the history of the star spangled banner song

The history of the star spangled banner song pro#
The history of the star spangled banner song series#

It is not clear exactly when this incident occurred, but in October 1792 it was reported that 'The Anacreontic Society meets no more it has long been struggling with symptoms of internal decay'. Because 'some of the comic songs exactly calculated for the entertainment of ladies, the singers were restrained which displeasing many of the members, they resigned one after another and a general meeting being called, the society was dissolved'. The Society came to an end after the Duchess of Devonshire attended one of its meetings. Each meeting began at half past seven with a lengthy concert, featuring 'the best performers in London', who were made honorary members of the Society. Its members, who consisted mainly of wealthy men of high social rank, would meet on Wednesday evenings to combine musical appreciation with eating and drinking. In existence from approximately 1766 to 1792, the Society was dedicated to the ancient Greek poet Anacreon, who was renowned for his drinking songs and odes to love. The supposed mug shot is actually part of Stravinsky’s 1940 visa application for residence in the United States.The Anacreontic Society was a gentlemen's club of the kind that was popular in London in the late eighteenth century. Correction: The well-known image is thus not associated with an arrest at all, but it is true that Stravinsky’s anthem was controversial. MYTH #8: A mug shot offers proof of composer Igor Stravinsky’s arrest by the Boston Police for desecrating a national symbol after conducting a performance of his own arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” with the Boston Symphony. During World War I, attempts were made to codify the arrangement, resulting in both a military “Service Version” and a “Standardized Version” endorsed by the Department of Education. MYTH #7: There is a sanctioned traditional or otherwise official version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Correction: The 1931 act making Key’s song America’s anthem does not identify an official arrangement, in part because the song as sung in the 20th century had already departed from what Key had known. Correction: This is absolutely correct in terms of the anthem’s legal status, but the bill approved by the House and Senate and signed by President Herbert Hoover simply recognized what had been true in American cultural practice for decades. MYTH #6: A 1931 act of Congress made “The Star-Spangled Banner” the official anthem of the United States.

The history of the star spangled banner song pro#

Correction: The earliest documented performance of Key’s Banner in pro sports was on opening day at a baseball game in 1862. MYTH #5: “The Star-Spangled Banner” as baseball’s game day ritual begins with Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Series. 1779 souvenir publication of the source tune that gave Francis Scott Key the melody courtesy the William L. Correction: “The Anacreontic Song” was the constitutional anthem of an elite, London-based, amateur music society…but it gets complicated. MYTH #4: Key’s Banner is based on the melody of a bawdy old English drinking song. Correction: “The Star-Spangled Banner” was always conceived of by Key as a song and he wrote his “lyric” to fit a specific melody of his own choosing.

MYTH #3: Key wrote a “poem” later set to music by someone else. Correction: Most likely, Key wrote his draft on a clean sheet of paper using pen and ink. MYTH #2: Key drafted “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the back of an envelope or letter. Correction: Key was aboard his own American truce ship during the battle.

MYTH #1: Francis Scott Key was held prisoner aboard a British ship during the bombardment of Baltimore.

The history of the star spangled banner song series#

Contact: 73, addition, Clague has recently added to his popular “Banner Mythconception” essay series debunking common misunderstandings surrounding “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Francis Scott Key, the lawyer and poet who wrote the anthem’s lyrics. Clements Library, University of MichiganOne of the nation’s foremost experts on “The Star-Spangled Banner” is Mark Clague, associate professor of musicology at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance.Ĭlague is the founding board chair of the Star Spangled Music Foundation and editor and producer of the “Star Spangled Songbook” and its associated recording project “Poets & Patriots: A Tuneful History of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.'”Īs Independence Day approaches, Clague is available to speak with journalists about the history of the U.S. 1814 first sheet music edition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” arranged by Thomas Carr courtesy the William L.