National Anthem at 199
By James Breig
Mid-September brings back-to-school time, fewer daylight hours, fall football games and the closing of the baseball season. More significantly, it marks the 199th anniversary of the writing of the National Anthem, a song about the U.S. flag.
The words, that is. The melody, composed by an Englishman named John Smith, was an all-purpose tune used by many different lyricists. When Francis Scott Key wrote, “Oh, Say Can You See?” in September 1814, he did so with the idea that it would be sung to that specific melody and crafted his meter to match the notes.
Ironically, that Key decision almost led Congress not to designate “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the official anthem of the United States. Some people objected to the tune on two counts: It was the work of a foreigner, and it was a melody often used in drinking songs.
The latter charge was especially strong during the Prohibition years, when “Banner” was making its way toward officially being recognized by Congress. The song had been informally called “the national anthem” for many years.
The difficulty of singing the song was also a problem that slowed its official baptism. Many performers have demonstrated how difficult it is to remember the words of the National Anthem. Many others have faltered trying to reach the high note at the end of “land of the free.” The secret, according to one performer, is to start low because that high note is coming down the road.
That wasn’t a problem for Anna Case, a Metropolitan Opera soprano, when she sang “The Star- Spangled Banner” before more than 3,000 people in 1917. Performing during World War I, she did so literally wrapped in an American flag.
On March 3, 1931, Congress passed – and President Herbert Hoover signed – the bill that made Key’s poem and Smith’s tune the official national song.
That year was also the 100th anniversary of the debut of “America,” a song many Americans wanted to be the national anthem due to its simplicity. Its lyrics were penned by an American Smith: Samuel Francis Smith. The tune, however, was as foreign-born as “Oh, Say Can You See?” which would have caused the same uproar that greeted “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
(To learn more about the National Anthem, visit www.anthem1812film.com.)