O say can you hear? : a cultural biography of "The Star-spangled banner" / Mark Clague.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clague, Mark, 1966- author.

Contributor:

Rosengarten Family Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Star-spangled banner (Song).

Patriotic music--United States--History and criticism.

Patriotic music.

United States.

Genre:

Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Physical Description:

xvi, 325 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2022]

Summary:

"The fascinating story of America's national anthem and an examination of its powerful meaning today. Most Americans learn the tale in elementary school: During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key witnessed the daylong bombardment of Baltimore's Fort McHenry by British navy ships; seeing the Stars and Stripes still flying proudly at first light, he was inspired to pen his famous lyric. What Americans don't know is the story of how this everyday "broadside ballad," one of thousands of such topical songs that captured the events and emotions of early American life, rose to become the nation's one and only anthem and today's magnet for controversy. In O Say Can You Hear? Mark Clague brilliantly weaves together the stories of the song and the nation it represents. Examining the origins of both text and music, alternate lyrics and translations, and the song's use in sports, at times of war, and for political protest, he argues that the anthem's meaning reflects--and is reflected by--the nation's quest to become a more perfect union. From victory song to hymn of sacrifice and vehicle for protest, the story of Key's song is the story of America itself. Each chapter in the book explores a different facet of the anthem's story. In one, we learn the real history behind the singing of the anthem at sporting events; in another, Clague explores Key's complicated relationship with slavery and its repercussions today. An entire chapter is devoted to some of the most famous performances of the anthem, from Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock to Roseanne Barr at a baseball game to the iconic Whitney Houston version from the 1991 Super Bowl. At every turn, the book goes beyond the events to explore the song's resonance and meaning. From its first lines Key's lyric poses questions: "O say can you see?" "Does that banner yet wave?" Likewise, Clague's O Say Can You Hear? raises important questions about the banner; what it meant in 1814, what it means to us today, and why it matters."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: ch. 1 American Dreams: Francis Scott Key and the Writing of The Star-Spangled Banner

ch. 2 Origins of a Melody: The Music of The Star-Spangled Banner

ch. 3 Banner Ballads: The Many Lyrics of The Star-Spangled Banner

ch. 4 The Banner at War: A Song Sanctified

ch. 5 Play Ball!: The Banner in Sports

ch. 6 Singing Citizenship: A Tradition of Dissent

ch. 7 Nation in Translation: Language and the Politics of Belonging

ch. 8 The Anthem and Black Lives: An American History

ch. 9 Performing Patriotism: Musical Style as Social Symbol.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-305) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Rosengarten Family Fund.

Other Format:

ebook version :

ISBN:

9780393651386

039365138X

OCLC:

1272856494