Product Description
The "Navy Hymn" is Eternal Father, Strong to Save. The
original words were written as a poem in 1860 by William Whiting of Winchester, England, for a
student who was about to sail for the United States. The melody, published in 1861, was composed by fellow
Englishman, Rev. John Bacchus Dykes, an Episcopalian clergyman.
The hymn, found in most hymnals, is known as the "Navy
hymn" because it is sung at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is also sung on ships of
the Royal Navy (U.K.) and has been translated into French.
Eternal Father was the favorite hymn of President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt and was sung at his funeral in Hyde Park, New York, in April 1945. It was also played by
the Navy Band in 1963 as President John F. Kennedy's body was carried up the steps of the
U.S. Capitol to lie in state. Roosevelt had served as Secretary of the Navy and Kennedy was a PT
boat commander in World War II.
It is often requested at funerals for navy and marine servicemen and veterans.
Information from the United States Navy News
Service Web Site:
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=172
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.