19-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Wednesday, April 8, 1914: Nothing much. Don’t seem to have so much to do. My music lesson is easy for one thing.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
What songs was Grandma learning how to play? Maybe she had sheet music for some popular songs.
Sheet music published between 1911 and 1914 that I recognized included:
1911
- Alexander’s Ragtime Band
- I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl that Married Dear Old Dad)
1912
- When Irish Eyes are Smiling
1913
- Peg O My Heart
1914
- By the Beautiful Sea
- When You Wore A Rose and I Wore a Big Red Tulip
You can find the lyrics and recordings for these songs (and many more) on the Public Domain Music.org site, as well as on YouTube.
