American Medley, for twelve horns
by Jack Martin
$36
American Medley is a short compilation utilizing five melodies that have become deeply ingrained into our collective conscience as being definitively “American.”
With the exception of The Stars and Stripes Forever, none were conceived in the forms in which they exist today. The four tunes weren’t even written specifically for the text to which each is now forever linked.
In the case of America the Beautiful, the music was originally the hymn Materna, with different lyrics, composed by Samuel Ward years before Katherine Lee Bates wrote her poem.
Amazing Grace is a melody of unknown origin. This pentatonic tune first appeared in print in this country as St. Mary in the early 1800’s. It was later combined with the text by John Newton, being published as the hymn New Britain, known universally today as Amazing Grace. Some theories place the tune’s beginnings in Scotland, others as an African-American slave tune.
During the Civil War, William Steffe wrote the camp-meeting hymn ‘Oh brothers, will you meet us on Canaan’s happy shore?’ already containing the familiar “Glory, Halleluiah” chorus. It evolved into the song John Brown’s Body before Julia Ward Howe wrote her poem “Battle Hymn of the Republic” specifically for the tune.
The origin of the melody to Shenandoah is another mystery, with some proposing that it incorporates both Irish and African-American elements. It became widely known as one of the few truly American sea shanties in the 19th century and remains to this day one of America’s most popular folk songs.
Sousa’s ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ is undeniably his most recognized work, and is also the official march of the United States. Unlike the others, which were joined to text or different text later, the ‘Stars and Stripes’ was composed in the purely instrumental form in which it is known today. It does have lyrics, added later by Sousa himself.
Jack Martin has been an on-again, off-again horn player for 30 years. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Biology as well as a Master’s degree in Horn Performance. In various past lives he has worked as a starving would-be performer, classical music radio announcer, recording engineer and laboratory technician in several analytical chemistry laboratories. He is currently employed with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a Crime Laboratory Analyst in the area of Serology and DNA analysis. Music- related activities have included performing in the Columbus GA Symphony, the Albany GA Symphony, The Big Bend Community Orchestra and regularly in a wind quintet comprised of local amateur musicians.
With the exception of The Stars and Stripes Forever, none were conceived in the forms in which they exist today. The four tunes weren’t even written specifically for the text to which each is now forever linked.
In the case of America the Beautiful, the music was originally the hymn Materna, with different lyrics, composed by Samuel Ward years before Katherine Lee Bates wrote her poem.
Amazing Grace is a melody of unknown origin. This pentatonic tune first appeared in print in this country as St. Mary in the early 1800’s. It was later combined with the text by John Newton, being published as the hymn New Britain, known universally today as Amazing Grace. Some theories place the tune’s beginnings in Scotland, others as an African-American slave tune.
During the Civil War, William Steffe wrote the camp-meeting hymn ‘Oh brothers, will you meet us on Canaan’s happy shore?’ already containing the familiar “Glory, Halleluiah” chorus. It evolved into the song John Brown’s Body before Julia Ward Howe wrote her poem “Battle Hymn of the Republic” specifically for the tune.
The origin of the melody to Shenandoah is another mystery, with some proposing that it incorporates both Irish and African-American elements. It became widely known as one of the few truly American sea shanties in the 19th century and remains to this day one of America’s most popular folk songs.
Sousa’s ‘The Stars and Stripes Forever’ is undeniably his most recognized work, and is also the official march of the United States. Unlike the others, which were joined to text or different text later, the ‘Stars and Stripes’ was composed in the purely instrumental form in which it is known today. It does have lyrics, added later by Sousa himself.
Jack Martin has been an on-again, off-again horn player for 30 years. He holds Bachelor’s degrees in Music Education and Biology as well as a Master’s degree in Horn Performance. In various past lives he has worked as a starving would-be performer, classical music radio announcer, recording engineer and laboratory technician in several analytical chemistry laboratories. He is currently employed with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as a Crime Laboratory Analyst in the area of Serology and DNA analysis. Music- related activities have included performing in the Columbus GA Symphony, the Albany GA Symphony, The Big Bend Community Orchestra and regularly in a wind quintet comprised of local amateur musicians.