State Songs : Anthems and Their Origins

A reference source about one aspect of American history and record-keeping: the state song. Organized alphabetically by state, it features a reproduction of the sheet music for the state song and a brief history of the song, with details about its composition, adoption and legislative life.

America: "Land of the free and the home of the brave." The United States has long been using song as a way of capturing its unique identity. Now, in one volume, official songs from every state (except Michigan and New Jersey, which have no official song) have been compiled. This text is a tremendous resource, from which readers will gain insight into the heritage of American statehood. Histories of these songs, biographical information about the composers and lyricists, and background on each song''s entrance into status as "official" make this source the most comprehensive in existence. The entries include sheet music, allowing readers to reproduce for themselves the tunes that have proved so important in the history of the Union. Music teachers, history teachers, librarians, and anyone else interested in learning more about the United States will not want to be without State Songs. Organized alphabetically by state.