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In 1900, Jean Sibelius completed the symphonic poem Finlandia, which contains a hymn-like section popularly known as the Finlandia Hymn, which Sibelius later published separately. It is often played on public occasions in Finland, but is not the Finnish national anthem.
In 1934, Lloyd Stone wrote A Song of Peace, setting his verse to the Sibelius melody. A Song of Peace has been popular with church groups for many years, and appears for example in the hymnal published by Friends General Conference. Yes, Quakers sing. One Quaker who sings is Joan Baez, who has had A Song of Peace in her repertoire for years.
As it happens, I already knew these facts when I read Ms. Zacharek's snarky crack. But I can assure you that, by simply using the Google, a person who read that sentence and said to herself, "Why the hell would anybody not terminally silly sing the Finnish national anthem at an American political rally?" could discover most if not all of them in under ten minutes. Ms. Zacharek didn't ask that question, one presumes, because it was already an article of her faith that Joan Baez is an ass.
Who's silly now?
