Super Bowl

[Kevin Doherty]

Good thoughts fron Kick and Ri. Thanks for your contributions. I will pursue this a little further because I want to satisfy my curiosity. No lives down. Nine left.

K. As I always say, I can spell, but I can't type.

[fsubone]

There are orchestral and band versions of the various anthems. That's a big load to handle, but if they can do it, they deserve great credit. However I don't know how a relatively small orchestral brass section expands into a full blown wind band. Once again, I applaud any organization that can carry this out.

Where do the arrangements come from?

But getting back to the root questions, which US Military bands are playing which arrangements and who arranged them? We already have one answer that I don't dispute - Marines- Sousa.

Quiz - When did the SSB become the National Anthem? I know the answer, but it would be fun to see the responses and not for any smart guy purpose, but out of curiosity.

Kevin

If I remember correctly, it became recognized by the Navy during World War 1, but it wasn't until the early 30s that it got signed into law as the "National Anthem". Weird that the song sat around for over 100 years before becoming a song we hear so often now.

[Kevin Doherty]

FSUBONE.

You were the only one to respond, so not only are you the winner for being in first place, but you get the booby prize for being in last place and they cancel each other out.

The answer is 1931 and yes, it did sit around for over 100 years, but I wonder if there were other competitors such as Columbia, the Hail of the Ocean?

And what is with this standing up with hand over heart for "America"? It was was an Irving Berlin show tune. I am somewhat baffled by this, but I understand the connection with 9/11. Nevertheless, I cannot understand that people think it is the National Anthem. If I chose to not stand up, etc, I would probably be brutalized.

Sorry for ranting, but you are IMO one of the rational people on these threads.

K

[Kevin Doherty]

Hello responders.

I do not dispute your information. but am curious to know about your sources.

Kevin

[fsubone]

FSUBONE.

You were the only one to respond, so not only are you the winner for being in first place, but you get the booby prize for being in last place and they cancel each other out.

The answer is 1931 and yes, it did sit around for over 100 years, but I wonder if there were other competitors such as Columbia, the Hail of the Ocean?

And what is with this standing up with hand over heart for "America"? It was was an Irving Berlin show tune. I am somewhat baffled by this, but I understand the connection with 9/11. Nevertheless, I cannot understand that people think it is the National Anthem. If I chose to not stand up, etc, I would probably be brutalized.

Sorry for ranting, but you are IMO one of the rational people on these threads.

K

Yay, first and last. Breaking even

Awesome. Thanks for the compliments too. I try and be rational on here, but I can get a bit crazy too, just like everyone else

That's a good question as to why they picked the song they did? How exactly does a country choose a National Anthem, or a nation's song? I mean, America the Beautiful is kind of considered our "song", same way Nimrod is over in England. How do they pick these things?

[JimF-LowBari]

Quiz - When did the SSB become the National Anthem? I know the answer, but it would be fun to see the responses and not for any smart guy purpose, but out of curiosity.

Kevin

And Ripleys "Believe It Or Not" syndicated strip took some credit for telling people that the US did not have a National song. As for arrangements, originally Key wrote a poem that someone (forget who) set to the tune of an old English drinking song "Anselon(sp!) in Heaven". Have a recording of a Civil War Brass Band version which is a lot more upbeat and repeats the last two lines. I'd like to know when SSB slowed down and dropped the repeat.

LOL, had this debate years past on DCP in the non-DC area. I no longer have access there but I remember I REALLY PO'ed someon by bringing up the drinking tune bit. That or that some drinkers would use it as a test for being blott. IOW - if you can still sing it right you're not drunk enough (remember it was upbeat).

[Rifuarian]

And Ripleys "Believe It Or Not" syndicated strip took some credit for telling people that the US did not have a National song. As for arrangements, originally Key wrote a poem that someone (forget who) set to the tune of an old English drinking song "Anselon(sp!) in Heaven". Have a recording of a Civil War Brass Band version which is a lot more upbeat and repeats the last two lines. I'd like to know when SSB slowed down and dropped the repeat.

LOL, had this debate years past on DCP in the non-DC area. I no longer have access there but I remember I REALLY PO'ed someon by bringing up the drinking tune bit. That or that some drinkers would use it as a test for being blott. IOW - if you can still sing it right you're not drunk enough (remember it was upbeat).

Thing is, the "drinking song" song thing is a myth. "To Anacreon in Heaven" was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an association of musicians and composers in 18th century London. Of course, since they were musicians they were probably drunk whenever they sang it, so there is some truth to the myth. And wine gets a mention or two in the lyrics.

There's no single way countries determine national anthems. Sometimes governments simply commission composers to create an anthem. Sometimes lyrics are set to pieces of classical music. In the 70s Australia held a contest for the purpose of creating a national anthem, but the committee that was to determine the winner rejected all the entries as "unworthy". They stuck with "God Save the Queen" until the 80s, when an already existing song was chosen. In the 2000s Scotland used a poll to let the public choose a national anthem.

Sometimes it's established through usage. "La marseillaise" was the undisputed anthem of the Revolution, so there was no question about it not being the French anthem. In the case of the U.S., there were several songs in contention, but SSB had an organized campaign to support it. "God Save the Queen" is the anthem of the UK by custom only

. . . each of the constituent kingdoms have their own "songs": Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory, and Nimrod for England, Flower of Scotland and Scotland the Brave for Scotland, etc.