Who hasn’t heard the patriotic tunes of the United States’ national anthem, the “Star-Spangled Banner?” As the familiar bars of the song begins to play, many people stand up, remove their hats, and place their hands over their hearts.
A favorite of many, the United States Field Band and the Soldiers’ Chorus performed a beautiful rendition of the much-loved song.
The origins of the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’
But where exactly did this staple of Americana come from? It all started on September 13, 1814. The British were attacking Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor as a part of the War of 1812. As the British tried their best to snuff out the new American nation, soldiers in the fort continued to resist.
Fort McHenry
As Francis Scott Key sat in jail due to knowledge of the impending attack, he looked out of the window a nearby ship. It was as he watched the battle at night, unsure who the victor was. It was only with the coming of the morning sun that he saw the American flag was still there.
At this point, inspired by the sight, he set pen to paper and wrote the iconic song the Star-Spangled Banner.
The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus perform the ‘Star-Spangled Banner”
The United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus perform the much-loved song. The video starts simply enough with the playing of drums. Soon, though the beautiful melody of the national anthem of the United States cuts is as the rest of the band begins to play.
This is quickly followed by the voices of the members of the choir, as they sing the familiar words, that many Americans know by heart.
“Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light?” the song begins.
The band and chorus perform as one
Soon, both band and chorus are performing together in perfect harmony, one helping to uplift the other. It seems that the Army has found the best and brightest singers and instrument players from among its ranks.
And just like that, the song is complete. But not before they leave the listeners with a patriotic spirit. There is a reason the song is played at every major sporting event across the U.S. It is hard to imagine that the tradition of playing the song at baseball games didn’t come into practice until right before World War II.
The song’s popularity grew in the wake of World War I
The soon-to-be national anthem of the United States was played during game 1 of the 1918 World Series. Everybody loved it. Due to the popularity of the song, it soon became a common occurrence to hear the song at baseball games around the country.
The Star-Spangled Banner today
It wasn’t until 1931 that the Star-Spangled Banner became the national anthem and during World War II, the song was played before every Major League Baseball game, except for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs held out for another 20 years before the performance of the song became a common occurrence at Cub home games.
You can watch the United States Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus’ wonderful performance of the Star-Spangled Banner below!
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Source: The United States Army Field Band
H/T: YouTube – The United States Army Field Band, Smithsonian Magazine, wbur
