There is a grand tradition of folk songs being remixed and reinvented, and Battle Hymn of the Republic is a prime example of this. Julia Ward Howe wrote the song at the start of the Civil War after visiting with Union soldiers, but it is not an original song. The soldiers had composed their own marching song called John Brown’s Body, and Howe’s version is, essentially, a high-brow update to that song. In turn, Battle Hymn inspired subsequent adaptations, including Captain Lindley Miller’s The Marching Song of the First Arkansas Colored Regiment and Sojourner Truth’s Valiant Soldiers.
Singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic reminds me that there have always been people willing to sacrifice for what is right. In this tutorial, I play it in the key of C using the C, Dm, E7, F, G7, and Am chords. Play and sing along along with me, won't you?
PS: Before sharing a song with you, I do my best to research its origin but I am not a musicologist— I just love folk music. If you have any great resources (print or digital) I should know about, notice a factual error that needs correcting, or have additional context to provide, please get in touch!
