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America the Beautiful
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Check
out this powerful Southern Cross song! 
"I might
not be a religious man myself but I know good music when I hear it, and this is very
good! . . . I don’t think that I have ever given such high
ratings to so many songs before. But
the fact is that they are well deserved because the
music is amazing. Simply wonderful religious ballads and they
really get to your heart. . .everytime."
Fredrik Cole: Trax In Space
America, the Beautiful
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 feat, whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for 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 they gold refine,
“Til all success be nobleness, and every gain divine.
O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.
Arrangement Copyright © 2000 Don Wigton
Vanessa sings this favorite American hymn with power and
authority while tenderly portraying the faith of a nation with gentle words that bask in
God's promises. Gracefully she joins the melodic piano accented by a resounding cello
filled with admiration of the great land that God has provided. Dramatically she concludes with the exciting
proclamation of God’s grace that has filled the heart of Americans.
Song Story
For years it has been nothing
other than a great desire of my heart to put this great patriotic song to music. Patriotism has become culturally passé today in a
world that has become more-and-more global in its thinking.
Since the modern concept of nationalism in America came from the Christian base
that was established in the Reformation, it is no wonder that Christianity has also been
ostracized from our contemporary culture. But
this has not always been so, and “America the Beautiful” dramatizes that fact in
music.
“America the
Beautiful” was written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates a Massachusetts educator and
author. After she rode in a covered wagon to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs,
Colorado she was so inspired by the beauty of the American land that she wrote the song to
pass on her love for the country. "One
day,” she wrote, “some of the other teachers and I decided to go on a trip to
14,000-foot Pikes Peak. We hired a prairie wagon. Near the top we had to leave the wagon
and go the rest of the way on mules. I was very tired. But when I saw the view, I felt
great joy. All the wonder of America seemed displayed there, with the sea-like
expanse."
The song was first published on July 4, 1895 in an American
journal and went through a couple of revisions before Bates finally received the copyright
of the song. The final form was completed in
1911 and set to the music of Samuel Ward’s “Materna.”
"America the Beautiful" became so popular that it is
considered America's unofficial second national anthem.
This is interesting in light of the fact that every line of the song is related a
Scripture from the Bible. So look below and
wonder why there are so many today who claim that America is and never was a Christian
nation.
America The
Beautiful
O, Beautiful for spacious skies, (Deuteronomy 33:13).
For amber waves of grain, (Deuteronomy 33:16).
For purple mountain majesties, (Deuteronomy 33:15).
Above the fruitful plain! (Genesis 49:26).
America! America! (Genesis 48:21).
God shed His Grace on thee, (Genesis 48:16).
And crown thy good with brotherhood. (Genesis 48:20).
From sea to shining sea! (Ezekiel 47:18-20).
O Beautiful for pilgrim feet, (Deuteronomy 33:13).
Whose stern, impassioned stress, (Genesis 49:23).
Thoroughfare for freedom beat, (Psalms 72:8).
Across the wilderness! (Deuteronomy 32:8-11).
America! America! (Genesis 48:21).
God mend thine every flaw, (Genesis 49:22-26).
Confirm thy soul in self-control, (Isaiah 45:13).
Thy liberty in Law! (2 Corinthians 3:17).
O, Beautiful for heroes proved, (2 Chronicles 25:6).
In liberating strife, (James 1:25).
Who more than self their country loved, (Revelation 12:11).
And mercy more than life! (Psalm 37:21-31).
America! America! (2 Samuel 7:10).
May God thy gold refine, (Isaiah 2:7).
'Til all success be nobleness, (Genesis 48:15-16).
And every gain divine. (Deuteronomy 33:13-17).
O, Beautiful for patriot dream, (Hebrews 11:9).
That sees beyond the years, (Isaiah 60:21).
Thine alabaster cities gleam, (Revelation 21:18-20).
Undimmed by human tears! (Revelation 7:17).
America! America! (1 Chronicles 17:9).
God shed His Grace on thee, (Acts 4:33).
And crown thy good with brotherhood, (Deuteronomy 32:13).
From sea to shining sea! (Micah 7:12).
It was with these awesome truths in mind that I set out to make
an arrangement to this spectacular praise hymn. In
trying to decide between making an instrumental or vocal arrangement of it, the choice
became easy. I had in mind something with
some real guts to is, and after hearing Vanessa sing “Amazing Grace” I was
certain that she could make this tune rock.
So, I set out to create a typical rock rhythm section with a
hammering piano, full B3 organ and powerful drums and bass.
I wasn’t sure, though that Vanessa’s enthusiasm was as great as mine. However, my suspicions were soon put to rest after
she laid the trac in one cut. The results
were so inspiring that we both decided not to even add harmonies. We sincerely pray that as you listen to this
amazing song that you are lead to appreciate (whether you are an American or not) the
wondrous provision that God has for a nation that will serve and obey Him.
is a subsidiary of Wigtune Company, formed as a
service to the body of Christ. Our vision is to encourage scriptural worship in the
Church by offering free praise music and hymns performed in a contemporary manner along
with a free on-line worship study book for personal devotions, Bible study groups, Sunday
schools, pastors, music ministers and ministry training. The worship study
book lends theological and historical support to the use of traditional Christian
hymn-singing in conjunction with praise chorus singing. Click on one of the links below to
enter into the Wigtune resource that interests you !
Vision Statement
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Copyright © 1999 Don Wigton. All rights reserved.
Patriotic Hymns 1
| Patriotic Hymns 2
Christmas Hymns
1 | Christmas Hymns 2 | Christmas
Hymns 3 | Christmas Hymns 4
Hymns 1 | Hymns 2 | Hymns 3 | Hymns
4 | Hymns 5 | Hymns 6 | Hymns 7 | Hymns 8 | Hymns
9
