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The Holy City is a Victorian religious-ballad composed in 1892 by Michael Maybrick (aka Stephen Adams) with lyrics by Frederic Weatherly.
The song is mentioned in James Joyce's famous novel Ulysses, and was sung by Jeanette MacDonald in the 1936 hit movie San Francisco. The melody formed the basis of the African American spiritual Hosanna, which in turn was the basis for the opening of Duke Ellington's jazz composition Black and Tan Fantasy. In the 1970's The Holy City was translated into Afrikaans and sung by South African baritone GĂ© Kirsten under the title Jerusalem, which is still popular in South Africa today.
Michael Maybrick (1841 - 1913) was an English composer and singer, best known under his pseudonym Stephen Adams as the composer of The Holy City, one of the most popular religious songs in English.
Frederic Weatherly (1848 - 1929) was an English lawyer, author, lyricist, and broadcaster. He is estimated to have written the lyrics to at least 3,000 popular songs, among the best-known of which are the sentimental ballad Danny Boy (set to the tune Londonderry Air), the religious ballad The Holy City, and the wartime song Roses of Picardy.
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