The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-02-09
Jhe Heeklg Aoupareil.
SATURDAY.. FEBRUARY .. ,xs.
OUR NATIONAL AIRS.

Our NATIONAL AIRS
So much has been said and done Ia.elx
in these stirring times Of ours, abou, %,
good old national music, that We haze
thought j. would no. be un;n,ere.tin1 r.
our readers to refresh their recollection. al
the history Of some Of those familiar airs.
And first, few words about tima-bon-
ored and association honored ssYankes
Doodle" Much learned research has been
expended on the origin Of this tune. and
various are the opinions tina. have been ex.
pressed upon this point. One authority has
II that the air was composed bv aB III. b
doctor, one Shucs burg, as long ago n, the
time Of the old French war, in Canada
when the British regulars and the colonial
troops Tough, side by side, and that il wa,
got up 10 dcFision Of the old fashioned man.
ners Of the pro:IncIals as coutrasied with
the more trim and soidierly appearance of
The regulars. Others say fha, the air is
as old as Crom1eIl's time, and that i, NAV
be found IN the "MuslcaI Antiquities OF
England" Certainly j, was known in New
England before the American Revolution.
and there were'words to il abou, "Lydin
Fisher and Lucy Loaet'' And the red
coats vho occupied Boston in IT'S and
lao, made verse;, in rithcne If The people
their presence insulted, adapted to the time;
for example:
Yankee Dondic cam. 10 town
For 10 buy areiosk,
We viii t1f and feather b4Hf,
And Will J.hu HaaAx ~
When the brigade under Lard Percy, on
the morning of the lJth Of April. i7s5,
marched out Of Boston on their way To
Concord and Lexington, the drum and fife
p aged, deriswely, this very air. On the
rather rapid return OF what there was left
IF them, they were told that they we're made
TO dance 10 1t. And from this time GU,
"Yankee Doodle" was accepted as a remin-
-ceuce Of the first battle Of the revolution
IL WAS played on every battle field in the
great strife for American liberty, from
Bunker Hill 10 YORKTOWN and the Pcdee,
Is. O. IL was heard amidst the hurting
Of the icaden storm of infantry and artillery
On the plain Of Chalinettr, on the banks OF
the Chippewa and beneath the snowy SER
ras Of Mexico and the pulses Of every true
American heart, OF whatever State or see
ton, have lcaped into nccordant harmony
with it for generations past, and will do SO
FOR generations get 20 come.
''IIail Columbia has, also, a most inter.
estIBg history.
Tbs, the most popular of all the national
songs Of America, was written by Judge
IoseTh lloPH'nson, one Of the sicncrs of the
ID tc!aration Of Independence. 1t was writ
ten IN The summer of IDS, when war
With France wa. thought To be inevitable :;
Congress then beng in session at Philadel
palh. The theatre was tim opened there.
and a young actor, "A schoolmate Of Hop
kin.on; being about TO take n benefit, asked
ne Judge To compose for him some words
to the tune of tho "Prcsident's March -
which was then the popular air. This was
Oh Saturday; on the Monday night follow
lag the song was ready, was sung with
grcat NC ;c,s, ~ d At once took its place As
. national mir of America. As the Judge,
writing Of this soac, n 1910, said of IT, Ut
was truly American, and nothing else; and
the patriotic feelings Of every American
heart r r-ponded To IT,
We should add here that the tune itself.
.'Presrdcnt's March"-was composed il
1889, by German named Fuyles, on the
occasion of Gen. Washinyton's first visit to
! th'n're in the city OF New York. We
G.. slider, now, that We have made out /,
3" city fair . digrec far HAL Columbia"
and one Of which 10 one born on American
soll has auv reason 10 he ashamed.
The oriLil of The Star Spaugle Banner.
as n national 80 &, - less anclcnt, but han d
ly less richly fraught With patriotic associa-
tlons than the others we have been treating
Of. l(s history ~ familiar to our readers
The air is Old English, and has been
known, time cut of mind. under the namr
OF cameron IN Heaven" To this tune
Robert Treat Paine wrote one OF his best
odes, during the lifetime of Washington. II
was cal led Adams and LibrrIy,' and was
written Tor some patriotic festival dinner
Just n the company were taking heir places
q the table, "A friend Of the writer whom
he had shown his verses. tod Paine he had
forgotten to name Washington in them
Nhrreupan tho ready poe, called for pc,
aud ink, and impromptu threw OF the best
>tanza in his song. IL was this:
sshonia th. tempest II war overshadov our lard
Il. bolts can ne er rcnd treed,ms temple assuudcr;
For. naunuyeg = IL portal SHAH Washington stand,
Aud tcpe wItthis breath III assault Of the ,hatdeF
III sword from the sleep
pJ It's ,Cabblgd shall leap
And reBlgcr. vIrh s tr,lut every Hash 70 the decp
And ucer shall the ssts OF Columbia bt
wa,Ie The Garth tears liant or the sea
ru1ls us waves -
And it was To this same air that, IN ioli,
Francis Scott kev, of Bait more, then Il
Young man and afterwards an em'nenf law
yer, composed that well known Tyre, II he
Star SpungIed Banner" II so happened
that Key, under flag OF truce. went o.
board IA Brrrr-h frigate. which was one OF
the fleet that was then beleasaering Bait
more. During his stay on board the fiigate,
it was decided To ce'nmcnce the bomhaSa-
mrnt II Fort Mclienrv. and the young
Battjmurean was compelled I" be witness
OF The deadly auaci upon tn detenc's OF
his native e,ty and has home. The Tort re-
sponicd calamity. and the engagement be
tween it and the fleet lasted throughout the