The patriotic song "America the Beautiful" was originally a poem written by
Katharine Lee Bates and was published in the Fourth of July edition of the
church periodical The Congregationalist in 1895. At that time, the poem
was titled America for publication.
Church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward had originally written the
music, Materna, for the hymn O Mother dear, Jerusalem in 1882, though it
was not first published until 1892. Ward’s music combined with the Bates
poem was first published in 1910 and titled America the Beautiful.
From time to time it has been proposed as a replacement for The Star-
Spangled Banner as the national anthem.
Katharine Lee Bates
From THE DICK CAVETT SHOW. September 18, 1972.
