To the editor,
Most of us have grown up into adulthood singing a song written by Francis Scott Key — the Star-Spangled Banner.
Who is he?
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, lyric poet. The Star-Spangled Banner is our national anthem.
The dictionary defines anthem as “a hymn of praise or patriotism, non-metrical musical setting of sacred words, religious composition.”
Why do so many people asked to sing our national anthem at public events show so little reverence to the Star-Spangled Banner?
There are so many people asked to sing this at public events who don’t remember all the words and change the wording or try to bluff it. They also try to change the tune to rock, Western or some insulting noise.
Many of these singers scream and shriek or moan and bellow as their interpretation of our national anthem without shame or embarrassment.
The national anthem is meant to be sung a certain way. So why can’t all these singers conform to the proper way to enable everyone to sing along and be proud of our country?
Francis Scott Key, 1779-1843, wrote the Star-Spangled Banner as a poem after seeing the American flag flying over Fort McHenry in Baltimore following British shelling during the War of 1812. Congress made it our national anthem in 1931.
Virginia Donnelly
Naugatuck
