Part of our From the Desk Of….. Series
By Roger Emerson
Editor’s Note: This article was first published in the California ACDA “Cantate” Magazine – Winter 2015 (Vol. 27, No.2). We asked Roger to write something for this blog about an area of choral education close to his heart, and he sent this to us as an idea. We think singing The National Anthem is so important – no matter what your age – we wanted to share it with you in celebration of the Anthem’s 200th anniversary in 2014. So….From the Desk of….Roger Emerson!
An Anniversary Gift To The Star-Spangled Banner
Sometime in July I was hanging out with my clinician colleagues after one of our Hal Leonard workshops and the All-Star game was just commencing. My ears perked up when they announced that one of my favorite Broadway stars, Idina Menzel, was about to sing our National Anthem.
The first phrase sounded pretty good and then, suddenly my grin turned to grimace as she proceeded to break almost every rule in the book, i.e. breathing in the middle of phrases, unnecessary melismas and a contortion on the highest note (chin jutted out), that I would rather forget. Oh my, this hero to so many students and adults has just butchered an admittedly difficult song. As I like to say tactfully….”a bad match of talent and song.” She was out of her comfort zone and it showed. But wait….it’s OUR National Anthem. Shouldn’t we all be able to sing a decent rendition of the song, particularly someone with her chops?
Last year about this time as I commenced my vocal jazz ensemble, the first thing that I did was pass out the anthem. I wanted everyone to be able to sing the darn thing…it is every singer’s responsibility. Sing it straight ahead, and at a pretty good clip, no additional embellishments, and no breathing between words in a phrase. It was not brain surgery but it got me thinking; on this 200th anniversary of the song, what simple steps would I take to encourage a “respectable” rendition from all of us and our students:
- Start it low; Ab is a better key than Bb for most singers.
- Keep the tempo up. The original was a drinking song and I’m certain that it moved along at a good clip.
- Sing complete phrases, most importantly, do not breath between “Spangled” and “Banner” towards the end.
- Sing the correct melody i.e. BAN-NER (quarter, eighth-eighth)
- No unnecessary embellishments. It just isn’t necessary or appropriate.
- Suggest the audience join you!
This last item, a simple request, “Please join me in singing of our National Anthem”, gives confidence to the singer AND gives much needed practice to the populace as a whole. It would be a lovely gift to give this treasured song on its 200th birthday…it’s the thought…AND the performance that counts.
P.S. There are many wonderful choral arrangements of this song which do stray from the given melody and harmony. They are concert pieces, performance pieces if you will, and poetic license in these settings is fine. Having said that, it might be a wonderful contrast, however, to have everyone sing it traditionally before you perform your rendition. As I tell my students….”always be able to sing the original melody before you start improvising.” Better yet, on this one, no improvisation is even better!
Editor’s Note: after writing this article Roger went on to create his own arrangement of The Star-Spangled Banner for our Discovery Choral Series – perfect for developing choirs. Click HERE to see the 2-part voicing (also available for 3-part mixed).
Roger Emerson is a composer/arranger and lifelong educator. He is also the current Northern California ACDA Regional Representative. Learn more about Roger at rogeremerson.com .
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