Subseries

This subseries contains mid-20th-century musical works by Willie Eckstein. It consists primarily of song lyrics, sheet music and early drafts -- often unfinished -- that shed more light on the pianist's creative process.

The music of Willie Eckstein is upbeat, romantic, patriotic, passionate and engaged. Among the scores found in the subseries are those for "Goodbye Sunshine, Hello Moon," from the Ziegfeld Follies, 1919, "The Alouette Song" (1955), written to encourage Montreal's football team, "Montreal, Montreal, Montreal" (1945), a tribute to the city's festive atmosphere, complete with a French version by Pat di Stassio (di Stasio), "The Red Cross," dedicated to the Canadian Red Cross, and "Beautiful Thoughts," an instrumental whose cover features a photo of Princess Margaret at the piano. Eckstein expressed his patriotism in songs like "Johnny Canuck's 'Over There'," "A Toast to the King and Queen" (1939), composed in homage to King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth, and "Queen of Canada," written to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's royal tour of Canada. His work was also influenced by the war, as illustrated in his compositions "Our Hats off to Canada" (1942), "Churchill & Roosevelt" (1942), "Cheers for the C.P.C." (1942), "The Song That Leads to Victory" (1945), "Make it Final Victory" (1945), and "The 'V' Song" (1941), an ode to democracy. Some of the scores are signed by the artist, and one is autographed to Barbara Layton.

The subseries also contains typewritten song lyrics, some annotated, and many with multiple copies. Among these are "Follow the Birds to Victoria, B.C.," "De Ballet," "Got a Date at the Bee-hive in the Berkeley Hotel," "McGill-McGill-McGill," a celebration of the legendary university, "Strollin' on the Mountain" (special Kiwanis edition) and its French version, "En allant à la montagne," a naughty version of "T'was the Night Before Christmas" and "Win the War." On the back of a copy of "It's Easter Again" are handwritten lyrics for "The World Situation," a song that enumerates the latest calamities and political tensions. The collection also includes several love songs, such as "With a Song in My Heart and a Tear in My Eye," "It's O.K. by Me -- If it's O.K. by You" and a fragment of "When You Come to the [End of the Day]." Eckstein expresses his love for his wife Catherine Casey in the song "Kitty, Sweet Kitty Casey."

The subseries also contains early drafts of songs and handwritten notes, including the lyrics for "A Song for Casey," found in a folder decorated with stickers. Finally, there are lists of song titles and excerpts from two speeches, one delivered by Winston Churchill to the United States Congress on December 26, 1941, and the other given by Franklin D. Roosevelt on December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.