The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #25032   Message #743921
Posted By: GUEST,Sonja
07-Jul-02 - 03:07 PM
Thread Name: Help: American patriotic songs
Subject: RE: Help: American patriotic songs
My favorite is the one sung to Sibelius's "Finlandia," which, I think, goes by various titles. "A Song Of Peace" is one title. It's in the DT under the title "Finlandia," but I think that is a misleading title. (Sibelius wrote the music but had nothing to do with the words. The words were written by an American, I think--at any rate, not written about Finland. I'm told that Sibelius was rather chauvinistic about Finland and would not have embraced the lyrics.) There is also a third verse (maybe a different lyricist) that's to do with God and is found in Baptist and Methodist hymnals, etc.)

Also, the US patriotic song "America" has lyrics that could be sung by a patriot in any (democratic) country (and a tune borrowed/stolen from Britain's "God Save the King/Queen). The only line that's sort of linked to the US is "...land of the pilgrims' pride...," but we're not the only country that ever had pilgrims. (Didn't Chaucer write about them?)

~SWO~