- Grade: Fifth
- Origin: England – music: John Stafford Smith – 1777
USA – words: Francis Scott Key – 1814
- Key: C Major
- Time: 3/4
- Form: AABC
- Rhythm: beginners: | ta ta ta | ta/a ti ti | ta\ ti ta | ta ti ti ti ti | ta ta ti ti |
- Pitches: advanced: do mi fi so la ti do re mi fa so – raised subdominant (4, fi) functions as a leading tone to the dominant (5, So), extended range
- Intervals: advanced: do8\so\mi\do descending tonic arpeggio (I, C), do/mi/so/do8/mi8 ascending tonic arpeggio (I, C), do\mi (m6), mi/fi (M2), do/so (P5), so/mi8 (P4),do/mi8 (m10), la/re (P4), re/fa (m3), so8\do (P5), fa\re (m3)
- Musical Elements: notes: half, dotted quarter, quarter, eighth; pickup beat, vocal slur, repeated melodic rhythm patterns, extended range, four and five note tonic arpeggios, minor tenth (do/mi8), sharp subdominant (4, fi)
- Key Words: USA history, War of 1812, USA patriotic song, National Anthem of the United States of America, Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key’s “Defence of Fort McHenry“, world geography: London, England: Anacreontic Society: an gentelmen’s social club for amateur musicians in London, John Stafford Smith’s, “To Anacreon in Heaven”; proudly, hailed, gleaming, whose, perilous, ramparts (mounds of dirt), gallantly, streaming, glare, bombs, bursting, proof, dimly, free, brave, haughty, dread, reposes, towering, steep, fitfully, conceals, half discloses, gleam, glory reflected, freeman, between, peace, rescued, praise, power, preserved, nation, conquer, just cause, “In God is our trust”, triumph; abbreviations: thro’ (through) o’er (over), vict’ry (victory), Heav’n (Heaven), pow’r (power); possessives: dawn’s, twilight’s, rockets’, foe’s, morning’s, war’s
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag or the Great Garrison Flag (at the time having 15 stars and 15 strips) was the garrison flag that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor during the naval portion of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Seeing the flag during the battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry“, later retitled with the flag’s name: “Star Spangled Banner” and set to the tune: “To Anacreon in Heaven“, by John Stafford Smith. It became the National Anthem of the United States in 1941.
|
