Root, George. "Battle Cry of Freedom." Sniff.numachi.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2013. <http://back.numachi.com:8000/dtrad/scores/BATTLCRY.gif>.
Battle Cry of Freedom
- Jake W
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The Blue and the Grey was a patriotic and nationalist, depending what side you were on, folk song sung by the men of both the Union and the Confederate Army. It is a musical piece written by George Root to show his strong support to the Union and Lincoln's brave and bold leadership. This musical piece varied based on the location of where you were from, in that the instruments that accompanied the armies were different, the tempo of the song was different, and even the lyrics were different. If you were from the south, you sung the Battle Cry of Freedom in a more up tempo and lively manner. On the other hand if you were from the north and fought for the Union army, the song was played in a marching tempo. If you listen and observe the lyrics, the Battle of Freedom shows such horrible and harsh lyrics towards the opposition in a cheery way. This song was played on the way into the battle field in an oblivious way as if they did not know the battle were going to be so gory and bloody.
Another main difference between the Confederate and Union versions was the lyrics, including different choruses. You can obviously tell the Union version is more loyal to the north, whereas the Confederate version is more loyal to the south, but the song shows the various cultural differences between to regions of the same country. In the Confederate version, there are many references to the "Dixie Land" being far more superior than the north. The words throughout the Confederate version are more slang, a common linguistic dialect that made the south even more different than the north. For the Union version, many references were made from points about their geographical differences with the south, to the use of the word traitors was very strongly placed in one stanza of the song. The Union wrote about their idea of freedom for being the "freedom" of slaves, while the Confederacy misinterpreted the lyrics and wrote about their "freedom" from the terrible north. You can obviously can see that this song alone brought a war upon itself between both sides just by the lyrics written. Although the lyrics varied greatly between both versions, the ideas were still the same. They brought about the rallying towards their flags, how they were going to demolish the opposition/traitors in battle, and how they were going to stand unified, arm and arm, to "save" the country.
The last major difference between the Confederate version and the Union version was the type of instruments played. As you listen closely, the Confederate version has more of a country-styled beat to it where you can easily identify the banjos and the fiddles. However when you listen to the instruments accompanying the Union version, the snare drum stands out in the marching pace of the song, along with the viola and violin, and even some wind instruments such as the clarinet. Although both versions are very different, they both use a snare drum to keep a steady tempo, have many solis, and have the same idea of playing, or singing in this case; that should be articulated greatly and played together.
All in all, for our band's sake, we should play this piece with strength and great articulation, while realizing the history behind this amazing piece. The clarinets and the low brass both have a soli that is played along with the percussion section. These solis have to be played loud and outward towards the crowd because during their solis they are the only wind instruments playing. While playing this song, you have to believe that you are chanting a real battle cry for freedom, thus you will play loud and proud.
Another main difference between the Confederate and Union versions was the lyrics, including different choruses. You can obviously tell the Union version is more loyal to the north, whereas the Confederate version is more loyal to the south, but the song shows the various cultural differences between to regions of the same country. In the Confederate version, there are many references to the "Dixie Land" being far more superior than the north. The words throughout the Confederate version are more slang, a common linguistic dialect that made the south even more different than the north. For the Union version, many references were made from points about their geographical differences with the south, to the use of the word traitors was very strongly placed in one stanza of the song. The Union wrote about their idea of freedom for being the "freedom" of slaves, while the Confederacy misinterpreted the lyrics and wrote about their "freedom" from the terrible north. You can obviously can see that this song alone brought a war upon itself between both sides just by the lyrics written. Although the lyrics varied greatly between both versions, the ideas were still the same. They brought about the rallying towards their flags, how they were going to demolish the opposition/traitors in battle, and how they were going to stand unified, arm and arm, to "save" the country.
The last major difference between the Confederate version and the Union version was the type of instruments played. As you listen closely, the Confederate version has more of a country-styled beat to it where you can easily identify the banjos and the fiddles. However when you listen to the instruments accompanying the Union version, the snare drum stands out in the marching pace of the song, along with the viola and violin, and even some wind instruments such as the clarinet. Although both versions are very different, they both use a snare drum to keep a steady tempo, have many solis, and have the same idea of playing, or singing in this case; that should be articulated greatly and played together.
All in all, for our band's sake, we should play this piece with strength and great articulation, while realizing the history behind this amazing piece. The clarinets and the low brass both have a soli that is played along with the percussion section. These solis have to be played loud and outward towards the crowd because during their solis they are the only wind instruments playing. While playing this song, you have to believe that you are chanting a real battle cry for freedom, thus you will play loud and proud.
Our flag is proudly floating on the land and on the main,
Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Beneath it oft we've conquered, and we'll conquer oft again! Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! (Chorus) Our Dixie forever! She's never at a loss! Down with the eagle and up with the cross We'll rally 'round the bonny flag, we'll rally once again, Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Our gallant boys have marched to the rolling of the drums. Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! And the leaders in charge cry out, "Come, boys, come!" Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Chorus They have laid down their lives on the bloody battle field. Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Their motto is resistance – "To the tyrants never yield!" Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Chorus While our boys have responded and to the fields have gone. Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Our noble women also have aided them at home. Shout, shout the battle cry of Freedom! Chorus |
Yes we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,
Shouting the battle cry of freedom, We will rally from the hillside, we'll gather from the plain, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! (Chorus) The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah! Down with the traitors, up with the stars; While we rally round the flag, boys, rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! (Chorus) We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! And we'll fill our vacant ranks with a million freemen more, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! Chorus We will welcome to our numbers the loyal, true and brave, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! And although they may be poor, not a man shall be a slave, Shouting the battle cry of freedom! (Chorus) So we're springing to the call from the East and from the West, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom; And we'll hurl the rebel crew from the land that we love best, Shouting the battle cry of Freedom. (Chorus) |
Root, George F. "Battle Cry of Freedom." wikipedia.com. wikipedia, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Cry_of_Freedom>.
"From there the song went into the army, and the testimony in regard to its use in the camp and on the march, and even on the field of battle, from soldiers and officers, up to the good President himself, made me thankful that if I could not shoulder a musket in defense of my country I could serve her in this way." - George F. Root
What Root is saying in this quote is that the song played a major role in the lives of the soldiers fighting for the "good President", Abraham Lincoln. Root refers to the song as a march into battle, shown throughout the piece of "The Blue and The Gray". He claims this song is very patriotic toward the Union and that if you do not support your country, as this song does, you are not part of the country.
"Civil War Music: Battle Cry of Freedom." civilwar.org. Civil War Trust, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/on-the-homefront/culture/music/battle-cry-of-freedom/battle-cry-of-freedom.html>.
Troiani, Don. "The Fight For The Colors." http://nnb-miniatures.blogspot.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/6200/108644818.0/0_6ab9f_81df06fb_XXL.jpg>.
N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2013. <http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/6200/108644818.0/0_6ab9f_81df06fb_XXL.jpg>.