Rally 'Round the Flag! Some Pipe Organ Fireworks for the 4th of July

The Battle Cry of Freedom!

Played by Richard Elliot on the Schoenstein Organ at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.  

 

This iconic song of the American Civil War was at one time so popular that the publisher's 14 printing presses ran around the clock and could not keep up with the demand from the public for copies of the sheet music.  Written by George Frederic Root in 1862, it was to become one of the most popular songs of the period.  It is estimated that over 700,000 copies were produced.

American composer and hymn writer George F. Root wrote the music and lyrics which were adopted by the Union Army as a pro-Union song.  The  song was even adapted as a campaign theme song for President Abraham Lincoln.  Despite this, the Confederacy found a composer (H. L. Schreiner) and lyricist (W. H. Barnes) to set the music and words with a pro-Confederate spin, thus it became popular in the southern states as well.

Mormon Tabernacle Organist Richard Elliott performs his own setting of the piece on the mighty 160 rank Conference Center Schoenstein pipe organ.  His arrangement is expertly thought out with a solid foundation and "horn" fifths treatment of the melody.  A second section with a piccolo-styled obbligato brings to mind the fife and drum corps.  Finally, some incredible pedaling passages suggest the folks running to "Rally 'Round the Flag!"

Enjoy!  And for those of you in the States, Happy 4th of July!

The Battle Cry of Freedom

chorus:

The Union forever
Hurrah, boys, hurrah!
Down with the traitor
Up with the star
While we rally round the flag, boys
Rally once again
Shouting the battle cry of freedom

verses:

Oh, 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)

We are springing to the call of our brothers gone before
Shouting the battle cry of freedom
And we'll fill the 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 we love the best
Shouting the battle cry of freedom

(chorus)