THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC...no more!
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My Seraphim Chorus sang a gig this past weekend. We performed for the alumni association of a local, now defunct, high school. The average age of these folks was at the high end of the 70 plus crowd, with many of the men in attendance obviously veterans of WWII or Korea. The organizer asked that we add some patriotic songs to our repertoire, and our director dutifully pulled out hymn book arrangements of America the Beautiful and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. While practicing these patriotic chestnuts before the performance, the music struck a chord in me and I became teary eyed and very sad. To make matters worse, when I got home from the concert, a friend of mine had emailed a performance of the Wilhousky Battle Hymn (think Mormon Tabernacle Choir) arrangement done recently by a local high school with a youth choir, band, and high school chorus.
I am 58 years old, and I will guarantee that just about anyone my age who participated in high school choral activity back in the 1960’s has sung the Wilhousky Battle Hymn, and more likely than not, can still sing it memorized. Even when singing a different, simpler arrangement today, we will often ad lib parts of the Wilhousky arrangement into the version we are singing, be it chord progressions or the big Amen at the end.
I downloaded my friend’s musical attachment, and took a trip down memory lane listening to the kids sing this great, patriotic song. The video attached to the music wasn’t the performance, but rather of pictures of patriotic landmarks interspersed with the lyrics to the song. “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” and “In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea…Glory, Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!”
How often is The Battle Hymn performed today? My guess is not very often. It struck me as I was listening to the music and reading the lyrics, if ever there was a politically incorrect patriotic song, this is it. It deals with war. It is Christian. It deals with fighting to preserve the principles that made this country great. Even when we sang it high school, the director would change the lyrics from “Let us die to make men free!” to “Let us live to make men free!” A noble thought, but negating the fact that this song was used to inspire those brave soldiers who were going into battle to die for our country.
The Christian references to God almost make The Battle Hymn unsingable in today’s politically correct public schools. If anyone doubts that this country was founded on the principles of Christianity and its Jewish roots, just listen to the lyrics that were the North’s battle cry as it fought to preserve the Union and end slavery. But as Barack Obama has only recently stated:
"Whatever we once were, we're no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."
The poignancy of singing The Battle Hymn to our audience was almost too much bear as I watched the faces of that senior audience, as I watched them sing along with us, and then stand to give us, and more probably the song, a standing “O”.
This July 4th, I may watch people waive the flag while listening to The Boston Pops play the Stars and Stripes Forever, and they may even play a version of The Battle Hymn, but I doubt if I attended any high school concert today, I would hear the Wilhousky arrangement of a patriotic song which credits the existence of the nation to the truth of a marching God: Christian, Jewish, Moslem, or otherwise. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think so.
And perhaps Senator Obama is right. In fact, he probably IS right. But the debate about religious freedom and tolerance is for another day. For now, I prefer to believe that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic that has stood well for it these past 200 plus years. And for awhile, I will remember the thrill of singing Wihousky's Battle Hymn of the Republic, and wonder where is the country in which I grew up?
My Seraphim Chorus sang a gig this past weekend. We performed for the alumni association of a local, now defunct, high school. The average age of these folks was at the high end of the 70 plus crowd, with many of the men in attendance obviously veterans of WWII or Korea. The organizer asked that we add some patriotic songs to our repertoire, and our director dutifully pulled out hymn book arrangements of America the Beautiful and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. While practicing these patriotic chestnuts before the performance, the music struck a chord in me and I became teary eyed and very sad. To make matters worse, when I got home from the concert, a friend of mine had emailed a performance of the Wilhousky Battle Hymn (think Mormon Tabernacle Choir) arrangement done recently by a local high school with a youth choir, band, and high school chorus.I am 58 years old, and I will guarantee that just about anyone my age who participated in high school choral activity back in the 1960’s has sung the Wilhousky Battle Hymn, and more likely than not, can still sing it memorized. Even when singing a different, simpler arrangement today, we will often ad lib parts of the Wilhousky arrangement into the version we are singing, be it chord progressions or the big Amen at the end.
I downloaded my friend’s musical attachment, and took a trip down memory lane listening to the kids sing this great, patriotic song. The video attached to the music wasn’t the performance, but rather of pictures of patriotic landmarks interspersed with the lyrics to the song. “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord…” and “In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea…Glory, Hallelujah! His truth is marching on!”
How often is The Battle Hymn performed today? My guess is not very often. It struck me as I was listening to the music and reading the lyrics, if ever there was a politically incorrect patriotic song, this is it. It deals with war. It is Christian. It deals with fighting to preserve the principles that made this country great. Even when we sang it high school, the director would change the lyrics from “Let us die to make men free!” to “Let us live to make men free!” A noble thought, but negating the fact that this song was used to inspire those brave soldiers who were going into battle to die for our country.
The Christian references to God almost make The Battle Hymn unsingable in today’s politically correct public schools. If anyone doubts that this country was founded on the principles of Christianity and its Jewish roots, just listen to the lyrics that were the North’s battle cry as it fought to preserve the Union and end slavery. But as Barack Obama has only recently stated:
"Whatever we once were, we're no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation, and a nation of nonbelievers."
The poignancy of singing The Battle Hymn to our audience was almost too much bear as I watched the faces of that senior audience, as I watched them sing along with us, and then stand to give us, and more probably the song, a standing “O”.
This July 4th, I may watch people waive the flag while listening to The Boston Pops play the Stars and Stripes Forever, and they may even play a version of The Battle Hymn, but I doubt if I attended any high school concert today, I would hear the Wilhousky arrangement of a patriotic song which credits the existence of the nation to the truth of a marching God: Christian, Jewish, Moslem, or otherwise. Maybe I am wrong, but I don't think so.
And perhaps Senator Obama is right. In fact, he probably IS right. But the debate about religious freedom and tolerance is for another day. For now, I prefer to believe that this country was founded on a Judeo-Christian ethic that has stood well for it these past 200 plus years. And for awhile, I will remember the thrill of singing Wihousky's Battle Hymn of the Republic, and wonder where is the country in which I grew up?
Comments
it's taken me years and experiences far and wide to understand the implications of our so-called judeo-christian origins as a nation. and you are right, obama IS right. we need waste no time to remind ourselves of our christian origins. we need to use the time to educate ourselves about our diversity - and to strive that these notions become our new roots!!! it does no one good to linger on any narrow perception. and that's exactly what the christian perspective demands. we are not a narrow society. we are diverse, like it or not. and to wax poetically about it, or reminisce romantically is fine. but not what's needed today. i'm glad it brings tears to your eyes.
for me however, it makes me sad to think that our roots are so violent and insular. and that it takes SO much work to COUNTER that! trust me, it took me decades! and as a minority white guy in east los angeles, i'm reminded every day of how intrusive that romance is in what's still regular ignorance and prejudices, societal and religious.
i find it alarming there are american young people in iraq thinking that they are there because they're christians, which we've found out from various sources is true for many, fighting a war for an ideal (in their minds) that is essentially religious. if that was the case over a hundred years ago then that needs explaining before it be sung in a high school. it's certainly not an appropriate model for anything positive today.