Songs and Songbooks at the WCML
by Jane Lewis
Over the years the WCML has amassed a quantity of working class songs, poems and related writings. Here follows an inventory of the items which includes the name of the composition, the author, the organisation, where possible, that it was written for, or the occasion it was used for. The list is in database form with a commentary on some of the items that are published as an extension to this list and an interesting dimension to the catalogues held at the library, showing histories of the songs, authors, events to which they relate and organisations that have used political songs in their activities.
The commentaries include a cross section of material to show the connection between events and song and the time spans they cover. Some organisations such as the National Union of Mineworkers have many publications that express the feelings of its workers. There are many publications of songs attributed to The Socialist Sunday Schools which were a main source of education in the early twentieth century. A potted history of such organisations as these will enhance the listing of the music held at the library. Events in history can be shown to use political song and how the authors' lives have been centred on the writing of such. Not all of the songs have music with them but those that do, sometimes have the score analysed. For instance some are written for more than one voice in a choral format, some have just a voice part, some have full accompaniment and a few have tonic sol-fa arrangements, a practice that was more generally used at one time.
Extracted and illustrated commentaries so far available from the database are as follows:-
Tonic Sol-fa
Socialist Sunday Schools
Gerrard Winstanley and the English Diggers
Mineworkers
William Morris
Jim Connell
Edward Carpenter
Ernest Jones
Songs from other countries
Song and poetry has played an important role in the history of working class movements. It is interesting to find how much humour there is in songs of conflict and tension in addition to depth of feeling. The miners not only had conditions of work to write about, but the many pit disasters that happened. Political song is a genre with a thread that can cover many causes. Protest songs such as 'Negro Songs of Protest'; Campaign publications such as the 'Chinese Songs' for the China Campaign Committee; songs providing a social commentary or supporting an historical narrative such as 'Songs for the Aldermaston March' in 1985. Marchers were limited to these specially selected songs to keep the theme clear. The Labour Party has extensive publications of anthems and songs; and there are many traditional patriotic songs as are sung by choirs associated with 'Raise your Banners' Sheffield's biennial gathering of socialist choirs.
The Unity Theatre developed from workers' drama groups in the 1930s and its productions address important issues that affect all humanity as it brings the theatre to the masses and includes parodies such as 'Red Fly the Banners O' in 1939 and 'Winkles and Champagne' in 1948. These organisations are examples of how song is used to promote political awareness and activity.
One of the oldest pieces of work that has been uncovered is 'Two Songs of Liberty' that was published in 1796 issues of the 'Moral and Political Magazine of the London Corresponding Society', which formed in 1792. In the wake of the French Revolution, Britain saw an emergence of a persistent call for political reform, and through cheap political literature the London Corresponding Society led the struggle of a great number of popular political societies of working class members. Several members of the Society were tried for High Treason in 1794 but were later acquitted and these two songs were sung in celebration. Unfortunately the author of both the words and the music is unknown. The copy has a picture on the front of Thomas Paine, who published 'Rights of Man' in 1792 in which he defended the French Revolution.
Working class songs have been the deliberation of the Workers' Musical Association that was formed in 1936 by Alan Bush and others. Bush already had been involved for eleven years with the London Labour Choral Union and choirs from this and the Co-operative Musical Associations became the Workers' Musical Association. The Association's aims were to use the power of music to inspire people, provide recreation and entertainment for the armed forces, encourage the composition of contemporary music and to promote the idea that music can motivate people to work for the betterment of society. A large percentage of the music identified in the collection at the Working Class Movement Library is published by the WMA.