Star Spangled Songbook Published!

Our book of sheet music and anthem history—the Star Spangled Songbook—has been published to mark the song’s 201st anniversary!The Star Spangled Songbook tells a largely forgotten story of the United States of America—of the symbiosis of both anthem and nation—in more than seventy songs with full text and performable sheet music. These all-new scholarly editions…

Concert Variations on the Star Spangled Banner for Organ

In 1861 American composer and organist, John Knowles Paine (1839–1906) composed the Concert Variations on “The Star Spangled Banner,” Op. 3, No. 2. It is paired as Opus 3 with a set of “Concert Variations on the Austrian Hymn” (Op. 3, No. 1) and thus links the musical traditions of the New World with the…

Categorized as Blog

Guest Post—Marc Leepson on Francis Scott Key (Facts #6–10)

Ten Little-Known Facts about Francis Scott Key (#6–10)By Marc Leepson Key was a close confidant of President Andrew Jackson and a member of his Kitchen Cabinet. Informal meetings often took place in Key’s expansive house on M Street (then known as Bridge Street) in Georgetown. Key served for eight years as U.S. Attorney, appointed by…

Categorized as Blog

Guest Post—Marc Leepson on Francis Scott Key (Facts #1–5)

Ten Little-Known Facts about Francis Scott Key By Marc Leepson Virtually everyone knows the name Francis Scott Key. And virtually everyone knows it for one reason: for the fact that he was the author of the words that became our National Anthem. But there was much more to Frank Key—as he was known to family…

Categorized as Blog

A Spangled "Ode to the Fourth of July" (1826 Style)

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the United States, a Mrs. K.A. Ware did what many in the 19th-century did — she wrote a song by creating new lyrics to a beloved and well known tune. This cultural conversation in song is known as the broadside ballad tradition. Building on the patriotic…

Categorized as Blog

Congratulations to SSMF Institute Alum Susan Ferguson

The Star Spangled Music Foundation is proud to cheer our Banner Moments Institute alumnus — Third Grade Language Arts and Social Studies teacher Susan Ferguson — whose extraordinary efforts to share the insights and knowledge she gained with us in Maryland with her students, colleagues, and indeed the whole Camden community in North Carolina, has…

Categorized as Blog

Music Day in St. Paul, Minnesota

Dear Star Spangled Music Foundation:Thank you so very much for your tremendous work on the bicentennial of “The Star Spangled Banner.”  Your website, music and videos, articles, ideas, logo, etc… and etc… were extremely beneficial as my fellow teachers and I planned lessons on the singing and significance of the anthem for our PreK-eighth grade…

Categorized as Blog

Banner Moment #9: August 18, 1969—Hendrix Plays the Anthem at Woodstock

Banner Moments History Series (forward / back)Banner Moments History Series (forward / back)

A Celebration of Two Centuries of a Song — 4PM Live Stream

Two hundred years ago today, the “dawn’s early light” broke over Fort McHenry and illuminated a flag symbolizing resilience and courage. Two hundred years later, the song written by Francis Scott Key in praise of the fort’s defenders still waves over the nation, celebrating the commitment of American citizens to the day-to-day requirements of democracy.Today…

Star Spangled Music Day Report—New York Public Library Exhibit Opening

In celebration of Star Spangled Music Day, the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts hosted Metropolitan Opera star Susanne Mentzer who helped open an exhibit in the third floor reading room. Ms. Mentzer performed the anthem and engaged in a discussion with Music Division Chief George Boziwick. A video…

Categorized as Blog