{"id":350,"date":"2013-09-05T10:25:32","date_gmt":"2013-09-05T14:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=350"},"modified":"2024-06-17T13:13:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T17:13:11","slug":"national-anthem-at-199","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/","title":{"rendered":"National Anthem at 199"},"content":{"rendered":"

By James Breig<\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/sup> anniversary of the writing of the National Anthem, a song about the U.S. flag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Francis<\/a>
Francis Scott Key<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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, \u201cOh, Say Can You See?\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Ironically, that Key decision almost led Congress not to designate \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

\"Sheet<\/a><\/figure>\n

The latter charge was especially strong during the Prohibition years, when \u201cBanner\u201d was making its way toward officially being recognized by Congress. The song had been informally called \u201cthe national anthem\u201d for many years.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cland of the free.\u201d The secret, according to one performer, is to start low because that high note is coming down the road.<\/p>\n

\"Anna<\/a>
Anna Case<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That wasn\u2019t a problem for Anna Case, a Metropolitan Opera soprano, when she sang \u201cThe Star- Spangled Banner\u201d before more than 3,000 people in 1917. Performing during World War I, she did so literally wrapped in an American flag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On March 3, 1931, Congress passed \u2013 and President Herbert Hoover signed \u2013 the bill that made Key\u2019s poem and Smith\u2019s tune the official national song.<\/p>\n

That year was also the 100th<\/sup> anniversary of the debut of \u201cAmerica,\u201d 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 \u201cOh, Say Can You See?\u201d which would have caused the same uproar that greeted \u201cThe Star-Spangled Banner.\u201d<\/p>\n

(To learn more about the National Anthem, visit www.anthem1812film.com<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[105,106,104,103],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-francis-scott-key","tag-john-smith","tag-national-anthem","tag-star-spangled-banner"],"yoast_head":"\nNational Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"National Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"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... continue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-09-05T14:25:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-17T17:13:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"547\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"774\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Breig\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/\",\"name\":\"National Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-09-05T14:25:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-17T17:13:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg\",\"width\":\"547\",\"height\":\"774\",\"caption\":\"Sheet music from 1861\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"National Anthem at 199\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a\",\"name\":\"James Breig\",\"description\":\"James Breig is a veteran author who specializes in history. His most recent book is \u201cStar-Spangled Baseball: True Tales of Flags and Fields\u201d about the links between the sport and flags. He is also the author of a nonfiction book about WWII, \\\"Searching for Sgt. Bailey: Saluting an Ordinary Soldier of World War II\\\" and co-author of \\\"The Mystery of the Multiple Mothers,\\\" a novel. All three are available at www.amazon.com. His articles have appeared in newspapers and national magazines, including the Colonial Williamsburg Journal (search for them at www.history.org\/journal) and History Magazine. He has won many national awards for his opinion writing, media columns and feature articles.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/author\/james\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"National Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"National Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog","og_description":"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... continue","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/","og_site_name":"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog","article_published_time":"2013-09-05T14:25:32+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-17T17:13:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":547,"height":774,"url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"James Breig","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Breig","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/","name":"National Anthem at 199 - Gettysburg Flag Works Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg","datePublished":"2013-09-05T14:25:32+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-17T17:13:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Sheet-music-from-1861.jpg","width":"547","height":"774","caption":"Sheet music from 1861"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/national-anthem-at-199\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"National Anthem at 199"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/","name":"Gettysburg Flag Works Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/048662cff3dee1c17360c4683b5fe03a","name":"James Breig","description":"James Breig is a veteran author who specializes in history. His most recent book is \u201cStar-Spangled Baseball: True Tales of Flags and Fields\u201d about the links between the sport and flags. He is also the author of a nonfiction book about WWII, \"Searching for Sgt. Bailey: Saluting an Ordinary Soldier of World War II\" and co-author of \"The Mystery of the Multiple Mothers,\" a novel. All three are available at www.amazon.com. His articles have appeared in newspapers and national magazines, including the Colonial Williamsburg Journal (search for them at www.history.org\/journal) and History Magazine. He has won many national awards for his opinion writing, media columns and feature articles.","url":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/author\/james\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5181,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350\/revisions\/5181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}