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Patriotic song of the United States | |
| Also known as | "Pikes Peak" (lyrics) "Materna" (music) |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | Katharine Lee Bates, 1895 |
| Music | Samuel A. Ward, 1883 |
| Published | 1910 by Oliver Ditson & Co. |
| Audio sample | |
"America the Beautiful" as performed by the United States Navy Band | |
"America the Beautiful" is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey.[1] The two never met.[2]
Bates wrote the words as a poem, originally titled "Pikes Peak". It was first published in the Fourth of July 1895 edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist. At that time, the poem was titled "America".
Ward had initially composed the song's melody in 1882 to accompany lyrics to "Materna", basis of the hymn, "O Mother dear, Jerusalem", though the hymn was not first published until 1892.[3] The combination of Ward's melody and Bates's poem was first entitled "America the Beautiful" in 1910. The song is one of the most popular of the many American patriotic songs.[4]
- ^ "'America the Beautiful' began in Newark | Di Ionno". March 17, 2016. Archived from the original on October 11, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
- ^ Andy Pease, " 'America the Beautiful' by Katharine Lee Bates and Samuel Augustus Ward, arr. Carmen Dragon" Archived February 22, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Wind Band Literature, July 1, 2014; accessed 2019-08-17.
- ^ McKim, LindaJo (1993). The Presbyterian Hymnal Companion. Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press. p. 379. ISBN 978-0664251802. Retrieved June 22, 2012. (McKim notes that Ward once mentioned in a postcard that the hymn had been composed in 1882, however).
- ^ "Materna (O Mother Dear, Jerusalem) / Samuel Augustus Ward [hymnal]: Print Material Full Description: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress". Lcweb2.loc.gov. October 30, 2007. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011.