In apparent response to the tragic holiday shootings in Highland Park, Illinois on July 4, 2022, the American poet Amanda Gorman posted an alternate lyric for “The Star-Spangled Banner” to Twitter. Appearing that same day at 11:37 p.m., the new lyric evokes the sorrow, frustration, and deadly impact of gun violence in the United States…
Category: News
Walt Whitman’s Lost Fourth of July Anthem Lyric
To celebrate the Fourth of July in 1846, American poet and journalist Walt Whitman composed a new lyric to be sung to the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Writing alternate lyics to the anthem melody is an American tradition. As musical commentary on the issues and ideas of the day, they were the viral Tweets…
New Book: O Say Can You Hear?
A Cultural Biography of “The Star-Spangled Banner”by Mark Clague I can hardly believe the book is done! These 249 pages have been a labor of love for more than a decade. I fully expected when I began starspangledmusic.org that the book would be the first project out of the gate and others would follow. Instead,…
"Banner Moments" Teacher Institute Receives $200K from NEH
Francis Scott Key could not have imagined that his lyric would inspire a month-long NEH summer institute to mark his song’s 200th anniversary, bringing scholars and performers together with thirty K-12 teachers to create inspiring and insightful classroom materials to fuel a nationwide learning celebration. In June and July 2014 “Banner Moments: The National Anthem…
StarSpangledMusic.Org Is Live!
We’re pleased to launch www.starspangledmusic.org, a source for information about the United States National Anthem as we approach the 200th anniversary of Francis Scott Key’s song on Sunday, September 14, 2014. We have projects in the works including a recording, museum exhibit, conference, and a teacher institute. Check back soon for event announcements, historical information,…