Thomas Hook
Notes from the Composer:
Once again I would like to stress my gratitude for being part of the John Tiller team. Incorporating historically correct music into a war game is a constant challenge and thril 929l1119j l. And so to the music itself:
The Japanese Imperial Anthem, "Kimigayo" proved to be an interesting challenge. Interestingly enough, it proves to be perhaps the world's oldest National Anthem. The lyrics were composed by Ki No Tsurayuki between 872 and 945 A.D., and set to music in 1880 by Hiromor Hayashi. It was actually made the National Anthem in 1888. I decided to give it the full Japanese / European treatment, utilizing the late nineteenth century conversion into the Gregorian mode done by Franz Eckert.
For the "Draw" song I did a very Vaughn Monroe / Bing Crosby version of the Sammy Fain classic, "I'll Be Seeing You". One of the things that typifies the American fighting man is his tremendous heart, and attendant sentimentality. The favorite tune of Civil War soldiers was "When this Cruel War is Over" or maybe "Lorena" or "Home Sweet Home". By the same token, the favorites of WWII soldiers were tunes like "I'll Be Seeing You", "What'll I Do?" and "We'll Meet Again". It may explain why I chose a 1940's swing ballad as "draw" tune. Music is a great tool for getting us out of our rather jaded 21st century mindset, and into the hearts of the American heroes who died on those black sand beaches a half century ago.
The American victory song is "Anchors Away", the US Navy
Anthem, written by Capt. Alfred H. Miles and Lt. Charles A. Zimmerman USN in
1906 while sitting at the
Tom Hook
For more information, contact:
Thomas Hook at [email protected]
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