On September 14, 1814, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the Royal Navy in the course of the Battle of Baltimore within the Battle of 1812, Francis Scott Key penned the phrases that may later type the Nationwide Anthem. The defining picture of the poem was the sight of the U.S. flag, with its fifteen stars and strips, flying defiantly above the Fort following the battle. The triumphant picture was central to the ethos of a younger, fragile upstart nation, shaking off European colonialism. The fragility of the daring American experiment, together with its imperfect pursuit of noble beliefs stay.
Sarcastically, Key’s triumphant poem was set to The Anacreontic Music, a well-liked consuming music written by Englishman John Stafford Smith. The Star-Spangled Banner was formally adopted because the nationwide anthem of the USA in 1931.
Sergei Rachmaninov, who emigrated to the USA in 1918 because of the Russian Revolution, and have become a citizen in 1943, wrote this association of The Star-Spangled Banner. His noble efficiency is preserved on this piano roll:
Igor Stravinsky emigrated to the USA in 1939, and have become a citizen six years later. His adventurous association of The Star-Spangled Banner for the Boston Symphony Orchestra sparked controversy. Following an preliminary efficiency, the Boston Police, misinterpreting a Federal regulation prohibiting “tampering” with the Nationwide Anthem, advised Stravinsky that he needed to take away his association from the remaining applications. Grudgingly, he conceded.
Recordings
- Rachmaninov: The Star-Spangled Banner, Sergei Rachmaninov Amazon
- Stravinsky: The Star-Spangled Banner, Michael Tilson Thomas, London Symphony Orchestra michaeltilsonthomas.com
