There are two main categories of suffrage music, rally songs and parlor music. Rally songs generally consisted of women’s rights lyrics adapted to the melodies of popular songs. This allowed for communal sing-alongs at rallies and events, where people did not need to be able to read music to participate. Parlor music, on the other hand, featured original music as well as original words, and generally was printed in sheet music format. The topic of women’s rights in American music appears as early as the 18th century, but received its main impetus after the Convention in Seneca Falls in 1848.
Early Women’s Rights Lyrics “I’ll Be No Submissive Wife,” written and composed by Alexander Lee in 1835, was an extremely popular ballad, and went through 6 different editions by 1838. The song has sometimes been characterized as a pro-women’s rights song, as the lyrics cry out in protest, “I’ll not be a slave for life—not I love, honor, and obey.” However, more likely Lee’s work was probably satirical in its intent, exposing the character to ridicule in her overzealous refrain of “No no no no no no no no no no not I.” Likewise, “Let Us All Speak Our Minds If We Die For It,” published in 1863, has been interpreted by some to be an early feminist statement, but, with its lyrics written by man 
(William Brouch), it also is comic in intent. The character protests “I never yet gave myself thus a slave, however my husband might try for it, yet I can’t and I won’t, and I shan’t and I don’t.” In England, the song was introduced early into music halls, and the woman character was identified as Mrs. Naggit.” Still, whether satirical or not, both songs reflect a dissatisfaction among some women concerning their roles in marriage and societal expectations that they be submissive.
Women’s Rights Convention Songs A scant five years following the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848, the topic became a popular subject for parlor sheet music although not always in a positive way. The 1853 waltz “Woman’s Rights Convention” with music by C. Tompkins and arrangement by Julia F. Baker appears supportive enough by its title even though it is lacking in words. However, another song that appeared the same year, “Women’s Rights . . .Rightly Written for the Woman’s Rights Convention,” is quite open in its opposition to any role that women might play as politicians and leaders: “‘Tis ‘Woman’s right’ as Wife to act/ Alone to Legislators,/ But ‘not her right’ to mount the stand/ And speak as commentators.” A song written by Fanny Fern in 1853 called “Woman’s Rights” also embodies the idea that it is woman’s right to serve her man but not her right to “speak aloud in legislative halls.”
More Mockery in Sheet Music One of the early graphic pieces of American sheet music that extended the mockery of the Woman’s Rights movement was “We’ll Show You When We Come to Vote,” published in 1869 with words by Frank Howard. The cover illustration shows women at the ballot box, with posters covering the wall urging people to vote for “Susan B. Anthony for President,” for “Governor of Mass Lucy Stone,” for “Gov. of New York Elizabeth Cady Stanton,” along with cries of “Down with Male Rule.” The lyrics themselves argue that the typical woman’s rights advocate, while complaining of her lot, “rides in a carriage fine, and buys six dresses ev’ry week,” neglecting her babies in the process. Whatever its deficiencies, this song mirrors the fears of many men for decades to come that Votes for Women would lead to social revolution with women demanding to assume the roles of men and abandoning their “duties as housewives.” It also indicates that although suffrage leaders had become pariahs to the anti-women’s rights forces, their names and accomplishments were now well known to virtually everyone.
American Citizens Who Cannot Vote Throughout the nineteenth century and on into the twentieth, there were many songs written and published in support of suffrage. However, the majority of these songs are somewhat difficult to find today because their editions were limited, most being the product of either local activists or the organizations to which they belonged. The example pictured here from 1895 with words and music by Nettie Bacon Christian is typical. The song was dedicated to Helen M. Gouger, President of the Indiana Suffrage Association, and deals with a common complaint among suffragists, that women were linked with the lower orders of society such as “The Indian, the Chinaman, the Idiot” in their inability to be able to vote. 
While African Americans are not referenced here, many suffragists were extremely bitter when black men were granted the right to vote but they weren’t. The theme is continued in a 1911 work by W.G. Fortney that was published in San Francisco by the Macdonald Music Company, where African Americans are specifically mentioned. The second verse asks “Is it right for the Negro, the Jap, and the Chink/The tramp and the old whiskey bloat, to be hauled in a taxicab down to the polls/ And there be told how they must vote?” while the widow who runs a small, heavily mortgaged farm is not allowed access to the ballot.
“Official” Suffrage Songs There were a series of songs that either had a direct connection to an official suffrage association or were linked to them by an “official dedication.” Whatever the case, it is likely that most were used as a fund raiser for the cause. The Woman’s Journal, always eager to publicize new suffrage memorabilia, often took note of them, and many activist composers advertised their new creations in its pages. “Give Us the Ballot,” which was published in Emmetsburg, Iowa, was dedicated to the Political Equality Club of the same city. Political Equality Clubs were spread around the country and originated from an idea advanced originally by Susan B. Anthony. “Suffrage Marching Song,” with words by Florence Livingston Lent and music by Fanny 
Connable Lancaster was “sold for the benefit of the Equal Suffrage Cause” by the Massachusetts Woman’s Suffrage Association. The copyright date of 1914 suggests that it may have been published in early preparation for the State referendum on suffrage that was held the next year. “Victory,” though printed and published by E. Humphrey Owen of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was distributed by the Woman Suffrage Party of Luzerne County. It was published in 1916, the year after the unsuccessful attempt to pass a suffrage amendment in Pennsylvania. At times, without a dedication or an imprint of a suffrage association to serve as a guideline, it is difficult to know if a pro-suffrage piece was a commercial product or produced by an activist source. Many 
suffragists would publish a piece of music themselves that they had written and use the proceeds to fund the cause. The suffrage periodical the Woman’s Journal ran a number of announcements and small ads about such productions. Here are a few pieces in support of the movement 
that may or may not be directly connected to a suffrage sympathizer. Note that the two marches, even though they have similar titles, are composed by two different individuals. All three marches here, while they could have been played at home with the family sitting around the piano, were more likely used for demonstrations and actual marches, although marches did not become common until Alice Paul showed to other suffragists how successful they could be. “The Franchise Campaign March,” published in 1914, is the latest of the last three marches that are pictured here.
Rally Songs Most rally songs, which consisted of suffrage lyrics set to popular tunes, were printed not in sheet music format but on single sheets with words only or collected in booklets called “songsters” or “song books.” There was no need to print the music, since everyone knew the melodies, and the broadside and pamphlet formats made distribution of rally songs at meetings and gatherings both inexpensive and easy. Probably the most famous of all of the songsters was the “Equal Suffrage Song Sheaf” with words by Eugenie M. Raye-Smith that was published in 1912 and dedicated to Anna Howard Shaw. Songs included “Come Vote, Ladies [“Good-night, Ladies!”],” “Marching to Victory and Freedom [“Marching Through Georgia”],” and “Woman’s Song of Union [“Suwanee River”].” Although the copy here is labelled “Second Edition,” no “First Edition” is known.
Suffrage and American Iconography Suffrage sheet music in the 20th century differed from its counterpart in the 19th through greater use of illustrative covers, generally in full color. Still, many pieces were not necessarily the product of commercial firms but were produced and, at times, published by activists and their supporters. One feature of many was the use of iconic American images such as the bald eagle, the Liberty Bell, and the depiction of motherhood. Opponents of suffrage had attempted to portray the suffragists as the other, a sexless creature outside of the mainstream of American life. To counter that, supporters attempted to show that Votes for Women was a logical extension of this country’s traditions, that the Liberty Bell and motherhood were at one with extending the franchise to women. In addition, the two pieces pictured here, 
“Votes for Women,” with words and music by Edward and Mary Zimmerman and published in 1915,” and “In 1920 I Will Vote for You,” written by Richard O’Connor in 1918, may have had a local connection to the Pennsylvania Liberty Bell Campaign of 1915. In that year, a replica of the original Liberty Bell was cast, put on a specially fortified truck, and driven throughout the various counties of Pennsylvania, particularly in the rural areas. Both of these pieces were published in Pennsylvania, and while the latter piece was appeared three years after that campaign, the Liberty Bell was still available for viewing and was borrowed for events outside of the state.
She’s Good Enough to Be Your Baby’s Mother This particular piece of sheet music reinforced a major argument of suffragist sympathizers. In responding to critics who contended that women lacked the inherent capability to vote in a responsible manner, they pointed out that men gave over the chore of raising children to their wives. If women were so muddle headed that they could not cast a vote properly, then what were men doing in allowing them to bring up their children? The cover here also portrays the mother as young and attractive, not at all the dowager of anti-suffrage mythos. The suffragists also argued that women wanted the vote not to overturn society and take over but so that they could become better mothers, and vote for such things to protect children as laws would would guarantee the 
purity of the milk supply. “She’s Good Enough,” based upon evidence from the number of surviving copies, was probably the most popular title of all American suffrage sheet music. It is the only song known, apart from Ethel Smyth’s famous English song “The March of Women,” that went through several significantly different cover designs. Smyth’s song, originally published by the Women’s Social and Political Union, was imported to the United States where it was featured in a major demonstration by Alice Paul’s Congressional Union in Washington, D.C. on May 9, 1914.
Anti-Immigrant, Anti-Suffrage “Since My Margarette-Became-a-da-Suffragette” was published in 1913 by Jerome H. Remick with music by Gus Edwards and words by Will D. Cobb. It combined an anti-Italian immigrant bias with a mockery of the suffrage movement. The male character is subject to the domination of his wife now that she has learned about suffrage. He has to give her all of his money because she has assumed the role of the treasurer of the family, he has to sleep alone with his monkey, and no more does he “eat da spagett.” Again, based upon the number of surviving copies, this song, unfortunately, was somewhat of a hit.
Specific Events In the late 19th century as well as the early part of the 20th, music publishers often printed songs about contemporary events such as the sinking of the Titanic, Lindbergh’s flight, the Johnstown Flood, and local fires and disasters. There are a few such pieces that deal with happenings in the suffrage world. The song “November,” written by Ella H. Lowe and Edward Johnson and published in Suffern, New York in 1915, recounts an event in suffrage history that is not often recognized today. In the Fall of that year, suffragists honored Anna Howard Shaw by presenting her with a Saxon car in the official NAWSA suffrage color of yellow. The words of the music do not refer specifically to Shaw but do tell the story of a comparable Yellow Saxon that will carry suffragists around to rally support for the coming referendum, probably intentionally calling to mind the Shaw Gift. The Saxon Automobile Company liked 
to publicize its connection to the suffragists, and even published an advertisement in several magazines featuring Alice Snitjer Burke and Nell Richardson, who had toured the country in their “Golden Flier Saxon” on behalf of suffrage. This may have been the first ad featuring women endorsing a car for other women. “Fall In Line,” published by the New York State Woman’s Suffrage Association in 1914 depicts a march held in New York City in that year. In the background one can see the Flat Iron Building. The song was also recorded on an Edison cylinder. Its price of fifty cents may have been a bit high for its day, but the music probably was used as a fund raiser and may have been sold through the mails.
Official Anti-Suffrage Sheet Music Although the Anti-Suffrage forces were well funded, primarily through the liquor industry who feared prohibition if women were given the vote, they produced very little of any type of memorabilia, sheet music included. Part of the reason for this is that they did not need to. There were plenty of mocking barbs directed against suffragists in the products put forth by commercial manufacturers. The Anti- groups also generally discouraged their own supporters from copying the suffragists who relied heavily on buttons, posters, ribbons, and sashes to create spectacle. “The Anti-Suffrage Rose” was one of the few exceptions to that policy. With words and music by Phil Hanna, it was published in 1915 by the Women’s Anti-Suffrage Association of Massachusetts. The title of the song was no accident. Red or pink was the official color of the Anti- forces and the Rose was the official flower. Some suffragists in response avoided Roses.
Popular Songs About Suffrage There were a number of popular songs dealing with suffrage, and a good percentage of them were mocking in tone, although most did avoid the bitterness that was sometimes present in other memorabilia. Illustrated here are but several of many examples. “Mind the Baby, I Must Vote Today” is a classic example of the popular fear that many men had, that suffrage was more than women voting, it was the start of a revolution in which men and women would exchange roles. Postcards especially delineated the scene of the harried husband forced to do the housework and the minding of the baby while the wife goes out, either to her club, or, in this case, off to the polling place. Perhaps 
the two most common images in this regard are the husband standing over a washing tub or feeding the baby. “Wanted, A Suffragette” is also about the reversal of roles, although even though the lyrics are by a woman in a way that is extremely derogatory to the role of women. The male character in the song wants to marry a suffragette and change places with her. He doesn’t mind keeping the house nice and warm and caring for the cat if she will work “till late at night” and “bring home the money and give it to me.” “Oh! You Suffragettes,” with its cover of women in sashes simultaneously marching in a parade and throwing bricks is told from the perspective of an immigrant recently from England who was hazed in 
Hyde Park by suffragettes who assumed that he was a member of Parliament. He describes them as wearing “Men’s collars and shirt fronts,” looking to obtain men’s votes, notes, and trousers, painting the stereotype that suffragettes really want to be men. “Votes for Wimmin” is about Johnny Green’s “mama” who has abandoned him and his father to go to New York and “join her clan” and dress up like a “female man.”
Broadway and Suffrage There were a number of plays on and off broadway that dealt with the topic of suffrage. Many of these were musicals where suffrage was either the main theme or which included at least one major song on the topic. Among these were “The Suffragettes–A Musical Comedy,” with the libretto by Harriet D. Castle and words by Ira B. Wilson, “The Old Town,” with the songs “Weak Little Woman (Suffragette)” and “The Militant Suffrage Song,” “They Loved a Lassie,” which included “Votes for Women,” and, from Jewish theatre, “The Song of Love” with its “Suffragettes.” One act plays or closet dramas abounded, among which were such titles as “Shall Our Mothers Vote?,” “A Suffragette Town Meeting,” “The Suffragettes’ Convention,” “When Women Vote,” the racist “The Colored Ladies Political Club,” “A Suffragette Baby,” 
and “Married to a Suffragette.” Perhaps the most famous song of all to arise from this tradition was “That Ragtime Suffragette” from the “Ziegfeld Follies of 1913.” The entire libretto and music from “The Suffragettes” was published in 1916 by Lorenz Publishing Company, containing songs such as “A Hen Party,” “Why Don’t We Let the Women Vote?,” and “Downtrodden Women.” Although suffrage was gaining considerable popular support by 1916, a change in attitude had not as yet made its way onto Broadway.
The Mayoress The theme of what would happen if women were to obtain the vote was a constant in satiric anti-suffrage art, particularly with respect to post cards. The fear among some men was that granting the franchise to women would result in an electoral revolution in which women would not only take over political power but also all of the other roles of men, forcing them in turn to cook, clean, and care for the children. The Mayoress or When Woman Rules was a comic opera embodying this theme. The book and lyrics were by Arthur Lamb and the music by John T. Hall. It was probably produced in the same year that the music was published (1910) by Victor Kramer. It is curious that, despite the name of the work, none of the songs allude directly to the “takeover,” except possibly “Change the Boy to Suite the Girl.”
If you would like more information about suffrage sheet music, please see my forthcoming book, Women’s Suffrage Memorabilia: An Illustrated Historical Study, to be published by McFarland sometime in 2013. Consult the home page of this site for further details as they become available.
I’m doing my dissertation on satire of the women’s suffrage movement, and i was wondering if you’d come across anything from British music hall or theatre?
Jessica,
Yes, I have, particularly if you expand the idea of suffrage to that of Women’s Rights in general. The ones that come to mind are: (1)”Jane is a Suffragette,” with words and music by Bernard Rolt, which speculates on a reversal of roles if the singer is to marry Jane; (2) “Put me Upon an Island Where the Girls are Few-‘The Suffragette Song’,” written and composed by Will Setters and made popular at Drury Lane by Wilkie Bards (this song, where the singer wishes to escape aggressive suffragettes, was also later published in an American version); “The Suffragettes–A Concert Action for Girls,” with words and music by W. Smyth Cooper that also contains performance directions. In general, the words contain all of the traditional stereotypes; (4) “Suffragettes–Humorous One or Two-Step,” by Montague Ewing(very sparse lyrics):(5) “When Mary Joined the Suffragettes,” written and composed by Ella Lemon and “sung with great success by Mr. Walter Walters-The Well-Known Humorist”; (6)”Let Us All Speak Our Minds If We Die For It–Sung in the character of Mrs. Naggit,” written by William Brough with music by T. German Reed (also exported to the US); and (7) “Bother the Men–Sung by Mrs. Howard Paul in her Impersonation of Miss Grym in Which She will Lecture on Woman’s Rights.” You can find complete references to all of these songs along with full lyrics in Danny Crew’s book on suffragist music, which is linked on the home page of this site. Good luck with your dissertation.
Ken
I’m doing a history fair project for school and I was wondering if I could talk with someone who knows about women’s suffrage, could I speak with someone from this website?
Tara,
What area are you from? Exactly what is your project about? Let us know, and I am sure that there would be someone local that would like to discuss suffrage with you.
Ken
Hello,
I’m wondering if you might be able to help. We are doing a short play on Nellie McClung’s mock parliament in Manitoba in 1914. This was an important step towards women getting the vote in Canada. Mrs. McClung went up against Sir Roblin Rodmond, Premier of Manitoba.
As part of this play we are looking for sheet music or a recording of “Put Me Upon An Island Where The Girls Are Few”. Do you have any leads in this regard?
Thank you for any help and insight you might have.
Regards,
Paul
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have a copy of this sheet music that I can copy for you. I will get in touch with you privately about this.
Ken
Hello,
I’m a university lecturer at Queen Mary University of London and am preparing a lecture on the music hall (with performances…). Your site is brilliant, and I wondered whether you would be willing to let me have a copy of the music for “Put me upon an island”? I’d be hugely grateful.
Best wishes,
Robert Saunders
Robert
Ordinarily I do not send out copies of materials in my collection, but your email was so nice and your cause (that of students) is so worthy that in your case I have made an exception. The file has been sent.
Do you know if there are any recordings of these? For my final assignment in a music course, I’d like to include a recording of a suffrage song, but I can only find sheet music.
Thanks!
The most accessible recording is one that Elizabeth Knight did for Folkways records awhile back. It is called “Songs of the Suffragettes.” There is another, mostly of English songs (and some speeches) called “The Blaze of Day,” put out by Pearl Records. If you go to i-tunes, you might see if songs from either collection are available. The suffragists sometimes wrote their own music, sometimes they set their lyrics to popular songs. You might try for a recording where they are responsible for both words and music. There are also a few recordings extant from the period on either 78 r.p.m records or Edison cylinders, but these are hard to come by. Good luck with your project!
can you please help me with the song ‘put me on an island’ as I am working on it in my class and I an’t find any information on it
I’m not certain what you specifically want to know about “Put Me on an Island.” It was written and composed by Will Letters, and made famous by Wilkie Bard on Drury Lane in London. It became quite popular in Music Halls. It was published in 1908 in London by the National Music Publishing Corp., in America by M. Shapiro, and in Australia by Allan and Co. The American edition comes in two versions, each featuring an inset photo of a singer associated with the song. There is a minor variation in lyrics between the English and American versions. The lyrics can be found in Danny O. Crew’s “Suffragist Sheet Music,” published in America by McFarland Books.
So glad to find your webpage! You’ve done amazing work – will share it with my history teachers when we are back at school teaching in the fall!
I don’t know if you have ever seen anything like this. I have a copy of a
“California Woman Suffrage Campaign. Song Leaflet”
It is a one-sheet, double-sided, approx. 6″ x 9.5″ in size, printed list of suffrage song lyrics, based on well-known songs. The place and date of the rally is written at the top in pencil, in cursive, as “Santa B. 1896 October 18” (hard to tell if the date is the 8th or the 18th). There is what appears to be a signature at the top as well, in a lighter pencil and cursive, “Susan B. Anthony” – I have no idea if it is an autograph, or someone just documenting that Anthony was there to speak. I’ve explored a bit online and found several newspaper mentions of the rally at which she spoke, on or about that date, in San Luis Obispo and the surrounding areas. It was found in a second hand shop by a friend of the family, inside a book published in 1911.
I’d be happy to send you a picture of it, and would love any help I can get to try to find out the story behind this unique little piece.
Many thanks!
Many thanks for your kind words about the site.
In response to your question about your suffrage leaflet, song sheets were very popular during the movement–today they are called rally songs, and a number of different examples exist. By providing suffrage lyrics to popular songs, these sheets allowed the audience to sing along without having to worry about reading new music.
The particular example that you cite is unusual in that I have never seen it before nor is it listed in Danny Crew’s exhaustive study on suffrage sheet music. There was a later single-sided leaflet issued for the 1911 California campaign that featured lyrics set to the tune of “Marching Through Georgia” that also contained a color image of the American flag. California women did attain the right to vote in all elections in that year. The 1911 sheet is somewhat common as far as these things go although yours is not. Your example probably would go in auction somewhere between $75-125 without the signature.
As far as whether the signature is genuine or not, I would have to see it. There are printed (similar to auto-pen) signatures of Anthony known, although in ink, not pencil. She did sign campaign souvenirs, but my guess is that this is probably not her signature. If you would like to send me a scan, though, at the email address I have provided to you privately, I would be happy to check it out for you.
Hello! I have stumbled across a song called “I’m a Suffragette”. Do you know what tune this was sung to? The lyrics are as follows. Your site is fantastic by the way!
Song: I’m a Suffragette
Lyrics: M. Olive Drennen
Music: M. C Hanford
Year: 1912 (1)
Genre: Traditional
Country: USA
I met a little country girl,
Eighteen years old, she said.
Her eyes were black, her hair was jet,
and she sadly to me said,
CHORUS:
“Yes, Papa votes, but Mama can’t,
Oh, no, not yet not yet.”
“No matter what the others think,
I am a suffragette.”
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
Oh, all the men make all the laws,
Which makes the women fret,
But wait and see those laws,
When we at last our suffrage get.
I have a dandy little beau,
He lives down in the town,
And when he asks me to “be his,”
I’ll look at him and frown.
This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net
(LAST CHORUS)
“Yes, Papa votes, but Mama can’t,
Oh, no, not yet, not yet.
And I’ll not marry any man,
‘Til I my suffrage get.”
Notes:
1 – Year of publication according to Here’s to the Women, 100 Songs for and About American Women, Hilda E. Wenner and Elizabeth Freilicher, Syracuse University Press, 1987, p.61
2 – Give the Ballots to the Mothers, Francie Wolff, Denlinger’s Publishers, Springfield, MO., 1998, p.98-100
Colleen
I checked on this song in Danny Crew’s book “Suffragist Sheet Music,” which is the most authoritative source for suffrage lyrics, music, and publisher’s information. Danny does not give any more information about this piece than your sources do, and I suspect that they derived what they have from his book. I wish I could be more of a help, but I fear that this is all I can tell you.
I have been asked to act as volunteer musical director on a play that is being created as an anniversary tribute to the women of the Suffrage movement. As part of this I have been asked to transcribe and recreate the music for ‘Put Me Upon An Island’ – my job would be so much easier if I could have a sight of the original sheet music! If you could possibly help in this way it would aid my cause enormously!
John
I sent you some photos via email. Good luck with your production.
Hello,
I bought Crew’s Suffragist Sheet Music expecting it to have SHEET MUSIC and it doesn’t. Do you have or know where I can find, the music that goes with the 1868 song “Woman Is Going To Vote”?
Dawn
Dawn
I am sending you the music via private email. Hope that this is what you were looking for.
Dear Ken,
Hello! What a wonderful site this is! I’m putting together a sample nickelodeon program from the early 1910s and I’m very interested in including the sheet music cover for the song “Since My Margarette-Became-a-da-Suffragette.” Did you know that the Library of Congress has a recording of it online here?: https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox.6301/
If you see this and could e-mail me, I would love the chance to discuss how I might access a high resolution copy!
Thanks so much.
Sarah
Sarah
I will be sending you a high resolution photo of this piece shortly. Good luck with your project!
Ken
Hi: What a wonderful site you have! I have learned so much just perusing the pages. I was wondering if you could perhaps provide some guidance. I have been commissioned to curate a musical revue to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Women’s right to vote in NY and came across your site as I do my research. I was wondering if you are willing to please help me locate some actual sheet music for this revue. I have found many song parodies and sone of the original pieces, but I am interested in “Since My Margarette-Became-a-da-Suffragette”, “Woman Is Going To Vote” and “Put Me on an Island” – do you have these available for purchase or perhaps you could please guide me as to where I might find them? I appreciate your time and help. Thanks so much – cheers! Regards, Valerie
Valerie
I will get in touch with you privately about this.
Ken
Hi! I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any significant impacts of the Women’s protest music on the Women’s Suffrage movement. Thank you!
Alas, there is no comprehensive study that deals with the questions about the effects of suffrage music on the campaign as a whole. The closest that comes to it is Francie Wolff, “Give the Ballots to the Mothers: Songs of the Suffragists.” My own “Women’s Suffrage Memorabilia” covers some of your concerns, although not in the depth and specificity that you ask about. Both books can be obtained through interlibrary loan and are also probably available on the Internet. Good luck with your project.
Ken Florey
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Hello,
My name is Cecelia Otto, and I’m a classically trained singer who tells the story of historical events through the songs of the day (www.americansongline.com). I perform them as they would have been performed originally, and I’m in the process of finalizing my suffrage program. I’ve been able to gain access to the full sheet music of some of these pieces, but not all of them. Any thoughts on how I can obtain the music, especially online? I love seeing the covers, but I really want to see all of the words and music on the inside. Thanks for your help!
In reply to your question, the one book that contains music to many suffrage lyrics is “Give the Ballot to the Mothers; Songs of the Suffragists–A History in Song,” by Francie Wolff, published in 1998 by Denlinger’s Publishers. You can probably find a book dealer with this for sale on-line at http://www.vialibri.net
Hello there,
I am part of a small group putting together a display for Womens Suffrage and the history of the League of Women Voters at the Liberty Bell Museum in Allentown, PA.
Do you know where we might find some artifacts “on loan” or where we could buy some excellent replicas? Anything that you have listed here would be the type of items we are looking for….we do not have a lot of money to spend, but want to make it as authentic as our wallets will allow
Ordinarily I am not a proponent of reproductions, but you can find a number of inexpensive pieces on the internet at a site called “Zazzle.” Are there any readers of this query who live near Allentown who might be able to help out?
Hi! I’m looking for information on the song “Where Are Your Boys Today” that is included in Elizabeth Knight’s 1958 recording of the music of the Suffrage movement. I’ll be prerecording an audio version of the song (I did a transcription from the Smithsonian site)for a presentation by St. Paul’s Historic Site on May 8th, and I want to properly credit the composer & lyricist, if they are known.
Your site is great! Wonderful resource!
Thanks!
Thank you for your kind words. The song that you are looking for was part of a collection of verses published in 1884 for L. May Wheeler by the Cooperative Printing Company of Minneapolis. Wheeler was one of many lyricists in the volume who wrote words for suffrage and prohibition songs. All of these songs were to be sung to traditional airs. In your case the air was “Where is My Boy Tonight?” I don’t have a reference to the original air, but it should be readily found on the internet.
Thanks for the speedy response!
AR
You are very welcome. Thank you for being very conscientious about giving proper credit to the composer and lyricist!
Ken
Good morning, Ken!
I have another question. Another song I’m arranging for this event is “The Promised Land.” My initial research indicated this was composed by John Robson Sweeney, as a hymn “Beulah Land.” (as found in Cyber Hymnal–unless I misunderstand how they set up their credits; the name Edgar Page Stites is also on the page). From my knowledge of music and listening to the recording, it is clear the music is the same. However, I just saw a mention on another site (www.awsom.info/blog/2017/1/29/the-music-of-the-suffrage-movement) that credits both the lyrics and the music to Elizabeth Boynton Ilerlert. I suspect this is an error, but I wanted to check. Can you clarify?
Once again, many thanks.
Alyssa
Alyssa
The lyrics to “The Promised Land” definitely were written by Elizabeth Boynton Harbert. They were included in a program of songs for the National American Woman’s Suffrage Convention of 1891. These songs were all “rally songs,” songs that were meant to be sung to the tune of well-known works of the day. This made it easier for people who could not read music to sing along. The tune for Harbert’s “Promised Land” was “Beulah Land,” a then popular gospel song, whose origins are in some dispute. One version has it that “Beulah Land” was a collaboration between Edgar Page Stites, who wrote the lyrics, and John R. Sweeney, who composed the music. Stites, a lay preacher, founded the “Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association” in 1869 to run a Methodist camp meeting south of Ocean Grove, N.J. The camp became quite active, and in 1875, Stites and Sweeney, the camp’s musical director, worked on the song together. A differing version of the song’s genesis was given by Stites years later when he claimed that in 1876 he had written the song himself. In any event, “Beulah Land” had nothing at all to do with suffrage when the tune was borrowed by Harbert.
Hi, Ken
Here is a third quest. For the song “let Us Speak Our Minds” from various sources I have
James Gaspard Maeder as the composer, and the lyricist as William Brough. Nowhere do I find it as listed in any other “original” form. So is this correct, that this suffragist song was written originally by two men, and is one of the few not simply lyrics set to a famous melody?
Part two of the question–there are actually two William Broughs in England at that time (well, probably more)–one, William Francis Brough, was a musician and opera manager, so might have been the one in contact with Maeder. More likely is William Maeder, who was an author and playwright. However, the info I found on him does not mention any kind of relationship with the Suffragist movement, or relationship to Suffragettes. Any clue?
Thanks,
Alyssa
Alyssa
I have always considered this song to be a music hall tune, and comic, not propagandic in intent. There were similar songs that came out of English music halls such as “Bother the Men” and “I’ll be no Submissive Wife” that are clearly satiric and mock the woman’s rights movement. The sheet music that you reference indicates that the song was sung “to great applause” by Madame Anna Bishop, which also suggests a humorous performance. All of these types of songs, along with others of the time, were written by men and probably intended for the music hall. None of the names that you mention have any known connection to the suffrage movement.
Good morning! One last request! I need the words to the second verse of “The Song of Wyoming,” as well as the author of the words.
I was able to transcribe most of the words from the Elizabeth Knight recording, but one word stumps me. Here’s the section in question:
We have heard the voice of freedom
From that far off Western shore
We have heard the apple’s calling “apples”?!
(etc.)
That can’t be right… I don’t think. Can you tell me the missing word?
Many thanks again for your so very excellent site and tremendous help.
Alyssa
The line that you are asking about is “We have heard the echoes calling.” The words are by Julia Mills Dunn, and they were intended to be sung to the tune of “John Brown.”
The song is also titled “God Shall Lead Us On” in addition to “Song of Wyoming.”
Ken