Star Spangled Banner in Minor Key

[mbbrose]

Thought this was interesting and thought you all might enjoy. I like it in minor key! Also the harmonies are great.

[BBvideo 425,350][/BBvideo]

[john45]

So much nicer than the usual screeching versions. So many have tried unsuccessfully to improve this frankly ugly ( no disrespect) sounding anthem with Whitney Houston style vocal gymnastics. Your version is actually quite pleasing to the ear. Thanks.

[Amie_Hill]

The original tune used for "The Star-Spangled Banner" was a drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven," which celebrated wine, women and song in a mishmash of 18th-Century slang.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon In Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Attributed to the composer John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used by several writers as a setting for their patriotic lyrics. These included two songs by Francis Scott Key, most famously his poem "Defence of Fort McHenry". The latter combination became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" and was adopted as the national anthem of the United States of America, in 1931.

The music is believed to have been composed[1] by a member of the Society, John Stafford Smith from Gloucester, to lyrics written by the Society's president, Ralph Tomlinson. Smith is believed to have composed the music in the middle 1760s, while still a teenager. It was first published by The Vocal Magazine (London) in 1778.[2]

These barristers, doctors, and other professional men named their club after the Greek court poet Anacreon (6th century BC), whose poems, called "anacreontics", were used to entertain patrons in Teos and Athens. His songs often celebrated women, wine, and entertainment ("wine, woman, and song").

The song, through its bawdy lyrics, gained popularity in London and elsewhere beyond the Anacreontic Society. New lyrics were also fashioned for it, including several patriotic titles in the United States. The most popular of these at the time was Robert Treat Paine Jr.'s Adams and Liberty[3] (1798).

"The Star-Spangled Banner"[edit]
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The Anacreontic Song
Francis Scott Key wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" during the War of 1812, while detained on a British ship during the night of September 13, 1814, as the British forces bombarded the American fort. Key specifically wrote the lyrics with this familiar patriotic tune in mind, just as he had done with an earlier set of his lyrics, "When the Warrior Returns", in which he had made similar use of "star-spangled banner" imagery.[4] Later retitled "The Star-Spangled Banner", Key's lyrics, set to Stafford Smith's music, became a well-known and recognized patriotic song throughout the United States, and was officially designated as the U.S. national anthem on March 3, 1931.[5] The setting of new lyrics to an existing tune is called a contrafactum.[6]

Lyrics[edit]
1
To Anacreon in Heav'n, where he sat in full glee,
A few Sons of Harmony sent a petition
That he their Inspirer and Patron would be;
When this answer arrived from the Jolly Old Grecian:
"Voice, Fiddle, and Flute, no longer be mute,
I'll lend you my name and inspire you to boot,
Refrain
And besides I'll instruct you, like me, to entwine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
2
The news through Olympus immediately flew;
When Old Thunder pretended to give himself airs.
"If these Mortals are suffered their scheme to pursue,
The devil a Goddess will stay above stairs.
Hark, already they cry, in transports of joy,
Away to the Sons of Anacreon we'll fly,
Refrain
And there with good fellows, we'll learn to intwine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus' Vine."
3
"The Yellow-Haired God and his nine fusty Maids
From Helicon's banks will incontinent flee,
Idalia will boast but of tenantless shades,
And the bi-forked hill a mere desert will be.
My Thunder no fear on't, shall soon do its errand,
And dam'me I'll swing the Ringleaders I warrant.
Refrain
I'll trim the young dogs, for thus daring to twine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
4
Apollo rose up, and said, "Pry'thee ne'er quarrel,
Good King of the Gods, with My Vot'ries below:
Your Thunder is useless" — then showing his laurel,
Cry'd "Sic evitabile fulmen[7], you know!
Then over each head, my laurels I'll spread,
So my sons from your Crackers no mischief shall dread,
Refrain
Whilst, snug in their clubroom, they jovially twine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
5
Next Momus got up with his risible Phiz
And swore with Apollo he'd cheerfully join —
"The full tide of Harmony still shall be his,
But the Song, and the Catch, and the Laugh shall be mine.
Then, Jove, be not jealous of these honest fellows."
Cry'd Jove, "We relent, since the truth you now tell us;
Refrain
And swear by Old Styx, that they long shall intwine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
6
Ye Sons of Anacreon, then join hand in hand;
Preserve Unanimity, Friendship, and Love!
'Tis yours to support what's so happily plann'd;
You've the sanction of Gods, and the Fiat of Jove.
While thus we agree, our toast let it be:
"May our Club flourish happy, united, and free!
Refrain
And long may the Sons of Anacreon intwine
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."

[LuxVenit]

I've never liked the USA's national anthem (watch, the security administration's gonna be at my door in an hour), and am gonna listen to this as soon as I have some headphones near me!

Personally, of the national anthems I can think of off the top of my head right now I'm pretty sure my all time favorite is "Oh Canada," but I wanna say that Japan's is pretty too. Anyway, a bit off topic there, sorry.

[chris17]

I was just listening to my favorite version of Star-Spangled Banner and realized I forgot to chime in here. This is an interesting version and I like it, particularly the harmonies towards the end. But I'm going to go ahead and be the odd one out here, and say that I prefer the normal major-key version. That said, I don't like the way most singers interpret it - in fact I haven't heard very many vocal versions that I liked at all.

I was hoping I could find a version I really liked on YouTube to post here, and I found a few decent ones, but I didn't find any that I was particularly impressed with. So, if anyone is interested, here's most of one of the versions I like, which is an instrumental version by one of the US Air Force Band. The iTunes sample covers the first 30 seconds or so, and the Amazon.com sample covers a bit more of it (although there seem to be a few glitches in the sound quality). The song is number 16 in the album.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-n ... id74351720

[TullyBascombe]

It's a little too "down" for a national anthem. Think about it, national anthems, especially the western ones, are generally upbeat, even bombastic. Who would want a sad national anthem?

[LuxVenit]

Sorry to bump this "old" topic up again, but I watched/listened to the posted video, and while it's got its moments I agree with you TullyBascombe about how it's a little too down for a national anthem (the harmony at the end was cool though). Naturally it would be, being a minor key, but it was interesting to hear anyway. I suppose that some countries have chosen more hymn-like national anthems, and that's what I like. Slow, majestic, and beautiful hymn-type songs can portray national pride just as well as upbeat songs. Guess it's just a matter of preference.

"Oh Canada" for the win though.

[TullyBascombe]

AFAIK the only really somber national anthems are those of Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

[Yorkie]

AFAIK the only really somber national anthems are those of Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

God Save The Queen?

[TullyBascombe]

That's generally somewhat upbeat. You're supposed to sing it like you mean it.