The history of the US national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” dates back to 1750. It was officially made the national anthem in 1931 and is notoriously difficult to sing. The song was composed by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreonotic Society of London, and Francis Scott Key wrote the poem “In Defense of Fort McHenry” to the tune in 1814. “The Star Spangled Banner” became associated with patriotic occasions during the Civil War and was declared an official song for use by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Congress designated it as the official national anthem in 1931, and established rules for behavior during its playing. Other songs have been used as American anthems at various times in history, including “Hail, Columbia,” “My Country, ’tis of Thee,” and “America the Beautiful.”
The history of “The Star Spangled Banner”, the national anthem of the United States, is a long and winding one. While this song is now widely associated with the United States, it wasn’t even formally made the national anthem until 1931, when an act of Congress enshrined “The Star Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the United States. And while the song is notoriously difficult to sing, this wasn’t always the case, as the difficulty depends on the key in which the song is played, with most modern players using A-flat or B-flat, instead of G, the original key of the song.
The tune used in “The Star Spangled Banner” is believed to date from 1750, when it was composed by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreonotic Society of London. Although popular legend often suggests that the tune was originally a drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heaven,” as the tune was originally known, was actually a hymn to music and society. The Anacreonotic Society certainly did its fair share of drinking, but the organization’s main aim was to promote music among London’s gentlemen.
Apparently people liked the tune, which may explain why it came to mind in 1814 when Francis Scott Key was looking for suitable music for his poem “In Defense of Fort McHenry”. The poem was written on September 14, 1814, the morning after the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. According to Key, he was struck by the sight of a certain American flag flying over the Fort, so he wrote a long poem of four stanzas and set it to music. The story of “The Star Spangled Banner” probably would have been much shorter if people had tried to sing all four complicated verses, but instead people usually only sing the first one.
When the poem was published along with the tune by Thomas Carr, a music store owner in Baltimore, Carr changed the title to “The Star Spangled Banner” and the story of “The Star Spangled Banner” as we know it began. . Initially, “The Star Spangled Banner” was just one among a bevy of patriotic tunes. By the Civil War, however, it had become indelibly associated with patriotic occasions, with servicemen playing “The Star Spangled Banner” and the song being used at sporting events and other official occasions. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson officially declared “The Star Spangled Banner” a designated song for official use, likely due to some heavy lobbying from fans of the song.
In 1929, the story of “The Star Spangled Banner” took a dramatic turn when cartoonists began making fun of the fact that the United States had no official national anthem. This was actually not very unusual, and in fact some countries even today have no official anthems, or several anthems that vie for the honour. However, Congress felt that designating an official national anthem might be advisable, and “The Star Spangled Banner” was selected. They also establish some ground rules for behavior during the national anthem: people should stand facing the flag with their hands on their hearts as the song is played, with people in uniform saluting the flag as the song is played . If no flag is present, spectators face the source of the music as if it were the flag.
A few other songs have been used as American anthems at various times in history, including “Hail, Columbia,” “My Country, ’tis of Thee,” and “America the Beautiful.” Some black residents of the United States also support the use of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as the national anthem, and indeed, this song is sometimes called the “black national anthem.” Some Americans have a marked preference for one of these tunes, arguing that the story of “The Star Spangled Banner” included a fair amount of machinations to get people to officially use the song and that alternative hymns are easier to sing and more pleasant to listen to.
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