<P> The first known melody written for the song was sent in by Silas Pratt when the poem was published in The Congregationalist . By 1900, at least 75 different melodies had been written . A hymn tune composed in 1882 by Samuel A. Ward, the organist and choir director at Grace Church, Newark, was generally considered the best music as early as 1910 and is still the popular tune today . Just as Bates had been inspired to write her poem, Ward, too, was inspired . The tune came to him while he was on a ferryboat trip from Coney Island back to his home in New York City after a leisurely summer day and he immediately wrote it down . Supposedly, he was so anxious to capture the tune in his head, he asked fellow passenger friend Harry Martin for his shirt cuff to write the tune on . He composed the tune for the old hymn "O Mother Dear, Jerusalem", retitling the work "Materna". Ward's music combined with Bates's poem were first published together in 1910 and titled "America the Beautiful". </P> <P> Ward died in 1903, not knowing the national stature his music would attain since the music was only first applied to the song in 1904 . Bates was more fortunate since the song's popularity was well established by the time of her death in 1929 . </P> <P> At various times in the more than 100 years that have elapsed since the song was written, particularly during the John F. Kennedy administration, there have been efforts to give "America the Beautiful" legal status either as a national hymn or as a national anthem equal to, or in place of, "The Star - Spangled Banner", but so far this has not succeeded . Proponents prefer "America the Beautiful" for various reasons, saying it is easier to sing, more melodic, and more adaptable to new orchestrations while still remaining as easily recognizable as "The Star - Spangled Banner". Some prefer "America the Beautiful" over "The Star - Spangled Banner" due to the latter's war - oriented imagery . Others prefer "The Star - Spangled Banner" for the same reason . While that national dichotomy has stymied any effort at changing the tradition of the national anthem, "America the Beautiful" continues to be held in high esteem by a large number of Americans . </P> <P> This song was used as the background music of the television broadcast of the Tiangong - 1 launch . </P>

God bless america god shed his grace on thee