Description
Author: Jerome Kern
Book & Lyrics: Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse
Publisher: T. B. Harms & Francis, Day & Hunter
Place of Publication: New York; London
Format: Vintage sheet music
Date of Publication: late 1910s
Condition:
Good. Original late 1910s sheet music with age toning, edge wear, and surface wear consistent with use and age. Light creasing present. Interior music pages remain intact and legible. Paper is fragile. Preserved in an archival sleeve.
Description:
Oh, Boy! is a landmark musical comedy from the early Broadway era, with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. Premiering in 1917, the show is widely regarded as one of the first American musicals to integrate story, music, and lyrics into a cohesive whole, helping to redefine the modern musical theater form.
This sheet music features An Old-Fashioned Wife, one of the show’s songs, presented with an Art Nouveau–influenced cover design characteristic of early 20th-century theatrical publishing. Kern’s melodic sophistication and rhythmic ease marked a departure from European operetta traditions, laying groundwork for later American musical theater.
The interior includes musical excerpts from Kern’s other contemporary works, including selections associated with Love O’ Mike and Have a Heart, illustrating the composer’s rising prominence at the time. This is an original period printing, not a reproduction, and survives as an important artifact of early Broadway history and American musical innovation.