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In 2014, the United States celebrated the bicentennial of our great anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As you are more than likely aware, the song was named the official national anthem by act of Congress in 1931. The Choral Journal featured two articles on Francis Scott Key’s great work that readers of ChoralNet might be interested in. One was published in April 2014 titled “A Star-Spangled Bicentennial” and one was published in November 2014 titled “The Star-Spangled Banner as a Poem.” The latter will be the focus of today’s ChoralNet post.
This article is a reprint of an essay written by Eli Siegel in 1953 titled “The Star-Spangled Banner as a Poem” and includes an introduction by Edward Green. Eli Siegel is an American poet and founder of the philosophy Aesthetic Realism. As Green states in his introduction, “The essay stands alone in showing…just how rich the art of Francis Scott Key was. It also points to the ethical meaning of the anthem, including implications for our lives and for our nation now.”
In the essay itself, Siegel writes, “In 1814, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was written; and it is my purpose to consider it a poem—belonging to literature. It is difficult for people to see the famous writing of Francis Scott Key as poetry, or as art… It is just as hard to see a work that is too familiar as one that is ‘sprung’ upon us. It is necessary, therefore, to look at ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ afresh, as sometimes it is necessary to do with the most quoted lines of Hamlet.”
You can read the full article or download the PDF here. (Note: You must be an ACDA member logged into acda.org to view the Choral Journal online.)
Have you ever viewed “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a poem? How do you think this would change the way you perform this work with your choirs?
Feel free to share your thoughts here on ChoralNet in the comment section or even send in a “Letter to the Editor” for publication in an upcoming issue of Choral Journal. I would love to hear from you! Better still, perhaps you should write an article or column in the Choral Journal. You can contact me at .
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Maybe it’s a generation matter? I’m of a certain age where public events began with all in attendance singing the National Anthem. Now, the pop singer mode is the norm, while thousands observe rather than participate. My hometown Cleveland Plain Dealer published my thoughts on this topic.
Our Cleveland Cavaliers taught the sports world two lessons with game 3. Lesson 1, of course , is the impressive victory. Lesson 2 began before the game began when all in attendance were invited to sing the National Anthem. The leader chose a singable range. The notes were sung as written. Participation was “All In.” The last time I heard similar fan participation was at a sporting event following the Boston Marathon tragedy. It would be far better to continue this “All In Sing” approach rather than listening to a solo focussing on one performer’s ego. Go Cavs!
Michael J Seredick
Broadview Heights, Ohio
Retired Choral Music Educator
former member of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus
I recognize the poetry of The Star-Spangled Banner and I appreciate it as a piece of history. I wish it were not the National Anthem. When read in its entirety, the poem is angry, as is only reasonable for a piece written in war-time, but I feel that a piece that glories in such lines as “Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution” is not, I feel, a good representation of all the nation stands for. I do not know what should replace it, assuming it were to be replaced, though.
As a singer, it is a difficult piece and I have heard many painful renditions, as it is challenging to sing well. As a result, I wish we had a more generous and accessible piece as our anthem.
All that said, it always cuts right to my heart, as my associations with it are strong, and a good rendition brings a lump to my throat. But, I think that is all about association, not for its own sake. I like to bring the text, context, and meaning to a choir to add meaning and depth, but this simply isn’t one I would appreciate exploring, nor one that I feel would enhance the general performance of the piece.
Thank you for your insight. You certainly make a good point about the poem in its entirety. I, too, have heard many painful renditions, which makes the beautiful ones that much more pleasing to the ear!
Marianne Saint George is absolutely right .
1931 was the year of greatest sympathy of American communists to the Russian beasts that killed people.
So this “National Anthem” is more appropriate for Hitler (the mirror of Stalin).
Indeed I could have some excuses for those American professors who were misguided by propaganda.
Even in 1980-1990-ies I had some conversations with my collegues while visiting US and giving lectures there.
THEY WERE STILL COMMUNISTS. (hidden)
So we must be very careful about all of this things. And nowadays “consideration” of Russia or the USA as “enemies” is only the simple way to make money from “blind” blood of innocent people.
Who ever minds against those considerations of mine, being so obviously and frankly manifested?
Thanks for your comment. It inspired me to read the poem in its entirety and it’s pretty awful. We sing only the first verse, which ends in a question mark. Seems odd… I’ll close before I draw parallels to the current political scene.
I absolutely love our National Anthem. I arranged a special choral setting, with soloist for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Some say that it should always be heard in the traditional version, but I can’t ever forget Whitney Houston singing it at the Super Bowl years ago. My setting is similar with more contemporary harmonies that do attract our youth. My latest contribution is four settings for piano solo available at http://www.sheetmusicplus digital print section.
The first setting is for beginner piano students, and then progresses to a full piano accompaniment for group singing, ending with a contemporary setting.
Let’s keep it alive!
Gene Roberson
http://www.generoberson.com
Thank you for sharing! I agree, Whitney Houston’s rendition was very nice.