This timeline displays a collection of Anglo-Canadian popular songs from the home front during the First World War. These 55 songs were gathered from digital archives of sheet music that include some of the most popular pieces from the time. Although the songs included in the timeline are representative of the music produced during the war, it is difficult to ascertain the exact number of popular songs published. At this time, it was common for many songs to never reach an audience, particularly for those songs produced by local, private publishers. Nevertheless, many of the songs found in this timeline were met with success on the home front, and hold a place in the collective memory of the war today. 

As this timeline demonstrates, the majority of the sheet music produced during the war was concentrated in 1915 and 1916, when the war was well underway and support for the Allies was necessary. The timeline also highlights the main themes of popular songs from this time period, including supporting the British Empire, a national Canadian identity, gender, and sentimentality. Following these themes across the timeline reveals changes in the predominance of each theme throughout the war years. In the beginning, the emphasis was on patriotic music that encouraged support for ‘King and Country,’ but as the war dragged on an increasing number of songs expressed a longing for the day when the soldiers would return home.

Explore the timeline - examine song titles and sheet music cover art while listening to some recordings of Anglo-Canadian popular songs from the First World War.