 | |
Regional anthem of Texas | |
| Lyrics | William J. Marsh, 1924 |
|---|---|
| Music | William J. Marsh, 1924 |
| Adopted | 1929 |
| Readopted | 1993 |
"Texas, Our Texas" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Texas, adopted in the late 1920s as the official state song.
| | |
Regional anthem of Texas | |
| Lyrics | William J. Marsh, 1924 |
|---|---|
| Music | William J. Marsh, 1924 |
| Adopted | 1929 |
| Readopted | 1993 |
"Texas, Our Texas" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Texas, adopted in the late 1920s as the official state song.
It was written in 1924 by William J. Marsh, [1] [2] who was born in Liverpool, United Kingdom, and emigrated to Texas as a young man, and Gladys Yoakum Wright, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, [3] and selected as the official state song by a concurrent resolution of the Texas Legislature in 1929 following a statewide competition. Older songs, such as "The Yellow Rose of Texas" and "Dixie", were also considered but ultimately it was decided a new song should be composed. [4] [5] [6]
Although the song has been sung since the 41st legislature in 1929, [7] [8] it was officially adopted by the 73rd legislature as the state song in 1993. [9]
The song is usually performed just after the national anthem with a display of the flag. In the absence of the flag, those present during the song's performance are expected to face toward the music and act just as they would if the flag had been present. [2]
The first word of the third line was originally largest, but when Alaska became the largest U.S. state when it was admitted to the United States in 1959, the word was replaced with boldest. [10] [11]
This song was sung in group by elementary students in Texas at the beginning of their school classes during the 1950s. As late as the 1990s, this song was still sung before classes in some schools, along with the pledge to the U.S. and Texan flags. [12]
I
Texas, our Texas! All hail the mighty State!
Texas, our Texas! So wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, Withstanding ev'ry test;
O Empire wide and glorious, You stand supremely blest.
Chorus:
God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth,
Thro'out the ages long.
II
Texas, O Texas! Your freeborn single star,
Sends out its radiance to nations near and far.
Emblem of freedom! It sets our hearts aglow,
With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.
Chorus
III
Texas, dear Texas! From tyrant grip now free,
Shines forth in splendor your star of destiny!
Mother of heroes! We come your children true,
Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.
Chorus
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short sacred choral work and still more particularly to a specific form of liturgical music. In this sense, its use began c. 1550 in English-speaking churches; it uses English language words, in contrast to the originally Roman Catholic 'motet' which sets a Latin text.
"God Save the King" is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and the royal anthem of each of the British Crown Dependencies, one of two national anthems of New Zealand, and the royal anthem of most Commonwealth realms. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, but an attribution to the composer John Bull has sometimes been made.
"O Canada" is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French-language words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier.
"The Maple Leaf Forever" is a Canadian patriotic song written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867, the year of Canada's Confederation. He wrote the work after serving with the Queen's Own Rifles of Toronto in the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fenians in 1866.
"The Patriotic Song" was the national anthem of Russia from 1991 to 2000. It was previously the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1990 until 1991, when it transformed into the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Unlike most national anthems, it had no official lyrics.
The National anthem of Mauritania, also known by its incipit, "Bilāda l-ʾubāti l-hudāti l-kirām", was officially adopted on 28 November 2017 and was composed by Egyptian composer Rageh Daoud.
"The Eyes of Texas" is the school spirit song of the University of Texas at Austin. It is set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad". Students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the university sing the song at Texas Longhorns sports games, before the fireworks and other events.
"The Bonnie Blue Flag", also known as "We Are a Band of Brothers", is an 1861 marching song associated with the Confederate States of America. The words were written by the entertainer Harry McCarthy, with the melody taken from the song "The Irish Jaunting Car". The song's title refers to the unofficial first flag of the Confederacy, the Bonnie Blue Flag. The left flag on the sheet-music is the Bonnie Blue Flag.
"O Fair New Mexico" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It was officially adopted as the state song by an act of the New Mexico legislature, approved on March 14, 1917, as signed by New Mexican governor Washington E. Lindsey.
"Marching Through Georgia" is a marching song written by Henry Clay Work at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. The title and lyrics of the song refer to U.S. Army major general William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" to capture the Confederate city of Savannah, Georgia in late 1864.
"The Yellow Rose of Texas" is a traditional American song dating back to at least the 1850s. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time. Many versions of the song have been recorded, the most popular of which was by Mitch Miller, whose version reached No. 1 in the United States in 1955. Its popularity made it an unofficial state song of Texas.
"Dixie", also known as "Dixie's Land", "I Wish I Was in Dixie", and other titles, is a song about the Southern United States first made in 1859. It is one of the most distinctively Southern musical products of the 19th century. It was not a folk song at its creation, but it has since entered the American folk vernacular. The song likely rooted the word "Dixie" in the American vocabulary as a nickname for the Southern U.S.
The anthem of Transnistria, titled "We Sing the Praises of Transnistria", was written by Boris Parmenov, Nicholas Bozhko and Vitaly Pishchenko, and composed by Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov. The anthem has lyrics in all three official languages of Transnistria: Russian, Romanian, and Ukrainian. They are, however, not all literal translations of one another. The origin of the anthem was from the Russian patriotic song "Long Live our State", a 1943 composition that was one of the proposed songs to be the anthem of the Soviet Union. Boris Alexandrov's composition was, however, rejected in favor of the one submitted by his father, Alexander Alexandrov.
"Deep in the Heart of Texas" is an American popular song about Texas.
"Go, Mississippi" is the regional anthem of Mississippi, adopted as the official state song on May 17, 1962.
The U.S. state of Arizona has two official state songs, although neither is named as such. The official state anthem is "The Arizona March Song" and the alternate state anthem titled "Arizona".
"The Red Flag" is a socialist song, emphasising the sacrifices and solidarity of the international labour movement. It is the anthem of the British Labour Party, the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Irish Labour Party. It was formerly used by the New Zealand Labour Party until the late 1940s. The song is traditionally sung at the close of each party's national conference.
William John Marsh was an American composer, organist, choir director, and educator most notable for composing "Texas, Our Texas," the official state song. He was a longtime figure in the Dallas–Fort Worth arts community, working as a composer, choir director, music professor, and music critic. He published over 100 original compositions, including the official mass of the Texas Centennial and The Flower Fair at Peking, the first opera written and produced in the state of Texas.
My Bougainville is the anthem of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. The anthem was officially adopted in 2018. It is sung to the tune of "The Song of Australia", the melody of which was composed by Carl Linger.