Today in Labor History April 15, 1912: Eight members of the Musicians union died in the sinking of the Titanic. According to survivors, they played their instruments until nearly the end. One survivor said, “The music they played served alike as their own immortal requiem and their right to be recalled on the scrolls of undying fame.” Five weeks later a concert was organized by the union to benefit the musicians’ families. It was held in a theater donated for the evening by impresario Flo Ziegfeld. The evening ended with “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” the hymn the musicians played as the ship went down.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #music #musicians #union #titanic