We're past D-day and not quite at Flag Day and this may be a good time to mention the National Anthem reference works given the recent flap about anthems. Scarecrow Press just published the second edition of the Encyclopedia of National Anthems.
Since I am a lyric soprano, I love showy score of the Star Spangled Banner, although I wouldn't sing it as a solo. You may not know that The Star Spangled Banner was not our national anthem until 1931. AND apparently there are other versions for this song, including Igor Stravinsky and here, Duke Ellington, Jimi Hendrix, and St. Louis Symphony under Leonard Slatkin. They are all legal if not traditional because the law doesn't specify. a specific score or text, according to the article. And my favorite
I was disappointed that the encyclopedia's article did not touch upon the other songs mentioned for the national anthem, such as My Country 'Tis of Thee or Hail Columbia but that's another day. The link to the Wikipedia article at the date 1931 contains a better synopsis about the Anthem.
No comments:
Post a Comment