A signer of the Declaration of Independence and a talented polymath, Francis Hopkinson was among the first American-born composers. A New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress and friend of George Washington, Hopkinson also claimed authorship of one of the earliest American patriotic songs, "My Days Have Been So Wondrous Free" (1759). Though not from Virginia, his legacy connects to fellow signers from the Commonwealth—Jefferson, Wythe, Harrison, and others—whose courage shaped the nation’s founding. As Hopkinson’s music plays, projections honor these Virginia patriots and the enduring ideals of 1776.

Music by Francis Hopkinson, text by Thomas Parnell

Vocalist: Hannah Hall

Piano: Thomas Getty

Digital Media: Emily Hartka

Francis Hopkinson (1737–1791) was a composer, poet, satirist, lawyer, and statesman—a true American polymath and friends with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. A signer of the Declaration of Independence representing New Jersey, he used both words and music to support the cause of independence, writing widely circulated political satires and patriotic songs during the Revolutionary era.

Hopkinson is often called America’s first poet-composer and is generally credited as the first American-born composer to commit a musical work to paper. His 1759 song "My Days Have Been So Wonderous Free" is considered the earliest surviving secular composition by a native-born American. An accomplished keyboardist, he was active in Philadelphia’s musical life, served as organist at Christ Church, and published collections of hymns, psalms, and songs.

Beyond music, Hopkinson helped shape the visual identity of the new nation. He is recognized in Congressional records as a designer of early American flags and naval flags and contributed to the design of the Great Seal of the United States. After the Revolution, he served as a federal judge and remained a prominent cultural figure. His life reflects the intertwined birth of American art, politics, and national identity—where music, ideas, and independence grew side by side.

Lyrics by Thomas Parnell:

My days have been so wondrous free,

the little birds that fly with careless ease from tree to tree,

were but as blest as I, were but as blest as I!

Ask gliding waters if a tear of mine increas'd their stream,

and ask the breathing gales if e'er I lent a sigh to them, I lent a sigh to them!

Digital Media Sources:

US Declaration of Independence / National Archives and Records Administration / Public Domain

John Trumbull’s “Declaration of Independence” (1819), Architect of the Capitol / US Capitol rotunda / Public Domain

Robert Edge Pine's Portraits of Signers of the Declaration of Independence,1820, Accession #12130, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va.