Fairfax Corporation. (1918). Australian and foreign soldiers surrounding a soldier playing the piano, New South Wales, ca. 1918.
Seal, Graham. (2005). Echoes of Anzac : the voice of Australians at war. South Melbourne : Lothian Books
The Library has rich holdings of music from this era including marches, patriotic songs and sheet music with highly decorative and evocative covers. Much of it has been digitised and is available online through our catalogue.
Catalogue search tips
Music can be found in the catalogue by searching by subject. Some useful subject headings to search include:
- Australia. Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force - Songs and music
- Patriotic music -- Australia
- War songs -- Australia
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Australia -- Music and the war
- World War, 1914 - 1918 -- Australia -- Songs and music
Keywords such as the following can also be used:
- 'soldiers songs australia'
- 'music australia world war 1914'
- 'conscription music'
Use the ‘Limit your search’ options next to your search results to limit your search by format to music.
Case Study
Question: "I am looking for music of the Great War"
Answer: First let's conduct a search of the Library’s catalogue for music. The following subject headings may be useful to begin with:
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Songs and music
- Anzac Day -- Songs and music
- Anzac Day (limiting results to music only)
- [name of composer], for example Septimus Kelly
For general historical works on music and the First World War try searching on the following subject heading:
The Library also holds as part of its Oral history collection a recording of songs from this era, sung by Mr Ollie Moore.
Cameron, Roger. & Ridgway, Charles. (1916). Daddy's in the Dardanelles
Holden, Robert. (2014). And the band played on. Richmond, Victoria : Hardie Grant Books
An engaging study of how music lifted the Anzac spirit in the battlefields of the First World War.
Francis, W. W. (1916). For auld lang syne! Australia will be there.
