 | |
Regional anthem of Iowa | |
| Lyrics | S. H. M. Byers, 1867 |
|---|---|
| Music | Melchior Franck, 1615 |
| Adopted | March 1911 |
| Audio sample | |
"The Song of Iowa" (instrumental) | |
"The Song of Iowa" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Iowa, written by S. H. M. Byers in 1867 and adopted as the official state song by the Iowa State Legislature on March 20, 1911. The song is set to the tune "O Tannenbaum" and Byers' lyrics' theme is centered on his love and praise for Iowa. [1]
"The Song of Iowa" was written by Major S. H. M. Byers. Byers fought for the Union in the American Civil War but was captured by the Confederacy in 1863. Whilst in jail in Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia, [2] he was inspired to write "The Song of Iowa" after hearing the Confederate bands playing "Maryland, My Maryland" (also set to "O Tannenbaum") outside his prison cell. [3] He wrote the lyrics and upon his release, asked a French opera singer at Foster Opera House in Des Moines, Iowa, to perform it for the first time. The song was well received by the audience who requested constant encores of it. [4] In order to foster state pride, Byers ran a contest in 1902 for teachers wherein the teacher who taught "The Song of Iowa" to the most students who could recite it by heart, would receive a gold watch. [5] As a result of the contest, approximately 250,000 students had learned the song by heart and every school in the state had been singing it. [6] A total of 500,000 copies of the song had been sold by October 1902. [6]
In 1911, the Iowa State Legislature officially designated "The Song of Iowa" as Iowa's state song. [7] The song would be performed at ceremonial events in the state, usually immediately after the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner". [8]
In the 21st century, criticism started to grow about "The Song of Iowa" and occasional petitions to change it as Iowa's official state song were made. Most criticisms were based upon Iowa's state song sharing the same tune as Maryland's. [4] In 2015, the Washington Post suggested Iowa change their state song. [9]
You asked what land I love the best,
Tis Iowa, O Iowa,
The fairest State of all the west,
It's Iowa, O! Iowa,
From yonder Mississippi's stream
To where Missouri's waters gleam
O! fair it is as poet's dream,
O! Iowa, In Iowa.
Go read the story of thy past.
O! Iowa, O! Iowa,
What glorious deeds, what fame thou hast!
O! Iowa, O! Iowa,
So long as time's great cycle runs,
Or nations weep their fallen ones
Thou'lt not forget thy patriot sons,
O! Iowa, O! Iowa.
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.
"Rise, O Voices of Rhodesia" was the national anthem of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia between 1974 and 1979. The tune was that of "Ode to Joy", the Fourth Movement from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which had been adopted as the official European continental anthem by the Council of Europe in 1972. The music used in Rhodesia was an original sixteen-bar arrangement by Captain Ken MacDonald, the bandmaster of the Rhodesian African Rifles. A national competition was organised by the government to find an appropriate set of lyrics to match the chosen tune, and won by Mary Bloom of Gwelo.
Lincoln University is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Jefferson City, Missouri. Founded in 1866 by African-American veterans of the American Civil War, it is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. This was the first black university in the state. In the fall 2022, the university enrolled 1,833 students.
"Oregon, My Oregon" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Oregon. Written for a song contest in 1920, the 16-line, 2-verse song became the state's official state song in 1927.
"Hail! Minnesota" is the regional anthem of the U.S. state of Minnesota. A variation is used as a school song of the University of Minnesota. It originated at the university in the early 20th century when some students decided to honor their graduating class with a new song. In 1945, the Minnesota State Legislature approved the tune as the state song.
"Michigan, My Michigan" is a popular anthem in the State of Michigan. The actual state song, "My Michigan", was formally adopted in 1937 but remains relatively obscure, partially because of the misconception that the official song is "Michigan, My Michigan". A 2003 bill to make the song an official state song failed to pass.
"O Tannenbaum", known in English as "O Christmas Tree", is a German Christmas song. Based on a traditional folk song which was unrelated to Christmas, it became associated with the traditional Christmas tree.
"Maryland, My Maryland" was the state song of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1939 until 2021. The song is set to the melody of "Lauriger Horatius" — the same tune "O Tannenbaum" was taken from. The lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall (1839–1908) in 1861. The state's general assembly adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song on April 29, 1939.
John Henry Maunder was an English composer and organist best known for his cantata "Olivet to Calvary".
Jim Connell was an Irish political activist of the late 19th century and early 20th century, best known as the writer of the anthem "The Red Flag" in December 1889.
"Washington, My Home" is the state song of Washington, in the United States. It was composed in 1951 by Helen Davis and set to music by Stuart Churchill under the name "America, My Home". Subsequently, retitled and rewritten as "Washington, My Home", it was made the state song in 1959 by an act of the Washington State Legislature. An earlier anthem, "Washington Beloved", was declared the state song in 1909 by a ceremonial resolution of the state legislature.
The alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh was adopted soon after the University changed its name in 1908 from the Western University of Pennsylvania to its current moniker. Lyrics were written by George M. P. Baird, class of 1909 and were set to the tune of what was then the Austrian National Anthem. A new tune for the "Alma Mater" hymn was composed by Charles W. Scovel, class of 1883, but it was not widely adopted and was either lost or became obscure.
"Florida, Where the Sawgrass Meets the Sky" is the official anthem of the State of Florida, written and composed by Jan Hinton. Originally written as a replacement for the state song, "Old Folks at Home", it was instead designated as the state's anthem in 2008.
"Florida, My Florida" was the state song of the state of Florida from 1913 to 1935. It was written by the Reverend Chastain V. Waugh, professor of ancient and modern languages at the University of Florida, in 1894.
Arsania M. Williams was an American educator and clubwoman based in St. Louis, Missouri. She taught for over fifty years in segregated schools, and was president of the Missouri State Association of Negro Teachers, the Missouri Association of Colored Women, and the St. Louis Association of Colored Women. She held national leadership roles in the National Association of Colored Women (NACW).
Samuel Hawkins Marshall Byers was an American soldier and poet who wrote the poem "Sherman's March to the Sea", which was the origin of the eponymous term. Byers served in the 5th Iowa Infantry Regiment. He found success in a post-war writing career, including many poems about his native Iowa—most notably "The Song of Iowa", which was declared as Iowa's state song in 1911.
