Back Home - dedicated to our gallant ANZACs
Composer
Reginald Stoneham
(Australian, 1879 - 1942)
Printer
Barker & Cousins
Publisher
J Albert and Son
Date1918 - 1919
Object number00018497
NameSheet music
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsOverall: 360 x 255 mm, 0.05 kg
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
Description'Back Home' was dedicated to 'our gallant ANZACS' and composed to celebrate the return of Australian and New Zealand servicemen from the First World War. The cover page features a lithographic print depicting a convoy of troopships. This sheet music was sold at the affordable price of 2 shillings.HistorySheet music offers an insight into popular culture and social values at the time of their production. The widely distributed pieces were fairly cheap to buy, making them popular purchases with the general public.
Most middle class families in Australia could afford a piano, which played an important role in their home entertainment. Popular music played at concerts, balls and recitals was produced to be purchased by a mass market. Common composition favourites were waltzes, quadrilles, galops, polkas and mazurkas. In the Victorian era sheet music covered a huge range of themes from ships, travel, plays and literature.
Musical scores were used to generate support and national pride during times of war. In the First World War many patriotic songs were written to celebrate the landscape, character and military personnel of a country. Sometimes a percentage of the music sheet's profits went towards the war effort.SignificanceThe cover design on this sheet music reflects the national pride associated with the ships of the Royal Australian Navy, formed in 1911 just prior to the First World War. It represents the patriotic songs that were written to celebrate Australia's involvement in the conflict.
