Saturday, March 30, 2024

March 30 - John Stafford Smith (The Musical Birthday series, 6th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for March 30th may be found here: John Stafford Smith (2019), Celine Dion (2020), Eric Clapton (2021). Johann Wilhelm Wilms (2022), and Antonio de Cabezón (2023)

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John Stafford Smith (30 March 1750 – 21 September 1836) was a pioneer in the collection and study of musical manuscripts, a friend of Haydn and Mozart, and a minor composer.   

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Repurposing 


The poem was set to the tune of a popular song written by John Stafford Smith  Anacreontic Society,  a men's social club in London. – Wikipedia, s.v. “The Star-Spangled Banner“


Because "some of the comic songs [were not] exactly calculated for the entertainment of ladies, the singers were restrained; which displeasing many of the members, they resigned one after another; and a general meeting being called, the society was dissolved" – Wikipedia, s.v. “The Anacreontic Song“


“O say, can you see”

  Is sung to his tune,

But the song came to be

  For the bar or saloon.


They’d raise up a glass

  And the toast that they gave

Was rather more crass

 Than “The Home of the Brave!”

 

 

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