Peter Lawson

Tunes From The Trenches

For choir and orchestra or concert band, or choir and piano.
A non-stop medley of tunes from World War One from recruiting through to the Last Post. This arrangement can be performed by a choir with either an orchestra, band or piano accompaniment. There are different choral versions available for Mixed Voice Choir - both SATB (GM131) and, for those with a shortage of male voices, SA+Men (GM134) - for Upper Voice Choir (SSA - GM132) and for Male Voice Choir (TTBB - GM133). The orchestra score and parts (GMCP020) can be used either on its own or to accompany a choir.

The recruiting song 'Your King and Country Want You' starts us off followed by 'Goodbye, Dolly Gray' as the soldiers leave for war. 'Belgium put the Kibosh on the Kaiser' is followed by some proper trench songs - various lyrics were improvised by the soldiers!! - 'Three German Officers crossed the Rhine' and 'They were only playing Leap-Frog'. 'The Bells of Hell go Ting-a-ling-a-ling' leads to strains of 'Stille Nacht' recalling the Christmas truce. 'When this Lousy War is Over' and 'There's no place like Home' are balanced by 'Land of Hope and Glory' before the Americans arrive with 'The Caissons go Rolling Along' and 'Over There'. 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' brings us towards a rousing finish save for an optional 'Last Post-lude' to end reflectively.
Duration 13 1/2 minutes
The audio sample here is the version with piano accompaniment. To hear the orchestral version see GMCP020.
To hear the concert band version see GM150.