| Show n Official i-I i ar em emr e r r t M t T 4 I SK 8 c y j 1 I Ip tar l a V r t a V r. r t a L. L s M y To r a a. a I 1 Ii r r. r I 1 sAw CF Ik 1 By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON T I r LAST rAST the tho United States Slates of ot Amer Amer- tea Ica has hos an nn national an an- them True for tor more than a century we have hare had hall a which has hns been popularly regarded re to as os the tho notional national anthem and since 1110 1910 an on order Issued i by hy a President to 10 Rive give It a t t semblance of ot sanction 1 3 Hut It wn wasn't nt until this year during the closing session of ot the last congress when both 1 r houses hout 1011 passed a n bill hili and anI dent Hoover Immediately It signed It that Francis I Scott Keys Key's The Tho Star Spangled became be be- I 1 como came the elal Aim national anthem The rite hI story of ot how The Tho Star tar Spangled SI Manner Banner came CIUllO Into being Is so familiar a n one as to nerd need hero IlIre only duly the merest reference to 10 the tho In In- Y r which produced It how it-how how Scott rott Key KIY a n young oun lawyer h went on tho the Ship hIp under a ting flag of or Iru truce e to the Iho lest which was Will moving mo against to effect the tho release of ot a friend Pr nr j 1 how Key Iy was successful In his hi mission but hut th the th Minden was held under guard 1 It by the t British when they opened the tho attack on Fort ort the sole remaining defense defence of lit Haiti Haiti- more how the Iho Minden i was anchored In a position i 3 tion which enabled Key Iy to see fiN the American J t flag fluttering from the tall lall flagstaff on the j I fort tort how throughout the day Ilay of or September 13 1814 he watched the bombardment of or the fort tort i by Ity t the he guns of ot the enemy fleet without knowIng know know- In Ing how the battle was wens progressing progressing except except that t as S long as the Hag flag flew new ho he knew all nil was wo well how his vigil villi continued through the night until t by the tho dawns dawn's early arly light ho tie saw that our tur nn Hag Ilag was wall still there a and I finally he hI sat Pit r down and aad on OIl the he back bak of ot an nn envelope In wrote the poem which was to become the words of ot our I lint national III tonal anthem i Keys Key's poem was first printed In the Baltimore American on Oil September III 21 I. I Later It was IlS dis distributed i p In handbill form set SIt to the tho music of ot an anair anair air known a. a as and Liberty which wa was In III turn an nn old English drinking song To 11 Anacreon Anao- Anao r reon ln In hit This Thill tune tuna was wens composed l b by i John Stafford Smith 1 and the tho theor or verses as were I written by Tomlinson II a sprightly little link c poem In lit praise of ot hw love and wine It II has hol boon been I described described-and described the th n song was WI sung by hy the Ihl tillI tipplers tip till I 1 liters of ot till the Society of or London at 1 atthe atthe the close 11 of or 1 their hll r fortnightly meetings u at t the Crown rown find end Anchor tavern In to the Strand And I as wo khall shall see Ill later this constituted one on of ot the tho objections s to having ha The Star Spangled led j i Banner Hanner as our ur national anthem Tor lor this 80 song II horn born In lu battle IIII has been the I subject of ot controversy for many mallY years It has not 1101 a s been rl regarded as the national anthem an an- them In a prize t of ot A 1 was offered In this tuU country for a truly national hymn 1 Twelve Iv I hundred hun hun- dred tired were sent to the co committee 01 1111 but hut not one was WitS found worthy and there was no nn award The project t was wall revived again ln throe three years ears ago by the National 1 Federation of ot Music Clubs lub but again ln was unsuccessful when bIll a contest In which nearly 1000 lt manu manuscripts were WIre entered trout from every ery state In the Union Alaska Hawaii Kugland Ingland India and Prance Franco fatted failed to produce a melody of ot sufficient merit to tn put to the th famous poem teem of ot Lee Lle Hates Bates America The Beautiful At M that time John Philip Sousa the March i King and composer of ot much of or Americas America's most cost stirring martial martini music was all I interviewed II about this protect project America will never get a It national I anthem t by y offering prizes for one he dt declared Anthems are ore not written In to that easy o of hand manner Mot Most of or theta them have l been products of or great national stress particularly 1 of or peril i or r victory vie vic tory Perhaps we shall hear objections against a v war sons song as the American national anthem but bute we e have bate hardly harly reached that degree decree of ot hu hUt t I j a j t r l' l r Wit rt 1 Recently discovered American tune to The Star Stu Spangled Banner Danner Original copy owned and facsimile copyrighted by Clinton A. A Strong and Charles Chance J. J Nagy Navy of Philadelphia 2 The Glad house In Baltimore Md at onetime one onetime time the home of Mary who made the flag flan which was Vial flown over Fort McHenry and which Inspired Francis Francl Scott Key to write The Sta St Spangled Banner Danner 3 S. A view of Fort McHenry showing the flag flag- staff taff on the same ume spot where stood the flagstaff from which wai was flown the Stars and Stripes which Inspired Keys Key's The Star Spangled Banner Banner Ban Ban- ner written during the bombardment of the fort by the British In the War of 1812 man mon felicity where an all anthem can be written without having a strong emotional note The very lien Idea of or an nn anthem moves move's the heart Thou Though h God Save Sa e a the King Icing nl Is not nt a war song In the strictest sense It Is a national h hII hymn II II calling upon God to succor the tho kung king As ts for the Mar V It Is the greatest wear war SOli song ever overwritten Ir w ritten Strictly t lla speaking kin of or course The he Star r Span Spangled pan tanner Hanner Is not an nn at nt all Francis Scott Key when l he me t wrote foll rote It it didn't Intend 1 It for tor an anthem It was WM written simply as n a bal lad commemorating the Itie unsuccessful bombardment bombard bombard- ment of or Fort h by the British occasion ma may urine arise when nil all the American 11 people petite peo 1110 are arl facing In one line tend and there may appear at that time tune sonic some genius who will manage to capture the spirit of or the moment and then we WI may Inay have han a new lIew national n Until then I believe e it will still be bl The rite Star tar Spangled 1 nan Han tier Out of ot this to replace The Th Star Spangled 1 Banner Kanner arose a n determined effort to to tomake tomake make makl Keys Key's song the official national 1 anthem Mur Marylanders landers In lOOn congress s. s In III recognition of or the songs song's having hating been hn written on the soil of or that state Blah had hall sought such legislation for years Hut But It was not until last year when hen Representative of ot Maryland Introduced such Buch a bill In lu the lower hou house o that definite results were During the hearings bE on the bill held hehl h by the house Judiciary committee to which It had hUll been referred many and 0 varied rl II objections objections lions to 10 making The Star Spangled Hanner the ou national anthem m were voiced It was called caUN too warlike war a barroom room song and worst of ot all they said suld It was wu un un Insofar us itS the tho ordinary ry singer could scarcely avoid a breakdown when he came to the high note In the land of or the free tree In the lust last line tine of ot each verse terse Rut But those thone a who ho bello EJ believed ed that The Star Spangled Span tied tanner Banner should be officially made mada the national anthem rallied to Its defense some defense some of or them Citizens to that Ilum number Er signed petitions w which hitch were presented before the house bouse Judiciary committee by representatives of ot some 2000 IO patriotic societies lits supporting the cum bill More lore than that they brought with tint th them thew two sopranos who wh sang the I song without It bout falter faltering lug on a single high note One reason why by they didn't was wu b because they were re singing lh the hi kon song in a I lower er octave than thau It U is usually sung A masterly transposition of ot the song to the lower octave had b been n made by Geoffrey OHara O'Hara a song leader In Camp Oglethorpe Ga Oa during the World WorM war and Incidentally author of ot that popular war song BODI K The result was that the Judiciary committee approved the bill the house passed It and with Senator Tydings of ot Maryland pushIng pushing push push- Ing It In to the senate that body also approved It And on March larch 4 of ot this yen yent President Hoover signed the hill bill So now The Star Spangled Banner Is the official national anthem by anthem by an act of ot congress approved by hy the President Almost Almot coincidentally with the objections that were being raised to the music mule of or The Star Spangled Banner because It was English a drinking song and anI came ame the tho discovery ery cry In Philadelphia of or an old oil piece of ot sheet shelt music which showed that the Ibe words of ot Keys Key's sons song were set to music by an American and that It was wal sliD sung to this tune between 1814 and The discovery wits was made by Charles F. F Nagy a It native of ot Hungary who during his 17 IT years In this country tins has become an expert on colonial history particularly colonial music and Dr Clinton A A. A Strong an undergraduate In 10 Amherst Am Am- Amherst herst college collee at the same fame time as Calvin CoolIdge Coolidge Cool Cool- hl Idge e and Dwight ht and for the last list 3 years l English master In the tho historic William Penn Charter R school bool In Philadelphia founded by Penn In l n The piece of music which they found showed that this American composed tune for The Star Spangled Banner was time the work of ot James Hewitt Hew lIew itt born In to 1770 who ho came amt from England In do 1792 to New York city where he became the orchestra leader of the tho Old American company According to O. O 7 O. O T. T who Is chief of ot the department of or music In the Library of Congress In his hook honk I Marly arly Secular American Music lie III held an on un undisputed position an u lending leading musician In New York city an anti and his lets social standing was excellent This book lists lIts nearly 20 of Hewitt's Hewitts compositions and a few tew of the titles suggest his fondness for the patriotic and heroic type of or compositions Battle Overture 1702 1792 Tammany Patriot 1704 1791 Ode Odo of ot time the Fourth of ot July Tuly 1 1700 iOlI Columbus C 1707 1797 PI II lohin Hood and ami The Tho Wounded Hussar Hus lIu sar 1800 ns its does dOls his a adaptation of ot the music of r The Washington March and Yankee Doodle Doo Doo- dle to 10 the words of ot The rill Federal Constitution and the resident President Fore orm tr According to the front cover lr of or this newly newly- discovered piece of tin In tie lc It was by y J J. J A A. A and W. W Gelb 23 1 Malden Maiden ta IIII Lane bane New York In engraved rn by T. T I Birch nut h Sung un by Darley Oar Dar Icy ley and Nicholls Pari parley wits an nn actor who played pt at time till Park ark theater In New V York from rom 1 1St 1801 H to ISH 1511 and then went to Philadelphia hut but there Is no record of r Nichols career Gelb Gelband an and Co publishers hers carried on their business S under different trade names from to and T. T Birch nt time the engraver Is known to have bave been working at his profession In New ie York and Philadelphia from l IStL J to IstO 1840 The old oltI piece of music Is undated but since It tt was sun sung In la New York by Parley DullY It must have been printed according to Its discoverers between 1314 when Key Iy wrote rolp his poem and ISID when I Darley left lert New N York which makes this tune I contemporary with the tho tune of ot The Star Spangled Span Span- Kled Banner with which Americans are famil lar The oldest oll printed copy of ot the song with the tune of ot To Anacreon AnartOn In ID Heaven tn Is now In the Boston oston Public library It was published pub by Gelb Geib and Ct Co between ISIO 10 anI and 1823 After Arler Doctor Strong and Mr Ir Nagy had ha oils dis covered this piece of nt music they had a number of ot facsimile copies coph's made and presentation cop cop- Its ies were sent to about distinguished Amer Amer- leans President Hoover r rl tI No io 1 an and former President No io 2 On the back of ot It was wu printed A Chapter r In the History of ot The Star Spanned Spangled tl Banner fanner from frol which time the facts about It given IHU u la mu this l article are taken They conclude with these words This Timis original American composition which hleb easily lends lens Itself tt to transposition Is a stirring yet jet melodious air well wort worthy by of ot the n noble ble words The combination lion tion of ot words end eat 1 music Is 15 an 00 early American acMe en w nt ent of ot which we may well be proud t 4 t bt t lorA pr tI |
