[Sheet music] Friend o' mine

Sheet music for the song titled, 'Friend O' Mine', with music composed by Wilfrid Ernest Sanderson and lyrics written by Frederic Edward Weatherly. This copy was collected by Maude Mewkill (nee Phillips) and a note on the cover provides the date 5/9/1924. This copy of the music is published in the key of G. The printed cover states that the composition is dedicated to the memory of Stephen Adams and sung by Mr Norman Williams.

The lyrics talk about the support provided by friendship and this song became very popular just before the First World War. The poem on which this song is based, was originally written by Weatherly in 1912 for the English composer and singer Michael Maybrick. Maybrick used the pseudonym of Stephen Adams and had worked together with Weatherly on other songs. Maybrick died without seeing the poem which Weatherly passed to Sanderson, who composed the music.

In addition to being a proliferate lyricist who is said to have written the lyrics for 3000 songs, Weatherly was also an author and a lawyer. Some of his most famous songs include 'The Holy City', 'Danny Boy' and 'Roses of Picardy'. Sanderson was a a British composer and organist who was based in Doncaster, England. During the First World War, he was a senior clerk at the Ministry of Works. From 1924 until his death, he was an examiner at the Trinity College of Music. During his career he composed approximately 170 songs.

Towards the bottom of this page is a sound recording of this sheet music, or a parody, that was created as part of the Music and the First World War project. More information about this recording, including names of the performers, can be found on the catalogue record for the sound recording. A link to the catalogue record for the sound recording can be found at the bottom of this page, under the heading ‘Related objects’ where it can be identified with the prefix [sound recording].