Blaze Away!

Blaze Away! is a 1901 march by the German-American composer Abe Holzmann. It was his greatest success.[1]

Sheet music published in London.

Holzmann was inspired by the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, when a command to American sailors to open fire on the Spanish fleet was reputedly met with the response "Well boys, let's blaze away" by the gunners.[2] Building on the war fever in the United States, the cover of the sheet music featured an image resembling Theodore Roosevelt charging at San Juan Hill.[3] Very popular as a two-step, its success outlasted the war and it became a repertoire piece amongst military bands around the world.

References
  1. Shearer p.416
  2. Walsh p.141
  3. Shearer p.416

Bibliography
  • Shearer, Benjamin F. Home Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime, Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2007.
  • Walsh, Thomas P. Tin Pan Alley and the Philippines: American Songs of War And Love, 1898-1946, A Resource Guide. Scarecrow Press, 2013.
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