Vintage Musical Greeting Cards for Memorial Day: FredGrams commemorating our war dead.

FREDGRAMS, vintage musical greeting cards created by New Jerseyan Fred Miller, uses the good old songs to express the sentiments of virtually all holidays and occasions celebrated in America and abroad.

MEMORIAL DAY is not a holiday but an observance, a time of reflection on and remembrance of those who gave their lives in military service to the United States throughout our history.

Go here on the FredGrams blog for a history of Memorial Day. Among the traditional songs chosen for Memorial Day FredGrams are:

AMAZING GRACE-Written by English clergyman John Newton(1725-1807) as expiation for his involvement with the slave trade. First presented as part of a sermon in 1773, it was published in 1779, then forever after sung to the tune “New Britain” beginning in 1835.

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC-Words by Julia Ward Howe set to the tune of “John Brown’s Body” sung by Northern troops during the Civil War, 1862. One of the most stirring anthems ever written, a rallying cry for genuine freedom fighters everywhere. A personal favorite of (half-American) Winston Churchill who requested that it be played at his funeral.

GOD OF OUR FATHERS-Written in 1876 by Daniel C. Roberts, a Civil War vet and Episcopal priest from Vermont, to commemorate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence.

GOIN’ HOME-The Largo movement of the New World Symphony (#9 in E minor, 1893), composed by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak(1841-1904) while visiting/teaching in America. The simple, moving words suggest this is a traditional Negro spiritual, but they were added in 1922 by William Arms Fisher(1861-1948), an American pupil of Dvorak.

LINCOLN’S GETTYSBURG ADDRESS-Delivered by President Abraham Lincoln(1809-1865) on November 19, 1863 in Gettysburg PA, just 4 months after the Union defeat of the Confederate Army there. Dedicating the new Soldiers’ National Cemetery, the address lasted only 2 minutes but captured for all time the larger purpose of preserving the fledgling, free nation. Music: “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic,” one of the most stirring anthems ever written, a rallying cry for genuine freedom fighters everywhere.

LORD’S PRAYER-Music by 20th century American composer Albert Hay Malotte, The classic text is the current Catholic version and that found in the 1928 Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The original source is the 1662 English translation drawn from Greek & Latin versions of Matthew 6:9-13.

MACARTHUR’S “DUTY-HONOR-COUNTRY” ADDRESS-Delivered by General Douglas MacArthur(1880-1964) to the cadets at West Point, May 12, 1962. The Old Soldier’s most celebrated oration, an acknowledgment and celebration of the soldier’s indispensable role in the cause of human freedom. Music: “Tenting On The Old Campground” by Union Army veteran Walter Kittredge, 1863. Sung by both sides during the American Civil War, now a universal ode to soldiers soberly contemplating the quiet before battle.

MY BUDDY-Music by Walter Donaldson(1893-1947), lyrics by Gus Kahn(1886-1941), 1922. Between Donaldson & Kahn, separately and in collaboration, too many evergreens to list. “My Buddy” was routinely played in silent movie houses as the piano accompaniment for the film classic “Wings” (1927) set in WWI; and though written after the end of the conflict, its plaintive strains have always been associated with the Great War(1914-1918).

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE-Our oath of loyalty to the United States, composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892, revised for the final time in 1954 when the words “under God” were added. The Pledge is customarily recited by citizens holding their right hands over their hearts facing the flag. Non-uniform headgear is removed and held against the left shoulder while uniformed personnel offer the military salute.

TAPS-Melody derived from basic harmonics (1st/3rd/5th/8th) of the scale, the only notes playable on a bugle; words by Horace Lorenzo Trim, Also known as “Butterfield’s Lullaby” after the Civil War General responsible for first commanding its use for a military funeral in 1862. Its title is derived from the traditional 3 Drum Taps signaling “Lights Out.” Official use by the U.S. Army since 1874, standard military funeral dirge since 1891.

TENTING TONIGHT ON THE  OLD CAMPGROUND-Words & music by Union Army veteran Walter Kittredge, 1863. Sung by both sides during the American Civil War, now a universal ode to soldiers soberly contemplating the ominous quiet before battle

WHEN JOHNNY COMES MARCHING HOME AGAIN-Words & Music by Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, 1863, band master of the Union Armies. First sung during the Civil War and again with frequency during the Spanish-American War. A celebratory lyric honoring the returning war heroes stands out in stark contrast to the most mournfully melancholy of tunes.