The American Heritage Songs Project
#5 America
(My Country'Tis of Thee)
Sheet Music & Lesson Plan
with additional resources
The United States of America was only 55 years old when the song lyrics, "America (My Country 'Tis of Thee)," were penned. In 1831, Lowell Mason, "the father of music education in America," asked the 23-year-old Seminary student, Samuel Francis Smith, to help him create a national song for America. The tune that inspired Lowell Mason had already been very popular in England, even before 1745, when it was sung as "God Save the King (Queen)."
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Sheet Music
Lesson Plan
Eb Recommended Key
Eb, One Verse
Large Print
D Major
Video: shows lyrics with patriotic background images. All verses are sung, in singable key, by choir with orchestra.
Ian Berwick. (2018, February 11). American Patriotic Song: My Country Tis of Thee. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/VKj7FLg3WVA?si=O3biocGMSzVub1PF
Video: Created as a rehearsal video for the first verse only. It is sung by children with orchestral accompaniment in a singable key. Includes outro instructions for students to "freeze and smile."
Bernadette Ferraro. (2019, October 29). My Country Tis of Thee. [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/l_UioRxNtmw?si=nB5JaIsRywAWxNK_
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More Song Background
The tune comes from an English folk melody, surmised to have existed during the Jacobite rebellion in England. The song lyrics of “God Save the King” was published in The Gentleman’s Magazine in 1745. Joseph Haydn used the same tune, familiar in Germany as, “Heil dir im Siegerkranz” (Hail to Thee in the Victor’s Crown) for his lyrics, “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser” (God Save Emperor Francis). This version of the tune was performed, on February 12, 1797, to celebrate the birthday and reign of Emperor Francis II of Austria, who was also the Holy Roman Emperor. The song and variants were sung as national anthems (or de facto national anthems) by several countries:
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England, as “God Save the King (Queen)” from 1745 – present
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Canada, as “God Save the King” until 1880
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Germany & Austria, “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser” from 1797 until 1918
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Australia, “God Save the King (Queen)” until 1984
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New Zealand, “God Save the King (Queen)” until 1977
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South Africa, “God Save the King (Queen)” until 1957
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Norway, as "Norges Skål" from 1814 until 1820 (although the tune is nearly unrecognizable)
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United States, prior to the Revolutionary War, “God Save the King” was sung by British loyalists.
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After the American Revolution the melody was used to American words, in a few, not widely known versions [i.e., “The American Anthem” (1798); “The Federal Anthem” (1799), and “God Save the United States” (early 19th C.)]. Not until 1831, when Samuel Francis Smith, a Baptist minister, wrote new lyrics for the tune that were published by Lowell Mason, did “America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee)” became widely popular. The song has been included in hymnals and school songbooks to be sung by American citizens for centuries.
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​References
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Ewen, D. (2005). The world of the American anthem: A cultural history. Cambridge University Press.
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Gentleman's Magazine. (1745). God save the King. The Gentleman's Magazine, 15, 113-114.
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Jones, T. C. (2006). Samuel Francis Smith and the American anthem. American Music History Quarterly, 13(2), 75-89.
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Smith, S. F. (2003). The history and influence of "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)". Oxford University Press.
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VIDEO
​Ingen. (2018, December 14). “Norges Skaal” – National Anthem of Norway [1814-1820] [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/35HlCWdoedo?si=yTOljUGKtMMVc0rG
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