www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Favorite patriotic song?

Not actually American; I don't think it's in any American hymnals or songbooks, but I've always loved:
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/v/ivow2the.htm
(despite it's association with a certain publicity-skank [en.wikipedia.org] )

David,

At least she's pretty. Anyway, she ought to get some publicity for the price she paid to get it.

CDL

Nothing better than Ray singing his soulful version of "America". The musical arrangement was written by an church organist so it sounds very much like a old-fashioned gospel hymn.

Ungcsertez

UC, You surprise me. I was sure your favorite partiotic song was "Ja Rusyn Byl"

Djs,

My patriotism is based on my Father who while being the son of Rusyn immigrants, went on to serve in WWII along with his four other brothers. I have a tape of him singing his favorite Cerkovnjy pisnjy, Rusyn folk songs (including Ja Rusyn Byl) plus God Bless America and America the Beautiful. The childern of immigrants learned at an early age that America was now "nashu kraju". It was a good thing as many of these childern of immigrants went on to fight in WWII, Korea and Veit Nam.

God Bless America!

Ungcsertezs

These were the two that we sang in school after morning prayers, after morning liturgy.

I have heard in the past (i.e., at Holy Cross in Brookline) that the closest song to an anthem for the Eastern Roman Empire is Τη Υπερμαχο ...

Perhaps that was just a rumor, but I think there is more than just a little truth to the claim behind it...

Actually the closest thing the Eastern Roman Empire had to a national anthem was, and is, the Apolytikion for the Holy Cross: O Lord, Save Thy People . . . in some places it can still be heard in its monarchist redaction.

The present Greek state uses the Kontakion for Annunciation as a national anthem, because the revolution against the Sultan which resulted in an independent Greece began on that feast day . . . according to the Old Calendar, of course.

Fr. Serge

I once heard that God Bless America did not become the National Anthem in 1931 because Irving Berlin was a Jew. What a pity! Of course I might have heard wrong. :rolleyes:

Of all the songs, my favorite is God Bless America and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. But then again, there is always God Save the Queen. Hee, hee, hee! I bet Alex likes that the best. :p Hey, where is he?

Zenovia

Dear PTSMYTHE you said:

I say:

I would tend to agree with that assessment. There is a martial and triumphant quality to the hymn...something similar to the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

Zenovia

My patriotism lies with my faith, Ave Maria!

I stated before:
I now say:

I read on the web that there was a movement in the late 1930's to make God Bless America our national anthem. It was Kate Smith, the singer that first sang God Bless America, that fought that movement. She believed that the Star Spangle Banner was more suited because it was written during a war.

Of course both things may be true. Who knows? What is true though, is that the song was written during the First World War. Irving Berlin in 1938 dragged it out of his trunk and changed some of the lyrics. Kate Smith then sang it on her radio show and it became a big hit.

Zenovia

I've heard that also. Woody Guthrie wrote "This Land is Your Land" as a responce to "God Bless America"...it gave American Communists something patriotic to sing that didn't mention God.

Drinking song or not,Star Spangled Banner may be difficult to sing but it is beautiful,dramatic and puts you right on that battlefield where we fought for independence and won. Oh, along with Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Peace,
Cynthia

Some of my favorite patriotic songs include Sousa's Washington Post March, Johnny Cash's Ragged Old Flag, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic. I voted for The Stars and Stripes Forever.