Who Composed “The Star Spangled Banner”
‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is the national anthem of the United States of America. But who composed ‘The Star Spangled Banner’? This post will answer that question and also tell you some interesting facts about the national anthem.
Who Composed ‘The Star Spangled Banner’?
The lyrics of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ were composed by Francis Scott Key in 1814. He wrote the poem ‘Defence of Fort McHenry’ after witnessing an American victory during the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812. Key gave the poem to his brother-in-law Judge Joseph H. Nicholson who realized the words fit the popular melody ‘The Anacreontic Song’, a popular British drinking song at the time. This song was written by John Stafford Smith. The combination of the poem and the song gave birth to ‘The Star Spangled Banner’.
Summary: The two composers of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ are Francis Scott Key (lyrics) and John Stafford Smith (music).
Interesting Facts About ‘The Star Spangled Banner’
- Ferdinand Durang gave the first public performance of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ in October, 1814.
- ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ became the national anthem by a congressional resolution on March 3, 1931. It was signed by President Herbert Hoover.
- There are 4 verses of the song. However, only the first is commonly sung. The fourth is sometimes added on formal occasions.
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