Changing National Anthem Rythm

[homegirl92504]

I don't understand why more and more people sing the National Anthem with improvised rythms, beat or tunes. Sometimes it was so complicatedly improvised with so many additional tunes that made it sounds unpatriotic and ugly. I think anyone who sings Star Spangled Banner should sing it as it was composed. Not jazzy, rockish, soulish, blueish, etc.

[Peter Ansoff]

Hi, Homegirl -- welcome to the forum!

I think anyone who sings Star Spangled Banner should sing it as it was composed. Not jazzy, rockish, soulish, blueish, etc.

The problem, of course, is that nobody sings it as it was composed, because it was not originally a national anthem. It was written for the Anacreonic Society, a musical club the met in London in the late 18th century. It was originally called "The Anacreonic Song," but it's better known as "To Anacreon in Heaven," which was the first line of the first verse. As I understand it, they deliberately made it difficult to sing (large vocal range and lots of complex passages) so that club members could show off their singing talents. The Library of Congress has images of the original words and sheet music at the link below (click "Page Turner" on the left to get closeups of the pages). Notice that the opening phrase of the melody was different from the one we sing today.

To Anacreon in heaven / John Stafford Smith [print material]:Print Material Brief Display: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress

As far as I know, there is no official version of the melody. It's pretty much a matter of individual taste.

Peter Ansoff