Music

The World Turned Upside Down

Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, by John Trumbull

Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, October 19th, 1781, by John Trumbull, 1820. Only six years after the Americans and their French allies defeated the British at Yorktown in 1781, citizens of Massachusetts took up arms against their own state government. Courtesy Library of Congress

Many melodies are associated with this title. The one presented here was the one most commonly known and played during the American Revolution; it was also known as “When the King enjoys his Own Again.“ No firm evidence exists to prove or disprove the popular belief that the British played this tune when they surrendered to the Continental Army at Yorktown in 1781.

Instrumentation: fife and drum