OK, USA: A Musical Guide Book to the States: Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

The last of the U.S. Army Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" to be published, "OK, USA" is a musical revue on the theme of U.S. soldiers returning to the United States and finding it finding it as foreign and exotic as any country overseas because they have been away and living under extreme circumstances for so long. Like the other "Blueprint Specials," this show includes a complete script (multiple copies this time); a conductor's score and complete set of instrumental parts; a sample program; set and costume designs; and detailed instructions for producing the show using whatever materials are at hand. Unlike the other "Blueprint Specials," it includes no information on the librettists, songwriters, and other staff who worked on the show.
Date: 1945
Creator: United States. War Department.
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Civil War Pieces]

Bound compilation of sheet music from a variety of composers, prominently featuring songs about subjects related to the U.S. Civil War, from the Union perspective. Other works include dances for piano with a particular emphasis on galops and waltzes. A majority of titles in this volume were published in Boston, primarily by Oliver Ditson & Co. While the works range in date from 1846 through the 1870s, the most frequently appearing dates are between 1864 and 1866.
Date: 1846/1879
Creator: unknown
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Sanctus: a collection of sacred music, full and complete in every department

A collection of hymns "adapted to the worship of all Protestant denominations by Edward Hamilton." The beginning of the collection includes brief instruction in the fundamentals of music and choral singing.
Date: 1857
Creator: Hamilton, Edward
System: The UNT Digital Library

"Hi, Yank!": A Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

"Hi Yank!" was the second of the Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" to be published. It was inspired by "Yank: The Army Weekly"—a magazine published by the U.S. military and distributed to members of the armed forces during World War II. Each episode of this revue is titled after a section of the magazine, and most of the scenes feature cartoonist George Baker's Sad Sack character, who debuted in the first issue of "Yank." Even the cover of the revue, which features both Sad Sack and his eternal nemesis the Sarge, is a parody of the cover of "Yank" magazine. Unlike the first "Blueprint Special" ("About Face!"), which had input from civilians, "Hi, Yank!" was a true soldier show—conceived, written, composed, acted, and produced entirely by currently enlisted Army service members, although most of the show's creators and performers had previous professional experience in show business.
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
System: The UNT Digital Library

About Face!: Soldier Shows "Blueprint Special"

"About Face!" was the first in a series of Soldier Shows "Blueprint Specials" created by the Special Services Division of the Army Service Forces during World War II to provide soldiers stationed overseas with all the resources they need to stage an original, full-length, Broadway-style revue for their fellow soldiers. Each "Blueprint Special" includes a libretto, set and costume designs, conductor's score, and individual vocal and instrumental parts, as well as detailed instructions for staging the show effectively. Costumes and sets can be constructed from local scrap materials, the sketches that compose the libretto can be omitted or added to according to local needs and time constraints, and the big band style musical accompaniment can be reduced or expanded to accommodate whatever players are available. Each show features one scene where any number of specialty acts can be inserted to showcase local talent.
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
System: The UNT Digital Library

P.F.C. Mary Brown: A Wac Musical Revue

Compilation of a script, parts (including conductor's score; 1 vocal part with melody and lyrics; and 13 instrumental parts), stage directions, dance routines, scenic and costume designs (including instructions on how to make them from waste and salvage materials), a sample program template, and general notes on how to produce a musical revue, intended for a women's army audience. The story depicts the goddess Athena growing bored with her life on Olympus and descending to Earth to find fulfillment as a WAC named Mary Brown.
Date: 1944
Creator: United States. Headquarters, Army Service Forces. Special Services Division, ASF.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Musical Opening Choruses, Finales and Production Numbers for Soldier Shows

A selection of opening choruses, choral finales, sketches with comedy songs, and miniature musical comedies, mostly excerpted from pre-existing Broadway shows with lyrics adapted to Army, Navy, or Marine Corps themes. Soldiers were encouraged to incorporate these numbers into their own shows, adapting them further as needed, and to use them as inspiration for writing their own original numbers.
Date: 1943
Creator: Writers and Material Committee of Camp Shows, Inc.
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Florence Paulson, Book 3]

Bound compilation of sheet music, collected by Florence B. Paulson. This volume consists primarily of sentimental songs ballads, lullabies, and cradle songs, and four titles involving birds. Composers Harrison Millard and Arthur Sullivan are most prominently represented. Most works were published in New York or Boston, with many published by Oliver Ditson & Co., Wm. A. Pond & Co., and G. Schirmer. The collection was compiled in 1881, but the works it contains were published between 1858 and 1881.
Date: 1881
Creator: Paulson, Florence B.
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Minnie Greene, Book 2]

Bound compilation of sheet music. The dates of publication range between 1852 and 1879, and most of the publishers' imprints were located in New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, with others from Cleveland and New Orleans. Several items have the name of Minnie S. Greene on the first page, and some have the location of the Southern Home School in Baltimore, or Patapsco [Ins. or Tns.]. A wide variety of composers and lyricists appear in the volume, with multiple entries from Virginia Gabriel, Luigi Arditi, Fabio Campana, Charles Gounod, John Hullah, and Harrison Millard.
Date: 1852/1879
Creator: Greene, Minnie S.
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Ida Coit]

Bound compilation of sheet music compiled by Ida Burroughs Coit. The volume prominently features adaptations or arrangements of larger works (often operas), along with multiple waltzes and galops. Most works were published in Boston or St. Louis, with a smaller number published elsewhere. The St. Louis publisher Balmer & Weber and Boston publishers Oliver Ditson and W.A. Evans are most prominent in this collection. Most works were published in the 1870s, although items range in date from 1848 to 1884.
Date: 1848/1884
Creator: Coit, Ida Burrough
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Sarah Carpenter]

Bound compilation of sheet music collected by Sarah Carpenter. The collection includes many works arranged for piano from larger works such as operas, as well as galops, marches, and fantasies. Eugène Ketterer, Brinley Richards, and William Vincent Wallace have multiple works in this volume. About half of the titles were published in New York City, with others in Philadelphia and Boston, as well as several European cities.
Date: 1840/1869
Creator: Carpenter, Sarah
System: The UNT Digital Library

[Binder's Collection: Columbus Public Library, Scores]

Bound compilation of sheet music for violin and piano, assembled by the Columbus Public Library (now the Columbus Metropolitan Library). This volume consists of scores and piano parts, although its contents do not overlap entirely with those of the accompanying set of violin parts. The library catalog record follows the handwritten numbering in the volume, which generally assigns numbers to titles held in common between the two volumes. Therefore, some works are described by their position relative to numbered items, such as a set of three between numbered selections 23 and 24. The volume itself heavily emphasizes "potpourris" and other arrangements of larger works, such as those by Gaetano Donizetti and Vincenzo Bellini. Charles Auguste de Bériot is prominent in this volume as both a composer and arranger. About half of the works were published in Mayence (present-day Mainz) or Offenbach (surmised from other evidence in some cases), with Fils de B. Schott as the most prominent publisher.
Date: 1834/1879
Creator: Columbus Metropolitan Library (Franklin County, Ohio)
System: The UNT Digital Library