An Introduction to America’s Music

158 PART 1 | FROM COLONIZATION THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR

date: 1862

performers: The Gregg Smith Singers

genre: Civil War song

meter: duple

form: verse and chorus

Listening Guide 6.5 “The Battle Cry of Freedom”^ GEORGE F. ROOT

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• stirring march rhythm with dotted notes


• alternation of unison singing in verses and
  block chord harmonies in chorus

timing section text comments

0:00 introduction The piano introduction is drawn from

the last four bars of the chorus.

0:07 verse 1 Yes we’ll rally round the fl ag, 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!

The voices sing the melody in unison, as

it is presented in the sheet music.

0:24 chorus The Union forever! Hurrah, boys,

hurrah!

Down with the traitor, up with the

star;

While we rally round the fl ag, boys,

rally once again,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

The chorus is sung in four-part block

chords (homophonic texture), as notated

in the sheet music.

0:40 interlude The piano introduction is repeated

between verses as an interlude.

0:47 verse 2 We will welcome to our numbers the

loyal, true and brave,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

And although he may be poor, he

shall never be a slave,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom!

Unison.

1:04 chorus The Union forever!... Block chords.

note This performance, by a male chorus with piano accompaniment, includes two of the

song’s four verses.

Listen & Refl ect

1. Root’s sheet music does not specify whether the verses should be sung by a solo voice or mul-
   tiple voices in unison, and his four-voice arrangement at the chorus implies a mixed chorus of
   men and women. How might a performance by a soloist or mixed voices differ from this one?


2. Compare “The Battle Cry of Freedom” with “The Liberty Song” (see LG 2.1). How are these
   two wartime political songs similar, and how are they different? Along the same lines, how
   does this song compare with “Get Off the Track!” (see LG 6.4), which predates the war?

CD 1.21

172028_06_132-161_r3_ko.indd 158 23/01/13 8:19 PM