And The Star Spangled Banner in Triumph Shall Wave
but in any language, it's unsingable (as well as being a glorification of war).
The last time I could reach that F on "free" (it's there on the word "glare" as well) was in high school as a mezzo and even then it was a stretch.
Slate has a good take on it along with some alternative suggestions. I vote for "This Land is Your Land", but then I would.
For a version of our National Anthem in yet another language, check out Delilah Boyd from a few days ago. I almost choked on my coffee.
And this is a plug for Delilah's blog. She is a true original.
When I was a kid we walked uphill both ways five miles through blizzard and pouring rain (oops - not what I meant to say) When I was a kid, we learned all the verses of our National Anthem and I still remember most of it. The title is, I think, from the last verse. Now I listen to my girls mangle it in three different keys at the same time, all screeching, and cringe.
When an entire assembly of elementary students, plus their "band", get together, it's unbelievable.
Enjoy the Slate article and Delilah.
The last time I could reach that F on "free" (it's there on the word "glare" as well) was in high school as a mezzo and even then it was a stretch.
Slate has a good take on it along with some alternative suggestions. I vote for "This Land is Your Land", but then I would.
For a version of our National Anthem in yet another language, check out Delilah Boyd from a few days ago. I almost choked on my coffee.
And this is a plug for Delilah's blog. She is a true original.
When I was a kid we walked uphill both ways five miles through blizzard and pouring rain (oops - not what I meant to say) When I was a kid, we learned all the verses of our National Anthem and I still remember most of it. The title is, I think, from the last verse. Now I listen to my girls mangle it in three different keys at the same time, all screeching, and cringe.
When an entire assembly of elementary students, plus their "band", get together, it's unbelievable.
Enjoy the Slate article and Delilah.
posted by Granny @ 5/06/2006 10:37:00 AM
5 Comments:
At Saturday, May 06, 2006 10:59:00 AM ,
David Cho said...
You are right about it being unsingable. When you get to "And the rockets...", I can't reach that high.
At Saturday, May 06, 2006 11:03:00 AM ,
Granny said...
Right - when I used to play it for people to sing I'd move it down but that made the lowest note too hard for anyone but the altos.
It takes a trained voice to handle that span (or a ball park full of happy people who don't care what they sound like).
At Saturday, May 06, 2006 11:25:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
...but in any language, it's unsingable
Ain't that the truth. Hearing the Star Spangled Banner sung in a stadium is the surest way to hear 50000 people all go off key at the same time, but as you say, they don't care.
At Saturday, May 06, 2006 2:08:00 PM ,
achromic said...
I like "This land is your land" lol but some of the later verses might be contraversial. Not that we are gonna change it. Better yet lets just take the starwars theme song and not have ANY words!! that would be great. We could do the Darth vader theme when Bush comes out......oooo well...... some people might not like that. But I think it would rock.
At Saturday, May 06, 2006 4:10:00 PM ,
Unknown said...
How about it being sung in a foreign language (with the words rewritten to suit their agenda, especially the second verse) as a
conciliatory move to "prove" to Americans that they want to be citizens.
Real immigrants to this nation learned the common tongue that unites us, even when they retained their mother tongue, they learned the Pledge of Allegiance, studied civics and demonstrated their desire to become American.
New, illegal "immigrants" want the entire US to learn THEIR language instead of vice versa and now change our national anthem to suit themselves.My sister served on a jury where the couple involved in the suit didn't speak English, although they lived and worked in the US for several years and were buying a home here. An interpreter was needed for them in the court room. The judge, who was a Hispanic-American, exhorted the jurors and members of the gallery to "learn Spanish" and addressed them in a manner that indicated they were backward and derelict by failing to be bilingual.
Excuse me!!
We are a nation of immigrants and our society is composed of peoples of many nations. Are we expected to learn the language of every immigrant? Or should immigrants learn a common tongue so all may communicate with each other? Communication is the key to unity. Or do we give preference to one minority group and change our precious historical icons to suit them?
Spanish Star Spangled (rewritten) Banner, for crying out loud. Sing it in computerese!!
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