Celebrating America’s Freedom: Patriotic Songs
~ Kin Ruehl: about.com ~
~ just4kidsmagazine.com ~
Today’s story is the fourth
installment of the “Celebrating America” series that I have posted. In this
article, you will learn the history and origins a couple of America’s most
famous patriotic songs and find some things that you probably never knew before.
This final article in this series will be posted tomorrow: The Story of our
Pledge of Allegiance”. Enjoy!
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| MilitaryRecordings.com |
“YANKEE DOODLE”
“Yankee Doodle” is one of the most
popular American patriotic songs, and is also the state song of Connecticut.
However, despite its popularity, it started out as a song that made fun of
American troops.
British Origins
Like many of the songs that have
become characteristic of American patriotism, the origins of "Yankee
Doodle" lie in old English folk music. In this case, kind of humorously,
the song emerged before the American Revolution as a vehicle for the British to
mock American soldiers. Yankee, of course, began as a negative term making fun
of Americans, although the exact origins of the word are debatable. "Doodle"
was a derogatory term that meant "fool" or "simpleton."
The American Revolution
As the Yankees began to take the
British in the Revolution, they also took over command of the song, and began
singing it as a proud anthem to taunt their English foes. One of the earliest
references to the song was from the 1767 opera The Disappointment, and
an early printed version of the song dates back to 1775, mocking a U.S. Army
official from Massachusetts.
The American Version
Although the exact origins of the
tune and original lyrics of "Yankee Doodle" are unknown (some sources
attribute it to Irish or Dutch origin, rather than the British), most
historians agree that the American version was written by an English doctor
named Dr. Shackburg. According to the Library of Congress, Shackburg wrote the
American lyrics in 1755.
The Civil War
Considering the popularity of the
melody, new versions evolved throughout America's early years, used to mock
various groups. For example, during the Civil War, folks in the South sang lyrics
mocking the north, and Union Democrats sang lyrics mocking the South.
Tradition and Tomfoolery
Even though it began as a song
mocking American soldiers, "Yankee Doodle" has become a symbol of
American pride. The unforgettable melody has been adapted and performed in
theater, by big bands, and other variations of musical performances, since its
popularization. Nowadays, it's a fun patriotic song, and most people only know
a few verses.
“AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL”
The song "America" is sung
across America as one of the National Anthems. It was written by Reverend
Samuel Francis Smith in 1832. It was first used at a children's fourth of July
picnic in Boston. Lowell Mason discovered the tune in a collection of German
melodies and recommended it to Rev. Smith. The music to "America" is
the same as that of the British national anthem, "God Save the
Queen." It is said that Henry Carey put the melody into its present form.
Fun Fact
"America the Beautiful" was
written as a poem by Wellesley College professor Katherine Lee Bates in the
year 1893. After riding to the top of Colorado's Pike Peak she was inspired by
the "spacious skies" and "purple mountain majesties". Her
poem was later set to music.
“THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER”
It is a tradition in American folk
music to borrow the melodies of already popular songs and write new lyrics for
them. So it is no surprise that Francis Scott Key's poem, "The
Star-Spangled Banner" (c. 1814), was sung to the tune of an already
popular English drinking song. The source of the melody—a song called "To
Anacreon in Heaven"—was already popular in the States, although the lyrics
had been changed several times.
When Key's poem became a popular
choice of lyrics to that tune, the U.S. Navy adopted it for their ceremonies in
1889, and thus began a long, arduous effort to get "The Star Spangled
Banner" named the National Anthem. Finally, in 1931, by congressional
decree under President Herbert Hoover, the song was officially named the
national anthem of the United States.
The Attack on Baltimore
Key wrote the poem after the British attack
on Baltimore. He was inspired when, after the battle had cleared, he saw a large
American flag still flying over the fort. The original title of the poem was
"Defense of Fort McHenry," although it eventually became known as "The
Star Spangled Banner," after one of the song's most prominent lines.
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