Wednesday 6 August 2008

The Star Spangled Banner

And nobody knew.

The words of the Star Spangled Banner were written by Francis Scott Key and set to earlier music by an English composer, John Stafford Smith.

John Stafford Smith was born in Gloucester, attended the cathedral school, and Gloucester Cathedral is his burial place.

Updated to give some links:

Gloucester Cathedral Amercian connections (there are several connections)
BBC


8 comments:

  1. I tried... not hard enough evidently. But I scoured the wiki for anything aside from Harry Potter.

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  2. If I'm perfectly, perfectly honest, as I always am of course :), I came across the reference by accident. I just thought it was odd that there was an American flag at the cathedral.

    I should have given the link. I'll update the post.

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  3. Interesting. This was more than I knew

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  4. I knew the music was from an old English drinking song, sung in inns and taverns in the late 18th century, a song which soon migrated to America. Well, not a song about drinking, but a song often sung by drunks, is what I mean. You didn't mention the drinking part. Probably because of the author's cathedral connection. I shudder to think you maybe didn't KNOW. :) But in the U.S., schoolchildren are/were taught that the title was "To Anacreon In Heaven." And that is the title I have in my mind since that teaching. Interesting post about the connection to the cathedral organist. If I were to ask you if you wanted me to go on and address your other connection points, I'm sure you would say "pass". Your loss, lovely lady. :)

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  5. Hello Tanisha, how nice to see you. I believe it was a song about drinking, a bawdy song too in fact. Do YOU know the words? I didn't mention it because it didn't seem particularly relevant and might offend certain sensibilities such as your own.

    And, besides, I'll instruct ye, like me, to entwine,
    The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine.



    Please do enlighten me on the next connection points, I wouldn't like to lose out on anything at all.

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  6. @ Redbeard (love the quill name!)

    Just goes to show wiki doesn't know everything - the answer, along with many other US connections, is on the Gloucester Cathedral website, (which I checked AFTER commenting on previous post).
    j

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  7. It just goes to show, you people can find anything on Google. (except you redbeard) ha ha

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  8. I never knew that there was an English connection to this song so thanks for enlightening me.

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