Edition: PDF

Publisher: Such Sweet Thunder

Performers, arrangers, and composers of American popular music should know public domain music for at least two reasons—First, they can delight audiences with songs that many will never have heard, while deepening their understanding of the genre and its history. Second, they can perform this music and publish new works derived and developed from it, free from licensing obligation.

These collected songs tell the American experience from music that immigrants brought to our shores, to the frontier, and into the Gilded Age and the Jazz Age. This book provides authentic notes, chords, and lyrics, annotated modern harmonizations, and a new Study and Performance Guide that includes contextual and historical material and easily findable references to key performances. This volume extends from 1580 through 1923. We’re at work on Supplements; the first will cover 1924-1927.
David Berger and Chuck Israels

See the contents tab for a complete list of the songs.

Aba Daba Honeymoon
Abide with Me
Adeste Fideles (O Come, All Ye Faithful)
After The Ball
After You’ve Gone
Aggravatin’ Papa (Don't You Try To Two-Time Me)
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
Ain’t We Got Fun
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
Alice Blue Gown
All By Myself
All The Pretty Little Horses
Alma Mater
Aloha Oe
Alouette
Amazing Grace
America (God Save The King)
America The Beautiful
Anchors Aweigh
Angels We Have Heard On High
Annie Laurie
(I’ll Be With You In) Apple Blossom Time
April Showers
Arkansas Traveler
Asleep In The Deep
At The Jazz Band Ball
Auld Lang Syne
Aunt Hagar’s Blues
Aura Lee
Avalon
Ave Maria
Away In A Manger
Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home
Ballin’ The Jack
Balm In Gilead
Band Played On, The
Battle Hymn Of The Republic
Beale St. Blues
Beautiful Dreamer
Beautiful Ohio
Bill Bailey
Billy Boy
Blow The Man Down
Blue Tail Fly, The
Buddy Bolden’s Blues
Bugle Call Rag
By The Beautiful Sea
By The Light Of The Silvery Moon
Caissons Go Rolling Along, The
Camptown Races,De
Careless Love
Carol Of The Bells
Carolina In The Morning
Carry Me Back To Old Virginny
Casey Jones
Chicago
China Boy
Chinatown, My Chinatown
Ciribiribin
Columbia the Gem Of The Ocean
Come Back To Sorrento
Comin’ Thro’ The Rye
Country Gardens
Cradle Song
Daisy Bell
Dallas Blues
Dardanella
Dark Eyes (Ochi Chyornye)
Darktown Strutters’ Ball
Dear Old Southland
Dear Old Stockholm
Deck The Halls
Deep River
Dixie
Do It Again
Down Around the Sheltering Palms
Down By The Old Mill Stream
Down By The Riverside
Down Home Rag
Down In The Valley
Estrellita
Farewell Blues
Fascination
First Noel, The
Flee As A Bird
Flow Gently, Sweet Afton
Flying Trapeze
Foggy, Foggy Dew, The
For Me And My Gal
Forty-five Minutes From Broadway
Frankie And Johnny
Frere Jacques
Funiculi-Funicula
Gee, But It’s Great To Meet A Friend From Your Home Town
Git Along, Little Dogies (Whoopie Ti Yi Yo)
Give My Regards To Broadway
Glow Worm
Go Down Moses
Go Tell Aunt Rhodie
Go Tell It On The Mountain
God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen
Goin’ Home
Gold And Silver Waltz
Goober Peas
Good King Wenceslas
Good Man Is Hard To Find, A
Goodnight, Ladies
Greensleeves
Hail! Hail! The Gang’s All Here!
Hail To The Chief
Happy Birthday
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Harrigan
Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?
Hearts And Flowers
Hello! My Baby
Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush
Hesitation Waltz
High Society
Hindustan
Home On The Range
Hot Time In The Old Town
How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down On The Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)
Humoresque
I Ain’t Gonna Give Nobody None Of My Jelly Roll
I Ain’t Got Nobody
I Cried For You
I Don’t Want To Play In Your Yard
I Hear A Rhapsody
I Love A Piano
I Love You
I Love You Truly
I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody)
I Shall Not Be Moved
I Used To Love You (But It’s All Over Now)
I Want A Girl (Just Like The Girl That Married Dear Old Dad)
I Was So Young (You Were So Beautiful)
I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate
I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen
I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandy
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows
I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
I’m Just Wild About Harry
I’ve Been Working On The Railroad
I’ve Got Rings On My Fingers
Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider
If You Were The Only Girl In The World
In My Merry Oldsmobile
In The Evening By the Moonlight
In the Gloaming
In The Good Old Summer Time
In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree
In The Sweet By And By
Indian Summer
(Back Home In) Indiana
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
It’s A Long Way To Tipperary
Jada
Japanese Sandman, The
Jazz Me Blues, The
Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
Jingle Bells
Second Line, The Original(Joe Avery's Blues)
John Henry
Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho
Joy To The World
Juanita
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
K-K-K-Katy
La Cucaracha
La Marseillaise
La Paloma
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Li’l Liza Jane
Limehouse Blues
Linger A While
Listen To The Mockingbird
Little Brown Jug
Livery Stable Blues
(The Bonnie Banks o') Loch Lomond]
London Bridge
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy)
Look Down That Lonesome Road
Look For The Silver Lining
Love Nest, The
Love Will Find A Way
Loveless Love
Lovin’ Sam (The Shiek Of Alabam’)
Low Bridge! Everybody Down (Fifteen Years On The Erie Canal)
M-O-T-H-E-R
Ma, He’s Making Eyes At Me
MacNamara’s Band
Mademoiselle from Armentières
Make Me a Pallet on Your floor (Atlanta Blues)
Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo, The
Mandy
Margie
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mary Is A Grand Old Name
Massa’s In De Cold Ground
Meet Me In St. Louis, Louis
Memories
Memphis Blues
Merry Widow Waltz
Michael, Row The Boat Ashore
Mighty Lak’ A Rose
Moonlight Bay
Mother Machree
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean
My Buddy
My Gal Sal
My Honey’s Loving Arms
My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose
My Mammy
My Man
My Melancholy Baby
My Old Kentucky Home
My Wild Irish Rose
Nearer My God To Thee
Nobody
Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen
Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
’O Sole Mio!
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)
Oh, a-Rock-a My Soul (Bosom Of Abraham)
Oh, Dear! What Can The Matter Be? English nursery rhyme
Oh, Dem Golden Slippers!
Oh, Didn’t He Ramble
Oh! How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning
Oh My Darling Clementine
Oh, Promise Me
Oh! Susanna
Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone?
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
Old Black Joe
Old Folks At Home
Old Gray Mare, The
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
On The Alamo
On The Banks Of The Wabash
On Top Of Old Smokey
Onward Christian Soldiers
Over There
Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag (And Smile, Smile, Smile)
Paper Doll
Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers
Peg O’ My Heart
Perfect Day, A
Play A Simple Melody
Polly Wolly Doodle
Pomp And Circumstance
Poor Butterfly
Pop Goes The Weasel
Pretty Baby
Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody, A
Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet
Put Your Arms Around Me Honey
Red River Valley
Red Wing
Reuben And Rachel
Rock-A-Bye Baby
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A DiCIie Melody
Rose Of The Rio Grande
Rose Of Washington Square
Rose Room
Roses of Picardy
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Runnin’ Wild
Sailor’s Hornpipe
Santa Lucia
Say It With Music
Scarborough Fair
School Days
(Shall We Gather) At The River
She Is Ma Daisy
She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round The Mountain
Sheik Of Araby,The
Shenandoah
Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
(That’s Why They Call Me) Shine
Shine On, Harvest Moon
Shoo, Fly, Don’t Bother Me
Shortnin’ Bread
Sidewalks Of New York, The
Silent Night
Silver Threads Among The Gold
Singing The Blues
Sleeping Beauty Waltz
Smiles
Some Of These Days
Somebody Stole My Gal
Someday Sweetheart
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
Song Of India
Song Of The Volga Boatmen
St. Louis Blues
(I’ll Build A) Stairway To Paradise
Star Spangled Banner
Streets Of Laredo (The Cowboy’s Lament)
Sugar Blues
Swanee
Sweet Adeline
Sweet Betsy From Pike
Sweet Genevieve
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Swingin’ Down The Lane
Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!
Tain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do
Take Me Out To The Ball Game
That Old Gang Of Mine
That's A Plenty
There Is A Tavern In The Town
There’ll Be Some Changes Made
They Didn’t Believe Me
This Old Man
Three O’Clock In the Morning
Tico-Tico no Fubá
Tiger Rag
Till We Meet Again
Tin Roof Blues
Simple Gifts
Tishomingo Blues
Tisket A Tasket, A
To A Wild Rose
Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-ral
Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goodbye)
Toyland
Trees
Turkey In The Straw
12th Street Rag
Twelve Days Of Christmas
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Vive La Compagnie
Wabash Blues
Wait ’Till The Sun Shines, Nellie
Waiting For The Robert E. Lee
Waltzing Matilda
Wang Wang Blues
Washington And Lee Swing
’Way Down Yonder In New Orleans
Wayfaring Stranger
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Were You There?
What A Friend We Have In Jesus
What Child Is This?
When Buddha Smiles
When Hearts Are Young
When I Lost You
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
When My Baby Smiles At Me
When The Saints Go Marching In
When You And I Were Young, Maggie
When You Wore A Tulip
Whiffenpoof Song, The
Whispering
Who’s Sorry Now
World Is Waiting For The Sunrise, The
Yankee Doodle
Yellow Dog Blues
Yellow Rose Of Texas, The
Yes! We Have No Bananas
You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)
You Tell Me Your Dream, I'll Tell You Mine
You’d Be Surprised
You’re A Grand Old Flag
You've Got To See Mamma Ev'ry Night (or you can't see Mamma at all)