Battle Cry of Freedom (arr Nowak)

From Wind Repertory Project
George Frederick Root

George Frederick Root (arr. Jerry Nowak)


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General Info

Year: 1862 / 1973
Duration: c. 2:35
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Northeastern Music Publications
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $55.00   |   Score Only (print) - $8.00


Instrumentation

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The Battle Cry of Freedom, also known as Rally 'Round the Flag, is a song written in 1862 by American composer George Frederick Root (1820–1895) during the American Civil War. A patriotic song advocating the causes of Unionism and abolitionism, it became so popular that composer H. L. Schreiner and lyricist W. H. Barnes adapted it for the Confederacy.

A modified Union version was used as the campaign song for the Lincoln-Johnson ticket in the 1864 presidential election, as well as in elections after the war, such as for Garfield in the 1880 U.S. presidential election. The song was so popular that the music publisher had 14 printing presses going at one time and still could not keep up with demand. It is estimated that over 700,000 copies of this song were put in circulation. Louis Moreau Gottschalk thought so highly of the song that in his diary he confided that he thought "it should be our national anthem" and used it as the basis for his 1863 concert paraphrase for solo piano Le Cri de Délivrance, opus 55, and dedicated it to Root, who was a personal friend. Charles Ives quoted the song in his own patriotic song, They Are There.

- Program Note from Wikipedia


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

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  • Western Illinois University (Macomb) Wind Ensemble (Matt Thomas, conductor) - 11 November 2016


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources