechanical rights in 1918, it appears to have had very little impact.
Historical Note
  • Dallin’s statue, pictured on the cover, was installed at the entry to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts on January 23, 1912, and Coolidge’s photograph was taken about that time. The statue quickly became a symbol of Boston’s civic pride as well as an iconic image in American culture. There is no textual link to the song, and the motivation for the choosing this cover image remains obscure.
  • There appears to have been only one printing, and there are no known recordings or piano rolls.
Musical NoteThis spelling song is a march song in duple meter, with a slightly unusual 40-bar refrain that results from the extension of the third line and the interjected spelling of “America.” The verse is conventional, with ragtime rhythms used extensively in the first two phrases. Sequence is used prominently at the start of the verse and the in the penultimate phrase of the refrain.
RepositorySousa Archives and Center for American Music
RightsNo Copyright - United States
Rights DescriptionThis item is in the public domain.
Back Cover DescriptionAdvertisement and samples for “When the Sun Sets in Galway” (© 1915 08 02) and “I’m Going Back to the Girl I Love” (© 1915 12 07).
Local Identifier2014_12996_048
Collection TitleJames Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
CollectionJames Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection

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A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Cover
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A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Page 2
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A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Page 3
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A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Back Cover
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A-M-E-R-I-C-A - Lyrics
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