No matter, I doubt that it would have given me any more than the details than those you have given.
In some 65 years of sheet-music collecting I have never encountered the publisher Escott & co. so that particular piece of information gives me no leads to follow at all. It's interesting that the publication is listed as an import (1916) so was probably shipped over from the UK. I'd be intrigued to know where Amazon. com obtained the information.
It's unusual that the composer's forenames are given only as initials. The "Days in school" reference suggests that M G Truman might have been female and, perhaps, a fellow-pupil of Letts. Despite the great successes of Cecile Chaminade there might still, at that time, have been certain prejudices against women composers and so the composer's name might have been given in that way in order not to give too much away about identity.
If these songs found their way to the USA it's possible that they might be found in one of the American libraries who make digital copies of their archives available online. There are a number of these and, enjoying a mystery as I do, I shall endeavour to search them for the information being sought.
I realise that there are as many "mights" "maybes" and "possiblys" here as in any standard "Biography" of Shakespeare, but in the case of M G Truman there's even less to go on.
It's a pity that the British Library services are mostly unavailable at the moment as, I guess, answers to some of these questions could be found there.
Have you found out anything about E G Edwards?
Actually the listing is still there on amazon.com - I don't know how to show the image but these are the details:
Three Songs, words by W. M. Letts. - The Beggar Girl. - Dan O'Shee ... - Sails Unknown Binding – Import, January 1, 1916
by M. G Truman (Author)
Publisher
Escott & Co
Publication date
January 1, 1916
See all details
Product details
ASIN : B0000D4DDG
Publisher : Escott & Co (January 1, 1916)
Item Weight : 1.74 pounds
I looked up these pieces on Amazon but could find no listing. Did the listings of the no-longer-available publications that you saw give the name (s) of the songs' publishers?
I also consulted a Who's Who in Music dated 1935. I found no mention of M G Truman but there was a listing for two sisters , Irene and Una both born in Nottingham and both still resident there at the time. Both were apparently professional performers (piano, violin and cello) and regular broadcasters and Irene was also a published composer.
There might be no connection at all between these ladies and M G Truman but the close proximity of Derbyshire and Nottingham suggests the possibility that there is one. And isn't Una an Irish name ?
As both these ladies appear to have had successful musical careers in the 1930s it could be that investigation might prove a family link with the elusive MG who , as far as I can see, has left no record that can be found among a number of archive and library records - both at home and abroad - that can be accessed on the internet and which I've searched although , perhaps when the British Library has recovered from its cyber attack - something can be found there.
I am researching the life and works of the writer W M Letts (1882-1972). She dedicated a 1912 book to E G Edwards and M G Truman who she knew from 'days in Ireland, days in Derbyshire, days in school' - I don't know which category Truman falls into but I discovered that M G Truman set three poems by Letts to music - Sails', 'Old Dan O'Shee' and 'The Beggar Girl' - 1916 sheet music is "now unavailable on Amazon". Could anyone give me more information on Truman? Many thanks
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