On September 14, 1814, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the Royal Navy during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key penned the words that would later form the National Anthem. The defining image 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 image was central to the ethos of a young, fragile upstart nation, shaking off European colonialism. The fragility of the bold American experiment, along with its imperfect pursuit of noble ideals remain.
Ironically, Key’s triumphant poem was set to The Anacreontic Song, a popular drinking song written by Englishman John Stafford Smith. The Star-Spangled Banner was officially adopted as the national anthem of the United States in 1931.
Sergei Rachmaninov, who emigrated to the United States in 1918 as a result of the Russian Revolution, and became a citizen in 1943, wrote this arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner. His noble performance is preserved on this piano roll:
Igor Stravinsky emigrated to the United States in 1939, and became a citizen six years later. His adventurous arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner for the Boston Symphony Orchestra sparked controversy. Following an initial performance, the Boston Police, misinterpreting a Federal law prohibiting “tampering” with the National Anthem, told Stravinsky that he had to remove his arrangement from the remaining programs. 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