The Best Instrumental 4th of July Music
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Looking for the best instrumental 4th of July music to help set the mood for your Independence Day celebrations? Look no further! We’ve got a great selection of patriotic tunes that will have you feeling proud to be an American.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” by John Stafford Smith
“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from “The Defence of Fort M’Henry”, a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbor during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.
The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song written by engineer John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a London social club for gentleman amateurs which he co-founded. Set to Key’s poem and renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner”, it quickly became a popular American patriotic song. With a range of one octave and onefifth, it is known for being difficult to sing. Although the poem has four stanzas, only the first is commonly sung today.
The fourth stanza includes references to slavery which led to its gradual eclipse; while not officially relegated to obscurity until 1931, it was omitted from all versions printed in schoolsongbooks beginning in 1890, and all but two versions printed thereafter. On November 3, 1929, HerBERT Hoover signed an Executive Order that designated “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the United States.”
“Yankee Doodle” by George M. Cohan
“Yankee Doodle” is a song from the Revolutionary War that became a well-known patriotic song. It has been sung by many people over the years, but George M. Cohan’s version is one of the most popular. This song was written by an Englishman, but it quickly became an American standard.
“God Bless America” by Irving Berlin
In 1938, Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” as a patriotic song. It was first recorded byKate Smith and she sang it live on her radio show in 1938. The song was a huge hit and Kate Smith continued to sing it throughout her career. The song became even more popular after the attacks on September 11th, 2001.
“The Battle Hymn of the Republic” by Julia Ward Howe
One of the most stirring anthems of the United States, “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” has been a patriotic staple since the Civil War. Julia Ward Howe penned the lyrics in 1861 after hearing a military band play “John Brown’s Body.” The tune was originally a popular camp song among Union soldiers, but Howe’s lyrics transformed it into a rousing call to arms. The song became an instant hit, and both Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant declared it their favorite.
“America the Beautiful” by Katharine Lee Bates
“America the Beautiful” is a patriotic song written by Katharine Lee Bates in 1895. The lyrics have been set to various tunes over the years, but the most popular melody is “Materna”, composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1882. The song is often played on the Fourth of July and other patriotic holidays.
The song celebrates America’s natural beauty and diverse citizens, and it has been adopted as an unofficial anthem by several American organizations. It was first published in The Congregationalist, a weekly newspaper, on July 4, 1895. Bates was inspired to write the poem while she was teaching at Colorado College and visiting Rocky Mountain National Park.
The lyrics of “America the Beautiful” express Bates’ appreciation for the United States and her pride in its natural wonders and diverse citizenry. She deliberately chose symbols that would be meaningful to all Americans, regardless of regional differences. For example, she included references to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as the Appalachian Mountains and the Sierra Nevada range.
Bates’ poem quickly became popular, and it was set to music by several different composers over the next few years. The most popular melody was “Materna”, composed by Samuel A. Ward in 1882. Ward’s tune was first published in 1910, and it has been used for “America the Beautiful” ever since.
The song is often played on patriotic holidays such as Independence Day (July 4) and Veterans Day (November 11). In 2019, it was announced that “America the Beautiful” would be played at all Major League Baseball games on Memorial Day (May 27) to honor military veterans.
