America the Beautiful (O Beautiful)

This page includes a lyric video, history, sheet music, and other resources for the song “America the Beautiful (O Beautiful for Spacious Skies).” Enjoy!

Enjoy this You Tube video, performed by Twila Paris, with lyrics for “America the Beautiful (O Beautiful for Spacious Skies).”

History of “America the Beautiful (O Beautiful for Spacious Skies)”

Words by Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929), Published in 1895

Katharine was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts in 1859. Her father, a pastor, died from a back injury when she was only one month old. Her mother later moved the family to Wellesley (a town to the west of Boston) where Catharine “graduated in 1880 from then-new Wellesley College, thanks to help from her two older brothers.”¹

After teaching high school for six years, Katharine joined the faculty at Wellesley College and eventually became head of the English department. To supplement her income, Catharine wrote prolifically — children’s stories, poetry, textbooks, and travel books.

Katharine also enjoyed travel and adventure. On a trip to Colorado in 1893, she had the opportunity to hike to the top of Pike’s Peak. Overwhelmed by the majestic view, the verses of “America the Beautiful” came to her as she looked out over the “sea-like expanse of fertile country spreading away so far under the ample skies.”² The poem was published two years later in the 1895 Fourth of July edition of the church periodical The Congregationalist. For the centennial celebration of the song, a plaque was erected at the summit of Pikes Peak to honor “the country’s favorite anthem.”³

Music “Materna” (1882) by Samuel Augustus Ward (1847-1903)

Samuel was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1847. As he grew, his natural ability in music became increasing evident, and he was sent to receive training from renowned teachers in New York City. When Samuel eventually returned to Newark, “he established a successful retail music store and was active in the musical life of the city.”⁴ In 1880, he became the organist for Grace Episcopal Church and held this position for many years. He was much loved by the congregation, and after his death, the church erected a brass plaque in his memory .

Samuel originally composed his tune “Materna” for a hymn titled “O Mother Dear, Jerusalem” – thus its name which means “motherly.” He is said to have composed the tune in 1882 while crossing New York harbor after a trip to Coney Island.⁵ Thirty years later, after Samuel had passed away, the president of Massachusetts Agricultural College requested permission from Samuel’s widow to set the tune to Catharine Bates’ text. This marriage of words and text became immensely popular, and “America the Beautiful” is often referred to as the unofficial national anthem of our country.⁶

Additional Resources for “America the Beautiful (O Beautiful for Spacious Skies)”:

Sheet Music (PDF Compliments of Hymnary.org)

Guitar Chords (Links to Ultimate Guitar)

Visit Hymnary.org or Hymn Time.com for more on this hymn.

See our Hymn of the Week page for a list of the hymns that are included on this site.

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Sources:

¹ “Katharine Lee Bates,” Hymnary.com.
² Hustad, Donald P. Dictionary Handbook to Hymns for the Living Church. Hope Publishing Company, 1978, p. 171.
³ “America the Beautiful,” Hymn Time.com.
⁴ Reynolds, William Jensen. Hymns of Our Faith: A Handbook for the Baptist Hymnal. Broadman Press, 1964, p. 430.
⁵ Ibid, p. 135.
⁶ Ibid, p. 136.