Tuesday, January 20, 2009

'HAIL TO THE CHIEF!'

"I like to see a man proud
of the place in which he lives.
I like to see a man live
so that his place will be proud of him. "
~Abraham Lincoln
HAIL TO THE CHIEF
by Albert Gamse
Hail to the Chief we have chosen for the nation,
Hail to the Chief!
We salute him, one and all.
Hail to the Chief, as we pledge co-operation
In proud fulfillment of a great, noble call.
Yours is the aim to make this grand country grander,
This you will do, that's our strong, firm belief.
Hail to the one we selected as commander,
Hail to the President! Hail to the Chief!

~ A composite of those who have walked before
_______________
The first time "Hail to the Chief" was played to honor a U.S. President was in 1815 during the commemoration of George Washington's birthday. On July 4, 1828, the song was performed by the United States Marine Band for President John Quincy Adams (served from 1825 to 1829) during the opening of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.
The song is believed to have been played at the White House during the leadership of President Andrew Jackson (served from 1829 to 1837) and President Martin Van Buren (served from 1837 to 1841). It is also believed that Julia Gardiner, first lady and wife of President John Tyler (served from 1841-1845), requested the Marine Band to play "Hail to the Chief" during President Tyler's inauguration. Another first lady, Sarah Polk, wife of President James K. Polk (served from 1845 to 1849), asked the band to play the same song to announce her husband's arrival at formal gatherings.
However, President Chester Arthur, the 21st President of the United States, didn't like the song and instead asked bandleader/composer John Philip Sousa to write a different tune. The result is a song titled "Presidential Polonaise" which proved not as popular as "Hail to the Chief."
A short intro called “Ruffles and Flourishes” was added during William McKinley's presidency (served from 1897 to 1901). This short piece is played by a combination of drums (ruffles) and bugles (flourishes) and is played four times for the president before "Hail to the Chief" is performed.
In 1954, the Department of Defense made this song the official tune to announce the arrival of a U.S. President during official events and ceremonies..
Indeed, "Hail to the Chief" is deeply etched in history and has been played for many U.S. Presidents; from Abraham Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861, to George W. Bush' inaugural oath in 2005.
~ About.com: Music Education

___________________________

Our hearts where they rocked our cradle,
Our love where we spent our toil,
And our faith, and our hope, and our honor,
We pledge to our native soil.
God gave all men all earth to love,
But since our hearts are small,
Ordained for each one spot should prove
Beloved over all.

~ Rudyard Kipling

17 comments:

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

Hi Joey, It is a great day!
We are going to have a small 'inauguration day celebration' tonight, HAIL TO YOUR CHIEF! It is an historic day for as all.

LOL Love Tyra

Roses and Lilacs said...

Good morning Joey. A very interesting and timely post. I have such great hopes for this man. No one man can probably live up to the hopes the entire nation have placed on his shoulders;)
Marnie

Rose said...

This is such an exciting day! I am so glad I don't have to work today, so I can watch the inauguration live on TV. I don't remember the last time I was even interested in doing that. Tonight I'm going with a friend to the Illinois basketball game. They're handing out American flags to all the fans, so when the game begins on ESPN we'll all be waving flags to honor our "Favorite Son."

How appropriate that our new President takes office the day after Dr. King's birthday. While the dream may not be completely realized, we have come so far from the day's of the 50's and 60's.

Anonymous said...

Hi Joey, brilliantly done! That Kipling was a master of the written word, I always am in awe of his writings. Thanks for this history of the song, I really think the drums and flourishes are a nice touch too. :-)
Frances

Anonymous said...

A day of joy and celebration for the world!

F Cameron said...

It is such an exciting, amazing day for our country.

We have a beautiful snow -- all fresh, new and yesterday is covered by the blanket.

Cameron

F Cameron said...

I have tried to "Pick" this post three times this morning and it isn't working.

Cameron

Unknown said...

Dear Joey, as I just posted on another blog, I'm a soggy, happy mess this morning, sharing in your joy and pride and hope. So happy for your nation, my dear neighbour!

Bren Haas said...

You captured the moment. My favorite quote today is 'If you can not see poetry into then you have never seen poetry.'
God Bless you fellow gardener and most importantly fellow American.

Pat said...

The first day was exciting...
He has a hard road ahead of him.
I have high hopes for our future.

Jan said...

Did I already comment Joey? If so, just delete this.
It's been an historic day and one that our children and grandchildren will be taking tests on in history classes! This is a very nice post!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I loved this post! Sadly I was feeling rather pathetic this morning with cramps. I sat on the sofa "all day" taking in the day.

I have never been so blessed to have such misery to force me to enjoy such miracles that occurred as today.This day is by far one of the best days of my life -America is United. I'm proud to be an American.

beckie said...

Joey, your composite is inspired. Truly a day for looking back and remembering and a day to look forward with hope in our hearts.

RURAL said...

A great post Joey, he has a long road ahead of him. But he seems very capable of going the distance.

And yes, you did see a nasturtium, and I do love them also. They make the best photos, and...... yummy salads.

Jen

A wildlife gardener said...

Happy New Year, dear Joey :)

I did not know any of what you wrote about today...so thanks for enlightening me about the words and their origin :)

My prayer for Obama is that he will get the chance to show his love for his country :)

My friend, Shirl, is doing a Desert Island Plant Challenge on Thursday. The idea is, you choose three plants you couldn't live without on your desert island. Fancy joining in the fun? Here is her link.

http://blog.shirlsgardenwatch.co.uk/

joey said...

Happy New Year (hugs), dear Wildlife ~ hope is what dreams are made of, as you well know :) I think your friend Shirl is havin' a blast! I don't seem to find time to join in on lots of bloggin' happenings but this sounded like a winner!

joey said...

I thank you all, dear friends, for your heartfelt comments. As an 'Independent' thinker, I vote my heart, always honoring my President, hoping and praying those who lead, hear the voice of God through the souls of the people who have entrusted their faith in his wisdom.