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 a daily series of blog posts correcting “mythconceptions” of the U.S. national anthem—”The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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 a daily series of blog posts correcting “mythconceptions” of the U.S. national anthem—”The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Mark will also be on hand in Washington, D.C. on Flag Day to report on the anthem celebration. See Smithsonian for details of the star spangled birthday party on the national mall, honoring both the Fort McHenry garrison flag and the song it inspired. A webcast concert begins at 2:30 and you are invited to host your own party and join the national sing of the anthem at 4:00 p.m. Visit the Smitsonian site to register for information and to have your party appear on their national map. Don’t miss it!
We are also asking for your help in spreading the word about StarSpangledMusic.Org. Everyday our website grows and we want to reach musicians, educators, and anyone interested in the history of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to let them know about these resources. Please share the upcoming series of “Spangled Mythconceptions” with your Facebook friends and others who would love to learn about the fascinating story of Francis Scott Key’s most famous song. Use the hashtags #Anthem200 and #RaiseItUp to connect with others joining the celebration!
SPANGLED MYTHCONCEPTONS SERIES, by Mark Clague, Ph.D.
- Key was held prisoner on a British ship during Fort McHenry’s bombardment
- Key wrote the anthem on the back of an envelope
- Key wrote a “poem” that someone else set to music
- Key’s Banner is based on an old, bawdy drinking song
- Baseball’s Banner ritual begins with Babe Ruth and the 1918 World Series
- Congress made Key’s song the national anthem of the United States
- An Official Version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” Exists
- Igor Stravinsky’s Mug Shot & the Illegal Anthem