First world war songs

What a fabulous idea for a concert! How about adding the recruiting song that was popular in the music halls 'Make a man of you'? It's the one that ends - "But on Saturday I'm willing, if you'll only take the shilling, To make a man of any one of you."

This is all great! I am making a list!

Thank you all!!!

Hush here comes a whizz bang...
I agree lots of ideas on Oh what a lovely war

I thought you might be interested to know what else might be in the programme. The plan is to have the first half including the sort of songs that you have all kindly been suggesting, finishing with an 18 minute piece that has been specially written for us on the subject of the feelings of the fighting soldiers and their families, and to include young male soloists of a similar age to the soldiers

The second half will have both children and adults singing and, as well as music hall songs of the period, will also have the children acting as the hope for peace, with some known peace songs and some that we hope will emerge from working with the schoolchildren throughout the year on creating lyrics on the theme of peace. There will also be some inspirational and celebratory songs in this second half.

It is all very exciting and I love working on it. I am grateful for all your input.

Oh - and we hope to include some element of women's roles in the war.

So....not much to do then?!

I wonder if you were going to include a reading of some of the poetry of WW1? Especially Wilfred Owen.
It's very sad though.

ps Benjamin Britten set some of them to music. A bit too "modern" for me, but interesting.

Yes - there are lovely, but a bit too "highbrow" and technically difficult for the amateur non-music readers that will comprise the choir.

Not pertaining to the Britten or to Owen I am very keen to find a way that the project will concentrate on the celebratory element of the end of the war and do not want it to become jingoistic or glorifying war. It is a fine line.

What about When this lousy war is over

www.ww1photos.com/WhenThisLousyWarIsOver.html