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Braving the cold on January 20, at what some were calling Barak Obama’s “coronation,” jazz legend Aretha Franklin donned an enviable gray chapeau to wail the sentiments of nearly two million who gathered on the capital mall for the historic swearing in ceremony of America’s 44th president. Better known as My Country ‘Tis of Thee, the song is actually the Americanized version of the British National Anthem, God Save the King. American composer, Samuel Francis Smith, wrote the new American lyrics in 1831, which were later quoted by Martin Luther King in his “I have a dream” speech.
The melody for Aretha’s choice of songs actually has a long history of popularity and use by early composers including Muzio Clementi in his “Symphony Number 3 in B Major,” Joseph Haydn's Opus 9, Bach's sixth keyboard concerto, Beethoven's Battle Symphony, and several other national anthems.
My Country ‘Tis of Thee—which was no longer considered the anthem of the defeated British—was sung at the inauguration of America’s first president George Washington, and served as the main patriotic song in America until late 1831 when The Star Spangled Banner became America’s official National Anthem.
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