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Ain't you glad?

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https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/ed93cae0-c556-0134-2373-0050569601ca-2
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Copyright Undetermined

Supplementary Document

Title
Ain't you glad - Lyrics
Composer
  • Polk, Harry E.  
  • Wright, Jo  
Lyricist
Polk, Harry E.  
Publisher
Polk and Wolfe (Harrisonville, MO)  
Year of Publication
1919  
Local Identifier
2014_12996_052
Collection
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection

Descriptive Information

Title
Ain't you glad?
Composer
  • Polk, Harry E.  
  • Wright, Jo  
Lyricist
Polk, Harry E.  
Publisher
Harrisonville, MO : Polk and Wolfe  
Year of Publication
1919  
Physical Description
1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
Type
Musical notation  
Comment
A self-published, exuberant response by a recently discharged band leader, this song was not copyrighted and was apparently never marketed, except possibly locally.
Historical Note
  • “Wolfe,” the co-publisher, may have been William Francis Wolfe, who moved to Harrisonville in 1919 from nearby Clinton, where he had run a dry-goods store. But “Wolfe” may also have been Floyd E. Wolfe, a college friend of Harry Polk who joined Polk in North Dakota for a college reunion after being discharged from service at Camp Grant, IN.
  • Jo Wright, credited as the arranger, has not been identified but possibly may have been associated with the Camp Dodge band in some way.
  • Harry E. Polk was a superintendent of schools in Willow City, ND, when he was inducted into the army on June 24, 1918. He served at Camp Dodge, IA, as director of the First Battalion band until his discharge on December 7, 1918. In January and February 1919, even after being discharged, the band toured the midwest under his direction. During the tour he also sang and recited a poem, which was probably the text to “Ain’t You Glad”. This was published on March 3 in the Junction City (KS) Daily Union; all the lyric verses are present in the publication, but there is no refrain. He probably went to his parents’ home in Harrisonville after the tour ended, and by May 29 he had returned to North Dakota to attend a college reunion. Hence the song was probably written and published between mid-March and late May, 1919, although it is possible that it dates from later that year, after Polk had reconnected with his friend Floyd E. Wolfe. Polk later became a newspaper publisher, and it is likely that he already had a good knowledge of printing and printers.
  • This was the only printing, and no piano rolls or recordings have been found, nor any performances or advertisements.
Musical Note
A march song in duple meter, with some typical characteristics (chromatic inflections, a walking bass), the change of tempo at the refrain (“much slower”) and the colloquial text makes this something of a novelty or even a march ballad. The tune is engaging and the accompaniment skilled, but there are odd errors in the notation, especially of rhythm.
Repository
Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Rights
Copyright Undetermined
Back Cover Description
Blank.
Local Identifier
2014_12996_052
Collection Title
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
Collection
James Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
TitleAin't you glad?
Composer
  • Polk, Harry E.  
  • Wright, Jo  
LyricistPolk, Harry E.  
PublisherHarrisonville, MO : Polk and Wolfe  
Year of Publication1919  
Physical Description1 score, voice and piano ([1], 2-3, [1] p.)
TypeMusical notation  
CommentA self-published, exuberant response by a recently discharged band leader, this song was not copyrighted and was apparently never marketed, except possibly locally.
Historical Note
  • “Wolfe,” the co-publisher, may have been William Francis Wolfe, who moved to Harrisonville in 1919 from nearby Clinton, where he had run a dry-goods store. But “Wolfe” may also have been Floyd E. Wolfe, a college friend of Harry Polk who joined Polk in North Dakota for a college reunion after being discharged from service at Camp Grant, IN.
  • Jo Wright, credited as the arranger, has not been identified but possibly may have been associated with the Camp Dodge band in some way.
  • Harry E. Polk was a superintendent of schools in Willow City, ND, when he was inducted into the army on June 24, 1918. He served at Camp Dodge, IA, as director of the First Battalion band until his discharge on December 7, 1918. In January and February 1919, even after being discharged, the band toured the midwest under his direction. During the tour he also sang and recited a poem, which was probably the text to “Ain’t You Glad”. This was published on March 3 in the Junction City (KS) Daily Union; all the lyric verses are present in the publication, but there is no refrain. He probably went to his parents’ home in Harrisonville after the tour ended, and by May 29 he had returned to North Dakota to attend a college reunion. Hence the song was probably written and published between mid-March and late May, 1919, although it is possible that it dates from later that year, after Polk had reconnected with his friend Floyd E. Wolfe. Polk later became a newspaper publisher, and it is likely that he already had a good knowledge of printing and printers.
  • This was the only printing, and no piano rolls or recordings have been found, nor any performances or advertisements.
Musical NoteA march song in duple meter, with some typical characteristics (chromatic inflections, a walking bass), the change of tempo at the refrain (“much slower”) and the colloquial text makes this something of a novelty or even a march ballad. The tune is engaging and the accompaniment skilled, but there are odd errors in the notation, especially of rhythm.
RepositorySousa Archives and Center for American Music
RightsCopyright Undetermined
Back Cover DescriptionBlank.
Local Identifier2014_12996_052
Collection TitleJames Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection
CollectionJames Edward Myers World War I Sheet Music Collection

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Ain't you glad - Lyrics
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