Sounds of War

Music in the British Armed Forces during the Great War

Emma Hanna

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9781108480086
• eBook ISBN:
  9781108571821
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: British History
• Index: History

Comparatively little is known about the musical cultures of the British armed forces during the Great War. This groundbreaking study is the first to examine music's vital presence in a range of military contexts including military camps, ships, aerodromes and battlefields, canteen huts, hospitals and PoW camps. Emma Hanna argues that music was omnipresent in servicemen's wartime existence and was a vital element for the maintenance of morale. She shows how music was utilised to stimulate recruitment and fundraising, for diplomatic and propaganda purposes, and for religious, educational and therapeutic reasons. Music was not in any way ephemeral, it was unmatched in its power to cajole, console, cheer and inspire during the conflict and its aftermath. This study is a major contribution to our understanding of the wartime realities of the British armed forces during the Great War.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Series page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures
• Acknowledgements
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 Music in Britain, 1914
• 2 Recruitment and Fundraising
• 3 Instruments of War
• 4 Songs, Identity and Morale
• 5 Captivity
• 6 Religion and Pastoral Care
• 7 Medicine and Therapy
• 8 The Gramophone
• 9 Civilian Concert Parties
• 10 Servicemen’s Concert Parties
• 11 After the Armistice
• Conclusion
• Notes
• Sources and Select Bibliography
• Index