Liberty Choruses Take Center Stage in the Charter Oak State

Connecticut Bulletin - First Liberty Chorus Rally (10-19-1917).JPG

First Liberty Chorus Rally (Connecticut Bulletin): The Connecticut Bulletin, published weekly in Hartford under the Council of Defense, was used to encourage enlistment into the military. This specific article, written on October 19, 1917, states that the Hartford Public High School Liberty Chorus, under the direction of Ralph L. Baldwin, would perform at the “State Wide War Rally.” This concert was the first time one of these Liberty Choruses performed publicly.

Even though being the main publisher of these patriotic songs was a feat in itself toward gaining support for the war, Connecticut knew they had to do more. Printing the sheet music was one thing, but if you could have performers singing them, that was even better. Just as with printing the sheet music, Hartford was the first city on board the Liberty Chorus train. This chorus performed at a war rally in October 1917, which was used to gain support and monetary donations the soldiers who were off fighting in The Great War, which by this point the United States had been a part of for six months. To show support for their allies as well, British and French anthems were sung, and according to a Connecticut Bulletin article, a new patriotic song for the United States called “Three Cheers for Uncle Sam” was also performed.

Hartford Courant - Connecticut to Advise Community Singing.pdf

Connecticut to Advise Community Singing (Hartford Courant): This Hartford Courant article, written on July 18, 1918, is similar to the August 9 article in the Connecticut Bulletin, in which James S. Stevens went down to DC to discuss creating a National Liberty Chorus organization. Unlike the other article, this one also discusses that the discussion included which songs would be most suitable for said choruses and would be included in the nationally distributed song booklets.

This first chorus inspired many other cities and towns around the state to join in. Within a matter of months, almost every town in Connecticut had at least one liberty chorus, with larger cities like Hartford and Waterbury having multiples. By July 1918, Connecticut’s success with liberty choruses had exploded. The number of official liberty choruses in Connecticut had reached 130, most of which having fifty members or more. Each of these individual members believed wholeheartedly in the lyrics they were singing, specifically songs such as “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” and the national anthem. 

The compilations of songs for song booklets were specifically chosen by the Council of Defense in order to give the most positive message. Whether or not the audience believed that American involvement in World War 1 was necessary, it is very difficult to avoid patriotic feelings when listening to these songs, which is exactly what the government (specifically the Council of Defense’s publicity committee) wanted.