God Bless America

Irving Berlin

General Info

Year: 1939 / 1972
Duration:
Difficulty: III (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Hal Leonard
Cost: Score and Parts - $50.00

Instrumentation

Semi-full Score
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Cornet I-II-III
Horn in E-flat I-II
Horn in F I-II
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Percussion (4 players), including:

Bass Drum
Crash Cymbals
Orchestra Bells
Snare Drum

Errata

None discovered thus far.

Program Notes

Irving Berlin wrote God Bless America in 1918 while serving in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York, but decided that it did not fit in a revue called Yip Yip Yaphank, so he set it aside. The lyrics at that time included the line "Make her victorious on land and foam, God bless America..." as well as "Stand beside her and guide her to the right with the light from above".

In 1938, with the rise of Adolf Hitler, Irving Berlin, who was Jewish and had arrived in America from Russia at the age of five, felt it was time to revive it as a "peace song," and it was introduced on an Armistice Day broadcast in 1938, sung by Kate Smith on her radio show.

God Bless America takes the form of a prayer (intro lyrics "as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer") for God's blessing and peace for the nation ("...stand beside her and guide her through the night...").

- Program Note from Wikipedia

Media

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

State Ratings

None discovered thus far.

Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

Karl L. King Municipal Band (Fort Dodge, Iowa) (Jerrold P. Jimmerson, conductor) - 29 May 2023
Irving (Tx.) Symphonic Band (Jay L. Bach, conductor) - 19 March 2023
Atascadero (Calif.) Community Band (Carlos Gama, Jr., conductor) - 27 June 2017
Karl L. King Municipal Band (Fort Dodge, Iowa) (Jerrold P. Jimmerson, conductor) – 29 May 2017
Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Lee Hartman, conductor) – 19 February 2017
Walnut Creek (Calif.) Concert Band (Harvey Bernstein, conductor) – 4 July 2016
Christian Fellowship Band (Rockford, Ill.) ( Vicki Peterson, conductor) - 28 September 2014

Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music

God Bless America (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1939/2011)
White Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1940/2006)

All Wind Works

Alexander's Ragtime Band (arr. Molenaar) (1911/1960)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (arr. Nowak) (1911/2013)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (arr. Yoder) (1911/1940)
Count Your Blessings (arr. Nowlin) (1954)
Easter Parade (arr. Bennett) (1933)
Easter Parade (arr. Auken) (1973)
God Bless America (arr. Cofield) (1939/1972)
God Bless America (arr. Edmondson) (1939/1979)
God Bless America (arr. U.S. Army Band) (1939)
God Bless America (arr. Jennings) (1939)
God Bless America (arr. Laurent) (1939)
God Bless America (arr. Leidzen) (1939)
God Bless America (arr. Moss and Christopher) (1939/1995)
God Bless America (arr. Ringwald) (1939/1969)
God Bless America (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Vinson) (1939/2011)
Happy Holiday/White Christmas (arr. Ricketts) (2009)
Irving Berlin: A Symphonic Portrait (arr. Ades) (1975)
An Irving Berlin Christmas (arr. Barker) (2007)
Irving Berlin: From Rags to Ritz (arr. Murtha and Snyder) (2011)
Irving Berlin Showstoppers (arr. Higgins) (1994)
Irving Berlin: The Early Years (arr. Barker) (1997)
Irvining Berlin Waltz Medley (arr. Leidzen) (1940)
Irving Berlin's Christmas (arr. Brown and Brymer) (2010)
Irving Berlin's Songs for America (arr. Swearingen) (1986)
Marie (arr. Ballenger III)
No Biz Like Show Biz (arr. Hearshen)
Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning (arr. Schulz) (1918)
Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning (arr. Briegel) (1918)
Say It with Music (arr. Yoder) (1921/1940)
There's No Business Like Show Business (arr. Duthoit) (1946/1955)
This is the Army, Mr. Jones (arr. Briegel) (1942)
Tribute to Irving Berlin (arr. Barker) (1979)
White Christmas (arr. Auken) (1940/1973)
White Christmas (arr. Bennett) (1940/1948)
White Christmas (arr. Edmondson) (1940/1979)
White Christmas (arr. Huff and Moss) (1940/1995)
White Christmas (arr. Leidzen) (1940/1942)
White Christmas (arr. Moss) (1940/1998)
White Christmas (arr. Skelly) (1940/?)
White Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1940/2006)

Resources

Girsberger, Russ. Percussion Assignments for Band & Wind Ensemble. Volume I: A-K. Galesburg, MD: Meredith Music Publications, 2004, 35. Print.
God Bless America, Wikipedia Accessed 12 March 2019
Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music. "Berlin, Irving" Accessed 4 October 2014