Music for your 4th of July Fireworks! July 03 2014, 0 Comments
Independence Day, among its compatriot American holidays, is very distinct. The Fourth of July marks the day that our great nation was born, and declared free from the British monarchy. The day when our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, thus braving threat of treason against the crown in order to fight for their freedom. And...
FIREWORKS!
Fireworks have been part of Independence Day celebrations since 1777, one year after the signing. Since then, aside from the star-spangled banner itself, there is hardly anything more representative of this patriotic holiday. And, while the loud, echoey booms of rapid-fire explosions provide their own special soundtrack to the spectacle, Altissimo! has a wide range of music perfect for your own viewing.
In theory, any collection of patriotic tunes could work as an accompaniment to your fireworks display, but this year, our newest release Spirit of '76 - 76 Essential Patriotic Songs stands as the ultimate source of American military music anywhere. Looking for marches? It has it. Maybe some traditional military tunes and hymns? It has it. Want to sing along to American favorites like America the Beautiful or God Bless America? It has it. Seventy-six tracks of only the greatest and most essential patriotic music, currently available on iTunes.
Along with Spirit of '76, we also recently released Off We Go! - The Best of The United States Air Force Bands. While not tailored to patriotic celebrations or holidays, this album features only the greatest of hits from the various bands of The United States Air Force. This release is the perfect mixture of patriotic classics, amazing marches, and concert band standards, including Henry Fillmore's Rolling Thunder, The United States Air Force Hymn, Lord, Guard and Guide, and the modern masterpiece, Blue Shades, by Frank Ticheli. Assembled like a military band concert, Off We Go transports the listener to the perfect live performance, and when added to fireworks, it's as if the bands were performing for the occasion. Also available on iTunes.
Spotify also has a great number of patriotic playlists being featured this weekend in preparation for Independence Day. One particularly strong assemblage of songs was created by our friends at Naxos called American Fireworks! - Patriotic Music for Any Occasion. Featuring many tracks from Altissimo! albums, this collection provides a soundtrack of classic American tunes, as well as several arrangements of favorites like Yankee Doodle and Amazing Grace. More importantly, it ends with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, which I consider to be the ultimate accompaniment to a fireworks display. And even more importantly, the recording chosen by Naxos has cannons, which is 100% necessary for this celebration.
Of course, not everyone will get the chance to see live fireworks this week. For that we have this excellent video, which is part of our Independence Day Celebration playlist on YouTube. Nearly a half hour of spectacular explosions in the sky, accompanied by some of the greatest patriotic music available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goNEY727_sI&index=30&list=PL4tSa9HK-Oaxgfoe-9xJS_tPtYaUNjBAt
Happy Fourth of July everyone, and be safe around those fireworks.
- Brian Denu
brian@militarymusic.com