America! My Home-Land

The surge of patriotism that accompanied World War I produced at least five songs with the title "America, My Homeland" (with varying punctuation). Two left no mark: Rosa Braun's song was copyrighted (on May 10, 1916) only in manuscript, and Ruth E. DeBoer's text was set and published (in July 1919) by Leo Friedman, a known song-shark. The other three appeared in close proximity: a song with words and music by Harry C. Eldridge and issued by his own firm, Eldridge Entertainment House in Franklin, OH (copyrighted September 20, 1917), a self-publication by Laura Walker Colgrove (copyrighted December 18, 1917), and the song by Treleaven and Blaine (also copyrighted December 18, 1917).^[6]

Colgrove's song had negligible impact, but Eldridge promoted his title extensively and with considerable success. Eldridge advertised primarily in education journals; his song was relatively simple and could be successfully learned by young singers.^[7] Blaine's song was much more complex, approaching the status of an art song; it was issued in three keys and subsequently arranged by an illustrious organist, Sumner Salter, for four-part male chorus (copyrighted April 13, 1918) and for two-part female voices (copyrighted May 29, 1918).^[8] Eldridge's song was performed regionally as early as November 1917, but the Blaine-Treleaven publication was not promoted until early 1918.^[9] The latter was given additional impetus by the publication of Salter's arrangements later that year and was probably more widely heard in Salter's versions than as a solo song.^[10] After the armistice it persisted as an occasional piece sung on patriotic occasions; its last known performance was in 1927.^[11] Copyright on the solo song was allowed to expire, but Sumner Salter renewed the copyright for his two arrangements on December 18, 1945.^[12]

• Parker, Bernard S. World War I Sheet Music 1. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2007. ISBN 978-0-7864-2798-7. OCLC 71790113
• Vogel, Frederick G. World War I Songs: A History and Dictionary of Popular American Patriotic Tunes, with Over 300 Complete Lyrics. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-89950-952-5. OCLC 32241433