NC State Wind Ensemble - The World is Waiting for the Sunrise 2024-04-17

Eugene Lockhart and Ernest Seitz
Scored by Harry L. Alford
The World is Waiting for the Sunrise is a post-World War I popular song with lyrics by American actor Eugene Lockhart, and music composed by Canadian-born pianist Ernest Seitz. The piece was written in 1918 and published on January 24, 1919. The song originally was recorded by band leader, Isham Jones and his dance orchestra in October 1922. The piece entered the national charts on November 11, 1922, and peaked at number 2 during a six-week run. It finished the year as the number 19 single for 1922. More than one hundred versions have been commercially released. Some notable performers to record a version of the original song include Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Machito, and The Beatles (then known as The Quarrymen).
A. A. Harding commissioned Harry Alford to arrange the ballad into a euphonium feature halftime selection for the University of Illinois Marching Band. On the day of the scheduled premiere (November 3, 1934), heavy rain caused many of the spectators to leave the stands before halftime. As the first notes of The World is Waiting for the Sunrise sounded, the rain reportedly ceased, and the sun shone through the clouds long enough for the band to perform the work.