Marines' Hymn

Last updated
Marines' Hymn
Marines' Hymn.tif
Printed lyrics

Organizational anthem of the U.S. Marine Corps
LyricsUnknown
Music Jacques Offenbach, 1867
Adopted1929 (1929)
Audio sample
"Marines' Hymn" (instrumental)

The "Marines' Hymn" is the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps, introduced by the first director of the USMC Band, Francesco Maria Scala. Its music originates from an 1867 work by Jacques Offenbach with the lyrics added by an anonymous author at an unknown time in the following years. Authorized by the Commandant of the Marine Corps in 1929, it is the oldest official song in the United States Armed Forces. [1] The "Marines' Hymn" is typically sung at the position of attention as a gesture of respect, akin to a national anthem. However, the third verse is also used as a toast during formal events, such as the birthday ball and other ceremonies.

Contents

History

The "Marines' Hymn" performed in 1944 by the Boston Pops.
Instrumental sample of a single verse of the Marines' hymn played by the President's Own Marine Band.

Some lyrics were popular phrases before the song was written. The line "To the shores of Tripoli" refers to the First Barbary War, and specifically the Battle of Derna in 1805. [2] [3] After Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon and his Marines hoisted the American flag over the Old World for the first time, the phrase was added to the flag of the United States Marine Corps. "The Halls of Montezuma" refers to the Battle of Chapultepec on 12/13 September 1847 during the Mexican–American War, where a force of Marines stormed Chapultepec Castle. Strictly, the usage "Halls of Montezuma" is poetic license, as the building which the Marines stormed had been erected by the Spanish rulers of Mexico, more than two centuries after the Aztec Emperor Montezuma was overthrown. At the time of the assault, the fort was actually the newly founded Mexican Military Academy. Prior to Mexican independence one of the Spanish viceroys had built a personal residence on the hill (1786). However, in Aztec times Chapultepec Hill and its hot springs were a royal spa.[ citation needed ]

Marine Corps tradition maintains that the red stripe worn on the dress-blues trousers of officers and noncommissioned officers, and commonly known as the blood stripe commemorates the high number of Marine NCOs and officers killed storming the castle of Chapultepec in September 1847. As noted,

While the lyrics are said to date from the 19th century, no pre-20th century text is known. The author of the lyrics is likewise unknown. Legend has it that a Marine on duty in Mexico penned the hymn. The unknown author transposed the phrases in the motto on the Colors so that the first two lines of the Hymn would read: "From the Halls of Montezuma, to the Shores of Tripoli", favoring euphony over chronology.

The Marine Corps Hymn being performed at the TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, 2011. USMC-110910-M-AV740-003.jpg
The Marine Corps Hymn being performed at the TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, 2011.

The music is from the "Gendarmes' Duet" (or the "bold gendarmes") from the revision in 1867 of the Jacques Offenbach opera Geneviève de Brabant , which debuted in Paris in 1859. Correspondence between Colonel Albert S. McLemore and Walter F. Smith (the second leader of the United States Marine Band) traces the tune:

Major Richard Wallach, USMC, says that in 1878, when he was in Paris, France, the aria to which the Marines' Hymn is now sung was a very popular one.

The name of the opera and a part of the chorus was secured from Wallach and forwarded to Smith, who replied:

Major Wallach is to be congratulated upon a wonderfully accurate musical memory, for the aria of the Marine Hymn is certainly to be found in the opera Genevieve de Brabant... The melody is not in the exact form of the Marine Hymn, but is undoubtedly the aria from which it was taken. I am informed, however, by one of the members of the band, who has a Spanish wife, that the aria was one familiar to her childhood and it may, therefore, be a Spanish folk song.

John Philip Sousa once wrote:

The melody of the 'Halls of Montezuma' is taken from Offenbach's comic opera, 'Genevieve de Brabant' and is sung by two gendarmes.

The lyrics are also contained in the book Rhymes of the Rookies published in 1917. The author of these poems was W. E. Christian. The book is available online in several formats. It consists of a series of poems regarding military life prior to World War I.

Some websites, including the official USMC website, [4] claim that the U.S. Marine Corps secured a copyright on the song either 19 August 1891 or 18 August 1919. [5] U.S. Copyright Law prohibits copyrighting "any work of the United States Government", including subordinate agencies such as the Marine Corps, but allows them to hold "copyrights transferred to it by assignment, bequest, or otherwise". [6] The Library of Congress asserts that the song was originally copyrighted in 1919 by The Leatherneck, [7] which was started by off-duty US Marines in 1917 using a donation from the YMCA, and therefore might not be considered a "work of the United States Government". (It does not state whether Leatherneck's copyright was ever transferred to the Marine Corps.) In addition, several composers do hold copyrights on different arrangements of the song. These copyrights cover only the specific arrangements and not the song as a whole. [8] In 1929 the commandant of the Marine Corps authorized the three verses of the Marines' Hymn as the official version, but changed the fifth through eighth lines:

Pre-1929 versionAuthorized change
Admiration of the nation,
we're the finest ever seen;
And we glory in the title
Of United States Marines.
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

This older version can be heard in the 1951 film Halls of Montezuma . On 21 November 1942, Commandant Thomas Holcomb approved a change in the words of the first verse's fourth line from "On the land as on the sea" to "In the air, on land, and sea" to reflect the addition of aviation to the Corps' arsenal. [9]

Western Illinois University uses the hymn prior to all football games. They are the only nonmilitary academy allowed to use the hymn. The university has had permission to use the official nickname, mascot, and hymn of the Corps since 1927. [10]

Lyrics

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev'ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

Extra verses

Various people over the years have written unofficial or semi-official extra verses to commemorate later battles and actions. For example, after U.S. military forces occupied Iceland in 1941 to guard it against possible occupation by Nazi Germany, this verse was written:

Again in nineteen forty-one, we sailed a north'ard course
And found beneath the midnight sun, the Viking and the Norse.
The Iceland girls were slim and fair, and fair the Iceland scenes,
And the Army found in landing there, the United States Marines. [11] [12] [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anchors Aweigh</span> United States Naval Academy fight song

"Anchors Aweigh" is the fight song of the United States Naval Academy and unofficial march song of the United States Navy. It was composed in 1906 by Charles A. Zimmermann with lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles. When he composed "Anchors Aweigh", Zimmermann was a lieutenant and had been bandmaster of the United States Naval Academy Band since 1887. Miles was midshipman first class at the academy, in the class of 1907, and had asked Zimmermann to assist him in composing a song for that class, to be used as a football march. Another academy midshipman, Royal Lovell, later wrote what would be adopted into the song as its third verse. Another member of the Naval Academy Band, Willy Perlitz Jr., assisting in writing the music for the different instruments used in "Anchors Aweigh".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbary Coast</span> Coastal region of North Africa inhabited by Berber people

The Barbary Coast was the name given to the coastal regions of central and western North Africa or more specifically the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, as well as the Sultanate of Morocco from the 16th to 19th centuries. The term originates from the exonym of the Berbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presley O'Bannon</span> 18/19th-century United States Marine Corps officer

Presley O'Bannon was a first lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, famous for his exploits in the First Barbary War (1801–1805). In recognition of his bravery, he was presented a sword for his part in attempting to restore Prince Hamet Karamanli to his throne as the Bey of Tripoli. This sword became the model for the Mameluke Sword, adopted in 1825 for Marine Corps officers, which is part of the formal uniform today.

Leatherneck is a military slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archibald Henderson</span> United States Marine Corps Commandant

Archibald Henderson was the longest-serving Commandant of the Marine Corps, serving from 1820 to 1859. His name is learned by all recruits at Marine recruit training as the "Grand old man of the Marine Corps," serving in the United States Marine Corps for over 52 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Derna (1805)</span> Part of the First Barbary War

The Battle of Derna at Derna, Cyrenaica, was the decisive victory in April–May 1805 of a mercenary army recruited and led by United States Marines under the command of U.S. Army Lieutenant William Eaton, diplomatic Consul to Tripoli, and U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Presley Neville O'Bannon. The battle involved a forced 521-mile (839-km) march through the North African desert from Alexandria, Egypt, to the eastern port city of Derna, Libya, which was defended by a much larger force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Grymes McCawley</span> United States Marine Corps general

Charles Grymes McCawley was the eighth commandant of the Marine Corps and served as an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eternal Father, Strong to Save</span> British hymn associated with seafarers

"Eternal Father, Strong to Save" is a British hymn traditionally associated with seafarers, particularly in the maritime armed services. Written in 1860, its author, William Whiting, was inspired by the dangers of the sea described in Psalm 107. It was popularised by the Royal Navy and the United States Navy in the late 19th century, and variations of it were soon adopted by many branches of the armed services in the United Kingdom and the United States. Services who have adapted the hymn include the Royal Marines, Royal Air Force, the British Army, the United States Coast Guard, United States Marine Corps and the United States Space Force, as well as the navies of many Commonwealth realms. Accordingly, it is known by many names, variously referred to as the Hymn of His Majesty's Armed Forces, the Royal Navy Hymn, the United States Navy Hymn, and sometimes by the last line of its first verse, "For Those in Peril on the Sea". The hymn has a long tradition in civilian maritime contexts as well, being regularly invoked by ship's chaplains and sung during services on ocean crossings.

"The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the United States Army and is typically called "The Army Song". It is adapted from an earlier work titled the "U.S. Field Artillery March".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapultepec Castle</span> Castle in Mexico City

Chapultepec Castle is located on top of Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City's Chapultepec park. The name Chapultepec is the Nahuatl word chapoltepēc which means "on the hill of the grasshopper". It is located at the entrance to Chapultepec park, at a height of 2,325 metres (7,628 ft) above sea level. The site of the hill was a sacred place for Aztecs, and the buildings atop it have served several purposes during its history, including serving as a military academy, imperial residence, presidential residence, observatory, and since February 1939, the National Museum of History. Chapultepec Castle, along with Iturbide Palace, also in Mexico City, are the only royal palaces in North America which were inhabited by monarchs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The U.S. Air Force (song)</span> Official song of the United States Air Force

"The U.S. Air Force" is the official song of the United States Air Force, adopted in the late 1940s, and is often referred to as "Wild Blue Yonder".

Halls of Montezuma may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Brougham Farnie</span> British librettist and author (1836–1889)

Henry Brougham Farnie, often called H. B. Farnie, was a British librettist and adapter of French operettas and an author. Some of his English-language versions of operettas became record-setting hits on the London stage of the 1870s and 1880s, strongly competing with the Gilbert and Sullivan operas being played at the same time.

<i>Halls of Montezuma</i> (film) 1951 film by Lewis Milestone

Halls of Montezuma is a 1951 American World War II war film directed by Academy Award-winner Lewis Milestone and starring Richard Widmark. It also stars Robert Wagner in his first credited screen role and features Richard Boone in his feature-film debut. The story is about U.S. Marines fighting on a Japanese-held island, and the title is a reference to the opening line from the Marines' Hymn.

The culture of the United States Marine Corps is widely varied but unique amongst the branches of the United States Armed Forces. Because members of the Marine Corps are drawn from across the United States, it is as varied as each individual Marine but tied together with core values and traditions passed from generation to generation of Marines. As in any military organization, the official and unofficial traditions of the Marine Corps serve to reinforce camaraderie and set the service apart from others. The Corps' embracement of its rich culture and history is cited as a reason for its high esprit de corps.

<i>Pin Up Girl</i> (film) 1944 film by H. Bruce Humberstone

Pin Up Girl is a 1944 American Technicolor musical romantic comedy motion picture starring Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye, and Joe E. Brown.

<i>Geneviève de Brabant</i> (Satie)

Geneviève de Brabant is a theatre piece composed around 1900 by Erik Satie. The score was intended as incidental music for a three-act comedy in verse and prose by J. P. Contamine de Latour, based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant. Unproduced at the time, its existence was not discovered until after Satie's death in 1925.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesco Maria Scala</span>

Francesco Maria Scala also known as Francis M. Scala, was an Italian-born naturalized American military band director and musician. He was the first and one of the most important and influential directors of the United States Marine Band. He defined the instrumental organization that the band maintains, he was an extremely prolific musician and composer, and improved and enlarged the repertoire of the ensemble. It is thought that under his direction the USMC Band executed for the first time "The Gendarmes' Duet" from Act II of the revision in 1867 of the Jacques Offenbach opera Geneviève de Brabant, which debuted in Paris in 1859. This melody is now known as the Marines' Hymn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Musician Enlistment Option Program</span> Organizaitonal body for Marine bands

The Marine Corps Musician Enlistment Option Program (MEOP) is the central organized body overseeing the active-duty military bands of the United States Marine Corps. Marine Corps field bands can be found in the Southeast United States, Southern California, and the Pacific-Asia region. While serving with their bands, Marines perform throughout the continental United States and travel internationally to locations ranging from Beijing to Paris. These units take part in activities such as retirement ceremonies, the Marine Corps Birthday Ball, funerals, change of commands, and civil/military parades. It is one of two music programs in the Department of the Navy, with the other being Fleet Band Activities.

References

  1. "The Marines' Hymn". United States Marine Corps Band. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  2. "To the Shores of Tripoli: Battle of Derna". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  3. Kelly, Jack (April 12, 2009). "Kill the pirates". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  4. "What is the Marines' Hymn?". www.hqmc.marines.mil. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  5. Fuld, James J. (2000). The Book of World-Famous Music (Fifth ed.). N.Y.: Dover.
  6. 17 U.S.C.   § 105
  7. "Marines' Hymn". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  8. United States. Library of Congress. Copyright Office. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series - Music. Part 5. No. 1. Sec. 1. Washington:, 1970. p. 830. Print.
  9. Marine Corps Lore. Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Department of the Navy. 1963. p. 17.
  10. "The Leatherneck Nickname". Western Illinois Athletics. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  11. "Marines Hymn".
  12. "Marine Hymn History".
  13. "History of the Marines' Hymn".

Bibliography

Further reading