{"id":4666,"date":"2019-10-31T09:30:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T14:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/?p=4666"},"modified":"2019-10-31T09:30:53","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T14:30:53","slug":"the-yellow-rose-of-texas-evoking-state-unity-and-geography-in-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/americanmusic\/2019\/10\/31\/the-yellow-rose-of-texas-evoking-state-unity-and-geography-in-song\/","title":{"rendered":"The Yellow Rose of Texas: Evoking State Unity and Geography in Song"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a past blog post I explored a small evolution of the national anthem in written and notated forms, and this post I hope to extend a bridge from that topic towards my eventual final research topic of state songs. Finding common threads in state songs can be tricky, as distinct similarities between all of these tunes is rare. However, I believe looking at states with the older official state songs- and songs written at a similar time with a similar subject or tone- can provide important clues as to what sort of formula, template, or resemblance these pieces had with one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was on <\/span>Columbia Records <\/span><\/i>\u201cGreat Songs of America\u201d, compiled in 1961, that I found a recording of the song \u201cThe Yellow Rose of Texas\u201d. While this is not the official state song of Texas (that honor goes to \u201cTexas, Our Texas\u201d), the piece offers an example of how a particular location is essentialized and remembered in American song. The song conjures ideas of a military march, complete with constant snare drums and occasional piccolo interludes between verses. The male chorus sings lively tune in tight harmony, with moments that sound almost like barbershop. The peppy tune uses vivid imagery of the Texas landscape, although there are varied versions to the lyrics when searching online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n