Sheet Music: Lorena

TitleLorena
ComposerJoseph Philbrick Webster (1819–1875)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyG major
RangeD5–C6
Time signature4/4
Tempo80 BPM
Performance time1:00
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (55 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (497 kB)
Date added2014-05-10
Last updated2014-05-10
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.5 (below average)
Categories
American Civil War, Ballads, Traditional/Folk

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Saturday 10 May 2014

Tune of the Day: Lorena

American Civil War song

During the American Civil War, soldiers on both sides of the conflict thought of their wives and girlfriends back home when they heard the song “Lorena”. One Confederate officer even attributed the South's defeat to the song. He reasoned that upon hearing the mournful ballad the soldiers grew so homesick that they lost their effectiveness as a fighting force.

Oh, the years creep slowly by, Lorena,
The snow is on the ground again.
The sun's low down the sky, Lorena,
The frost gleams where the flow'rs have been.
But the heart beats on as warmly now,
As when the summer days were nigh.
Oh, the sun can never dip so low
A-down affection's cloudless sky.

The lyrics, written by Rev. Henry D. L. Webster, and the music, by composer Joseph Philbrick Webster, were first published in Chicago in 1857.

Thanks to Breck for suggesting this tune!