Inspired anthem performed by choir
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Conventional wisdom might have it that virtually every American school child can sing "The Star Spangled Banner," the National Anthem of the United States. Yet, according to a music educators' group, surveys show two out of three Americans do not know the words to the anthem.
For this purpose, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir paused during its regular Thursday night rehearsal on Sept. 14 — the 192nd anniversary of the day when Francis Scott Key wrote the lyrics to the anthem — and invited the audience in the Conference Center to sing along on the first verse.
In this, the choir participated with choral groups across the nation who, on that evening, also sang the anthem. The initiative is led by MENC, the National Association for Music Education (referenced above). The Tabernacle Choir is a charter sponsor of this National Anthem Project, music director Craig Jessop told the audience just before the singing of the anthem.
"The main purpose of the project is to encourage all Americans to know the words of this inspired anthem," Brother Jessop said.
He reviewed the background of the song, noting that Francis Scott Key penned the words at a dramatic moment during the War of 1812.
"On the night of Sept. 13, 1814, Key watched as our country was attacked by the British navy at Fort McHenry," he said. "After watching the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air throughout he night," Key expected at dawn "to find Baltimore firmly under British control," he said, "but was stunned to see a battered but still flying American flag waving in the sunrise. So inspired was Key that he wrote the poem 'The Star Spangled Banner' on Sept. 14, 1814."
The words are set to a tune attributed to John Stafford Smith, "To Annacreon in Heaven," Brother Jessop said. "It became America's national anthem in 1931."
Joined by the audience, the choir gave a lusty rendition of the well-known arrangement of the anthem frequently performed on the choir's tours, beginning with the men's section singing a capella, with the women and the organ joining in on the line that begins "And the rockets' red glare...." The audience applauded vigorously at the end, and Brother Jessop joked that they had all passed the choir's audition and he expected them to be at the rehearsals.
E-mail to: rscott@desnews.com
