The National tribune., 1907-08-01
NATIONAL. SONGS.

Harney Post. No. 2s. Rapid City, 5.
D., has adopted resolutions of which
the following preamble shows the in
tent:
Whereas we have witnessed with
alarm not unnixed with Indignation
the attempts of some modern writers
TO inject their feeble rhymes into our
National anthems and win for them
selves a little nOtoriety by snatching
the laurels from the tomb of departed
worth TO wreathe the unworthy brows
of living mediOcrity;
And whereas the excuse given for
these acts of vandalism, viz, that these
songs were written to celebrate some To-
cal situation or event and are not up
to-date'' or broad enough to meet the
demands of the Nation of today, We
deem utterly puerilc and unworthy of
refutatiOn; and
Whereas we greatly fear if these
unpatriotic acts go unrebuked that
others will follow in the same path until
all our patriotic songs will be emascu-
lated and royed, and one of the
nnblest sources of inspiration to 10y
atty. to freedom and freedoms flag be
lost forever TO our posterity.
We are not wholly in sympathy with
the spirit of these resolutions, but
rather incline to some amendment of
our National songs which will make
them more. generally popular. There
triotic songs as they now stand and
which are in the way of their gen"-al
popularity. For example, the StaT
Spangied Banner refers only to local
| incident in the War of 1872, and it
| would seem as if someone could give US
a verse or two that would make the
song more generally applicable to the
National greatness which has arisen
since the War of 1912. We confess.
however, that all attempts to do this
have been failures. even tho made by
/ our best writers. Even so accom-
plished d poet as DR.. Oliver Wendell
! Holmes could not write a verse to
which the people would take. There is
arother trouble about the Star Span
! gled Banner. Magnificent and stirring
] as the air is and we believe that it sur
/ passes in IFS appeal to the highest pop
ular feeling any National music writ
ten. it is still muscally faulty because
of its wide range. This makes 1t al
most impossible for any one voice to
sing it, which always stands in the way
of its more frequent use at our patriotic
| gatherings. Some musical genius
should arise, and while retaining all OF
the distinctive features of the music
rearrange it i'm some way so as to bring
! it within the compass of an ordinary
voice. If this could be done we would
hear the Star Spangled Banner sung Q
thousand times where ii is now sung
once. 1t seems an inexpressible pity
that this noblest of all National an
taems should have these defects stand
between it and its universal popularity
THE other great National anthems hav,
such a restricted compass as to allow
their singing by ordinary voices. Fol
example, any German, who can sing a
all, can sing Die Wacht Am Rhein. 81
any Frenchman or French woman
can sing the Marseillaise, ant
any Englishman and Englishwomal
can sing God Save the King. This i
, absolutely essential to a patriotic song
and We suffer every day in this countr.
from the fact that the Star Spangle,
Banner can only be properly execute,
, by a voice of such unusual compass tina
. not one singer in thousand can salts
factorily render the Natioal anthem.
AS for America, it is just as much tn,