Letter: Remembering Bristol’s first song, from 1955

Posted 8/7/20

Well, ok, it’s alright for a town to have a second song . And we are just a couple of weeks away from Bristol’s 340th birthday —September 1680.

The town had quite a festive …

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Letter: Remembering Bristol’s first song, from 1955

Posted

Well, ok, it’s alright for a town to have a second song. And we are just a couple of weeks away from Bristol’s 340th birthday —September 1680.

The town had quite a festive 275th celebration in 1955. Certainly a highlight, and historic at that, the townspeople were introduced and became participants in the singing — I believe in Andrews School — of a new song. A first — a song dedicated to Bristol in honor of its 275th anniversary

And what made this song more special was its authorship. Two of Bristol’s most knowledgeable musicologists and classroom instructors of music: T.M. Donovan (name as listed in 275th anniversary book as Pageant Committee chair) and Joan Doyle Roth … yes, aunt and neice, writers of: “Bristol, Yes, Bristol.”

Perhaps next month, with a good coordinator, we residents of Bristol could gather (of course following Gov. Gina Raimondo’s Covid-19 social gathering directives) and join in giving a rousing rendition of “Bristol, Yes, Bristol.”

Owen E. Trainor III
Bristol

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A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.