Hymns, military marches, and folk songs are among the first to be published. Here are some early ones we have sung.
When Love Gets You Fast In Her Clutches
O Come All Ye Faithful
We Gather Together
How Firm a Foundation
Billy Boy
The Star-Spangled Banner
Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms
‘Tis the Last Rose of Summer
Oft in the Stilly Night
The Minstrel Boy
The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Hall
Home Sweet Home
The Rose of Tralee
The Girl I Left Behind Me
Silent Night
America, My Country Tis of Thee
Some of these very old songs are surprisingly good.
I’m researching the guitar’s rise to prominence, one indication of which is the inclusion of guitar chord diagrams in sheet music. Does anyone know when uke chords appeared (I think they preceded guitar chords), and when guitar chords started?
What about the Broad Sheets of the 17th/18th and early 19th centuries, which were readily available in the British Isles. A great source of great songs.