The Star-Spangled Banner

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One of the five originals of the Star-Spangled Banner , only two of which have survived.
Performance by Merrill Miller (1944)

The Star-Spangled Banner has been the official national anthem of the United States since March 3, 1931 . The text was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 . He wanted to express his joy at America's victory over the British, who had heavily bombed Fort McHenry near Baltimore with their warships that night during the war of 1812 . The reason he paid tribute to the United States flag (the "Stars and Stripes") was because of his relief that it was still flying over the fort the day after the British attacks.

The melody comes from the popular English drinking song To Anacreon in Heaven by John Stafford Smith . In 1916 the American military bands received instructions from President Woodrow Wilson to play this song on official occasions. It was not until 1931 that the binding melody for the hymn was officially set in addition to the text.

text

On official occasions, only the first verse of the Star-Spangled Banner is usually sung. The third and fourth stanzas do not count towards the national anthem because of their strongly anti-British tendencies .

original

1. O! say can you see
by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed
at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still there;
O! say does that star-spangled
banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave?

2. On the shore dimly seen
through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host
in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze,
o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows,
half conceals, half want?
Now it catches the gleam
of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected
now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner,
O! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave.

3. And where is that band
who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war
and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country,
should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out
their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save
the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight,
or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner
in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave.

4. O! thus be it ever,
when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home
and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace,
may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made
and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must,
when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto:
" In God is our trust ;"
And the star-spangled banner
in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free
and the home of the brave !

translation

1. O say, can you see
in the early light of dawn
what we so proudly greeted
in the last glimmer of dusk?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
wafted so stately through the dangerous battles
over the walls we guarded
?
And the bright red light of the rockets,
the bombs exploding in the air,
proved through the night
that our flag was still there.
Oh say, does that
star-studded banner still blow
over the land of the free
and the home of the brave?

2. Can still be seen on the bank
through the mist of the deep
Where the enemy's arrogant army
rests in fearful silence
What is it that the breeze
over the
towering steep slope, When it blows,
half conceals, half reveals?
Now it captures the shimmer of
the first morning
ray. Reflected in full splendor
, it now shines in the (light) stream.
It's the stars and stripes!
O long may it blow
over the land of the free
and the home of the brave!

3. And where is the group
that boasted
that the desolation of war
and the turmoil of battle should never leave us
a home and a land
?
Their blood has already washed away
the pollution of their stinking footsteps.
No refuge could save
the mercenaries and slaves
from the horror of flight
or the darkness of the grave.
And the star-studded banner
will fly in triumph
Over the land of the free
and the home of the brave!

4. Oh, so be it forever
where free men stand
Between their beloved homes
and the desolation of war!
Blessed with victory and peace,
may the land saved from heaven extol
the power
that made and preserved us as a nation.
Then we must win
if our cause is just.
And this is our motto:
“We trust in God.”
And may the star-studded banner
wave in triumph
over the land of the free
and the home of the brave!


History of origin

Francis Scott Key on a boat, his right arm outstretched to the American flag waving over Fort McHenry. History painting by Edward Percy Moran (1862–1935).

On September 3, 1814, during the British-American War , Francis Scott Key and John Stuart Skinner were on the HMS Minden to obtain the release of a friend, William Beanes . He was captured in Washington, DC on charges of helping to capture British soldiers. Key and Skinner boarded HMS Tonnant on Sept. 7 and spoke to General Robert Ross and Admiral Alexander Cochrane over dinner as they discussed war plans. Initially, Ross and Cochrane refused to release the captured Beanes. They soon gave in, however, when Key and Skinner showed them letters from wounded British prisoners thanking Beanes and other Americans for their treatment.

The original flag of the USA from Fort Henry, still with only 15 stars

Since Key and Skinner learned of plans to attack Baltimore , they were held until the end of the battle; first on board the HMS Surprise, then on the HMS Minden, on which they waited behind the ranks of the British fleet for the end of the battle. The attack began on September 13 and the bombardment of the city lasted 25 hours. At the end of the battle the following morning, Key was inspired by the American victory; especially the image of the American flag still hoisted amidst the evidence of the battle.

The next day Key wrote a poem on board the ship on the back of a letter that he still had in his pocket. After arriving in Baltimore with Skinner, he finished the poem he called Defense of Fort McHenry at the Indian Queen Hotel. Key later gave his poem to his brother-in-law Joseph Nicholson, who noted that it matched the tune of To Anacreon in Heaven . Nicholson had the poem printed anonymously on September 17; three days later it appeared in the Baltimore Patriot and The American with the comment Tune: Anacreon in Heaven . A little later, Thomas Carr published text and melody together under the name The Star-Spangled Banner , under which it quickly became known.

Spanish and other non-English versions

During the Civil War , a modification of the song called The Flag of Secession was sung to the same melody in the Confederate States of America .

In the course of the discussion on the legal status of immigrants, a Spanish version with Latin rhythms was recorded in 2006 under the title Nuestro Himno (Our Hymn). However, it is by no means the first foreign-language version of the US national anthem (and also not intended as such), nor is it the first Spanish version. This was published by the US Department of Education in 1909. The new version of Nuestro Himno was recorded by artists such as Gloria Trevi , Carlos Ponce and Olga Tañón and released on April 28, 2006. The Spanish version of the anthem is seen as an answer to the discussion about tightening US immigration laws. Conservative circles are demanding the massive deportation of illegal immigrants. Nuestro Himno is representative of the Latino immigrants, who are estimated to include over ten million illegal immigrants. Contrary to the ideas of those involved in the production, the piece is not only seen as an expression of the feeling of belonging to the United States of America, but also partly as a denigration of the national anthem and a rejection of the value system of American society.

In 1851, a German translation of the English text by Hermann Seele, who was born in Hildesheim in 1823 and emigrated to America in 1843, was published. He probably wrote the version for the Texas Singing Association , but the version quickly spread among German-Americans in the United States.

German-American Star Spangled Banner.JPG

1. O! Say, can you see
in the dawn's ray,
What so proudly we
greeted in the departing evening red?
The stars, the stripes that
waving from the wall,
In the deadly battle
sweetened the sight for us ?
The flag fluttered high
in glorious splendor,
When the bombs shine
through the dark night.
O! Says whether the banner,
strewn with stars, still blows over the
land of the free
and brave?

2. To see
from the beach through the fog of the sea,
where the enemy crowd rest
in threatening silence,
What is it that the wind '
on fortified heights'
with teasing woes
soon cover, soon show?
Now the sun is
shining brightly,
now it shines from the mountain,
now it blows over the valley.
O! The banner is
strewn with stars,
That
still wafts over the land of the free and brave.

3. And where is the bond that
swore recklessly ,
That the horrors of war,
the raging battles,
should rob us of our home
and country's flour ?
Her heart and soul pay for
the wicked striving.
No mercy nor sparing
for master and for servant,
only death be the solution,
then we are avenged.
And victoriously
sown the banner with stars, Over the
land of the free
and brave still hurts.

4. And where the men stand united for
freedom and fatherland
,
there send from above,
The
mighty hand to save the fighters ,
The free ones must
praise the Father there.
The thing is fair,
in God we trust.
D'rum be the solution,
on him we build firmly
and victoriously the banner,
seeded with stars, still blows over the
land of the free
and brave.

Walter D. Kamphoefner , historian and migration researcher at A&M University in Texas, found in his studies that this German version was sung in Illinois schools in 1917, which were mostly attended by German-speaking students. With the entry of the USA into the First World War , this stopped suddenly.

More performances

  • The German composer Hugo Kaun composed a symphonic festival march for large orchestra (op. 29) on this melody.
  • Jimi Hendrix performed a sensational performance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 . In protest against the Vietnam War, he let the melody of the anthem drown in the war noise made on the guitar.
  • Whitney Houston sang a soul version of Super Bowl XXV in 1991, which was released as a single and landed at number 20 in 1991 and number 6 in 2001, the second time after José Feliciano's version that the anthem was on the Billboard Hot 100 was.
  • In 2006 the Slovenian band Laibach, originally from the post-industrial environment, released a cover version under the title America on the album Volk , on which they reenacted national anthems.
  • The Canadian band Daylight for Deadeyes released a cover version on February 26, 2013.

Rules of conduct

Title 36 of the United States Code , Section 301 regulates the expected posture when playing the national anthem:

Conduct during playing
During a rendition of the national anthem -
(1) when the flag is displayed -
(A) all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart;
(B) men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold the headdress at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; other
(C) individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note; other
(2) When the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed.

Translation:

Conduct during the performance of the national anthem
1) When the flag is up,
a) All those present, with the exception of those in uniform, should turn to the flag and place their right hand on their heart;
b) Men who are not in uniform should remove their headgear with their right hand and hold it on their left shoulder so that their hand is over their heart;
c) uniformed persons should salute from the first to the last note of the hymn.
2) If no flag is hoisted, all those present should turn in the direction of the music and behave as if the flag was being displayed.

literature

  • Irvin Molotsky: The flag, the poet, and the song. The story of the Star-Spangled Banner . Dutton, New York 2001, ISBN 0-525-94600-4 .

Web links

Commons : The Star-Spangled Banner  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Francis Scott Key: The Star Spangled Banner (lyrics), 1814
  2. ^ The flag of secession in the English-language Wikisource
  3. ↑ loc. Gov
  4. ↑ Text and audio at washingtonpost.com
  5. ↑ memory.loc.gov
  6. ↑ Jimi Hendrix: "Star-Spangled Banner" . In: Martin Geck : War and Peace. Materials for music lessons . Marohl Musikverlag, Witten and Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-89006-022-6 , p. 41.
  7. ↑ Daylight For Deadeyes: The Star Spangled Banner - Daylight for Deadeyes. February 26, 2013, accessed July 11, 2019 .