"America the Beautiful,” 11-14-2020

Saturday, November 14. “America the Beautiful” (“Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies”), by Katharine Lee Bates, and Samuel A. Ward. Bates was a college professor, and Ward was an organist and choirmaster. The two never met. Bates wrote the words as a poem called "Pikes Peak” after she took an inspirational train trip to Colorado. It was published in the Fourth of July edition of the church periodical "The Congregationalist" in 1895. For publication, the poem was titled “America." Ward originally wrote the music for the hymn "O Mother Dear, Jerusalem" in 1882. Ward's music combined with Bates' poem was published in 1910 and titled "America the Beautiful.” Lyrics: O beautiful for spacious skies For amber waves of grain For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stress A thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw Confirm thy soul in self-control Thy liberty in law! O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine! I’m a very amateur pianist. I play for fun. I started uploading a song a day to Facebook on 03-30-2020, to cheer friends who were struggling. The date beside the title is when I put it on Facebook. Your kind comments are appreciated. I’ll keep adding to this channel, as I record new songs.