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- Jan 8, 2012
At the beginning of the Civil War, a group called the National Hymn Committee with 13 members was formed in New York for the purpose of finding a new song suitable for a national anthem. These men comprised politicians, lawyers, business leaders, and scholars living in New York City. To the winner would go a prize of $500 and "the thanks of a grateful nation."
The committee quickly dismissed the three already well-known songs--Yankee Doodle was childish, Hail Columbia was pretentious, and The Star Spangled Banner was considered so hard to sing that it was almost useless.
So, they sponsored a contest and received 1,275 entries, described as, "four or five huge bales of patriotic hymnology.” Some entries came from as far as California and Italy.
It took them a month and a half to review the submissions with the help of an organist and choir, and they narrowed it down to 15. According to a letter the editor of the NY Times, "...it was suggested to give concerts in the New-York and Brooklyn Academics, for the purpose of submitting them for public criticism..."
Nevertheless, the committee couldn't agree on a clear winner. "...not because there were so many good options -- rather, it was because there were hardly any. On Aug. 9, 1861, the hymn committee announced that it couldn't, in all fairness, choose a winner."
Even if the Committee couldn't decide, it appears the people had a clear favorite: "George Templeton Strong overheard something remarkable in the streets of New York. Richmond had just fallen to Union forces, and crowds began to fill Wall Street near the offices of the Commercial Advertiser. According to former committee member Strong: "They sang 'Old Hundred,' the Doxology, 'John Brown,' and 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' repeating the last two lines of Key's song over and over, with a massive roar from the crowd and a unanimous wave of hats at the end of each repetition. I think I shall never lose the impression made by this rude, many-voiced chorale. It seemed a revelation of profound national feeling, underlying all our vulgarisms and corruption..."
Still, it wasn't until 70 years after the committee's formation and launch of its unsuccessful search that The Star Spangled Banner officially became the nation's National Anthem on March 3, 1931.
Sources:
The committee quickly dismissed the three already well-known songs--Yankee Doodle was childish, Hail Columbia was pretentious, and The Star Spangled Banner was considered so hard to sing that it was almost useless.
So, they sponsored a contest and received 1,275 entries, described as, "four or five huge bales of patriotic hymnology.” Some entries came from as far as California and Italy.
It took them a month and a half to review the submissions with the help of an organist and choir, and they narrowed it down to 15. According to a letter the editor of the NY Times, "...it was suggested to give concerts in the New-York and Brooklyn Academics, for the purpose of submitting them for public criticism..."
Nevertheless, the committee couldn't agree on a clear winner. "...not because there were so many good options -- rather, it was because there were hardly any. On Aug. 9, 1861, the hymn committee announced that it couldn't, in all fairness, choose a winner."
Even if the Committee couldn't decide, it appears the people had a clear favorite: "George Templeton Strong overheard something remarkable in the streets of New York. Richmond had just fallen to Union forces, and crowds began to fill Wall Street near the offices of the Commercial Advertiser. According to former committee member Strong: "They sang 'Old Hundred,' the Doxology, 'John Brown,' and 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' repeating the last two lines of Key's song over and over, with a massive roar from the crowd and a unanimous wave of hats at the end of each repetition. I think I shall never lose the impression made by this rude, many-voiced chorale. It seemed a revelation of profound national feeling, underlying all our vulgarisms and corruption..."
Still, it wasn't until 70 years after the committee's formation and launch of its unsuccessful search that The Star Spangled Banner officially became the nation's National Anthem on March 3, 1931.
Sources:
The National Hymn. (Published 1861)
www.nytimes.com
DISUNION; A New Anthem
Music was everywhere in the North, it seemed, during the summer of 1861. From presidential appearances to Union rallies, everyone was singing -- usually emotional versions of ''Yankee Doodle'' or ''Hail, Columbia'' or ''The Star-Spangled Banner.'' It's forgotten today, but in 1861 America didn't...
archive.nytimes.com
The quest for a national anthem: Civil War edition
Not satisfied with existing patriotic songs at the beginning of the Civil War, a committee held a contest. It was about as successful as you might think!
music.allpurposeguru.com
The National Hymn. (Published 1861)
www.nytimes.com
New York Times: Disunion
A major collection of modern commentary from scholars, historians, and Civil War buffs on the significant events of the Civil War, culled from The New York Times' popular Disunion on-line journal. Since its debut, The New York Times' acclaimed web journal entitled 'Disunion' has published...
books.google.com
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