Spangled Mythconception #1: Key Was Held Prisoner on a British Ship during the Battle of Baltimore

MYTH #1: Francis Scott Key was held prisoner aboard a British ship during the bombardment of BaltimoreCORRECTION: Key was aboard his own American truce ship during the battleKey and fellow lawyer John S. Skinner, the U.S. Agent for Prisoners of War, sailed from Baltimore on September 5, 1814 on an American truce ship and headed…

Star Spangled Myths: Correcting the Anthem Story

Celebrate Flag Day with SSMF & the Smithsonian Museum of American History with your own #RaiseItUp performance of the Banner! In honor of the U.S. Flag Day holiday on June 14, 2014 and celebrating our partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History, Star Spangled Music Foundation board member Mark Clague will be presenting…

Dudley Buck's Festival Overture on the American National Air

In 1879, one of America’s leading American composers—Dudley Buck (a name often neglected today)—wrote a Festival Overture to celebrate Independence Day. The seven-minute piece for full orchestra (with optional chorus) was based on the melody of “The Star-Spangled Banner” or what the composer called the “American National Air.” Both the national music festival and Key’s…

NEW "Historical" SATB Banner Arrangement—Guest Post: Ross W. Duffin of Quire Cleveland

FREE SCORE! Click Image to download or go to our free scores page “Historical” SATB Arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Arranged 2012 by Ross W. Duffin Note: credit “Arranged by Ross W. Duffin” and please email microloguspress@gmail.com with performance information. In researching a program of historical American choral music for Quire Cleveland, I decided to…

Poets & Patriots Live! Now on Youtube

Our Poets & Patriots Live! recording release recital is now archived and available on our starspangledmusic Youtube channel. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEHDlXUvHWwIM0i9ZQSnCGWbFH5PgzS9l] This lecture recital offers an artistic journey through the history of the United States national anthem from its roots in an English club song through a brand-new arrangement by Boston-based composer Michael Gandolfi. Each song is…

Happy Presidents' Day—Poets & Patriots Live at 8pm EST

UPDATE: the entire Poets & Patriots Live recital is now available on Youtube — click here! To celebrate “George Washington’s Birthday” (aka. Presidents’ Day), the University of Michigan’s American Music Institute with the Star Spangled Music Foundation presents Poets & Patriots Live! a lecture recital at U-Michigan’s North Campus “Stamps Auditorium” (1226 Murfin Ave. /…

An Inspiring Anthem from Resounding Joy

SSMF Executive Director Susan Key recently had the opportunity to speak with Rebecca Vaudreuil, a student in Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and national military liaison to the music therapy organization Resounding Joy, about a very special rendition of the Banner… http://youtu.be/e3UEagpfeUM?t=1m29s On August 10, 2013, Rebecca and United States Marine Corps Sgt, Retired, Benjamin Tourtelot,…