As a result, it becomes a deeply personal expression. It requires a commitment and a passion to pull off that wide range. You have to use your voice, your body, your breath to give living resonance to this particular symbol. The anthem is something you have to actively perform. These symbols delineate inclusion and exclusion they serve as points of social negotiation. – as well as visitors, immigrants, and foreign citizens living here – have some relationship to the nation that is articulated through patriotic symbols: the eagle, the flag, the anthem. “The story of the song is really something bigger – it’s about the power of music in our lives to help us figure out who we are as human beings,” says Clague. Two centuries later, the lyrics continue to articulate the relationship of individuals to sacrifice and freedom, citizenship and democracy. But it was Key’s skilled use of timeless imagery, notably the flag, that captivated the nation long after the battle. His original intent was to celebrate America’s against-all-odds victory at Baltimore on Sept. Key was just one of many poets to set words to the jaunty melody by English church musician John Stafford Smith. No one would have been more surprised than Key by its ascent to national honor, says Mark Clague, associate professor of musicology and director of research in the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD). 14, 2014, the nation will mark the bicentennial of Francis Scott Key’s original lyric, set to an existing melody borrowed from an amateur musician’s club in London. This double CD includes songs and instrumentals related to the history of the anthem, many never before recorded.
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