What is the history of the star spangled banner?
The history of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States, is long and circuitous. Although this song is now widely associated with the United States, it wasn’t even formally made the national anthem until 1931, when an act of Congress enshrined “The Star Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the United States. And although the song is famously difficult to sing, this wasn’t always the case, as the difficulty hinges on the key the song is played in, with most modern musicians using A-flat or B-flat, instead of G, the original key of the song.
The history of “The Star Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States, is long and circuitous. Although this song is now widely associated with the United States, it wasn’t even formally made the national anthem until 1931, when an act of Congress enshrined “The Star Spangled Banner” as the official national anthem of the United States. And although the song is famously difficult to sing, this wasn’t always the case, as the difficulty hinges on the key the song is played in, with most modern musicians using A-flat or B-flat, instead of G, the original key of the song. The tune used in “The Star Spangled Banner” is believed to date to 1750, when it was composed by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreonotic Society in London. Although popular legend often suggests that the tune was originally a drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heaven,” as the tune was originally known, was actually a paean to music and society. The Anacreonotic Society certainly did its fair share of drinking,
