Sheet Music: The Star-Spangled Banner

TitleThe Star-Spangled Banner
Alternate titlesNational anthem of the USA
National anthem of the United States of America
ComposerJohn Stafford Smith (1750–1836)
InstrumentationFlute and Piano
KeyB-flat major
RangeBb4–F6
Time signature3/4
Tempo96 BPM
Performance time1:00
Difficulty leveleasy
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (106 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (870 kB)
Play-along accompanimentMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (913 kB)
Date added2009-03-27
Last updated2020-11-04
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 2.4 (above average)
Categories
National anthems, Patriotic

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Friday 27 March 2009

Tune of the Day: The Star-Spangled Banner

Music by John Stafford Smith
Stars 'n' Stripes

For those of you who don't know, “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States of America.

The lyrics, coming from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, were set to the tune of a popular British drinking song, written by John Stafford Smith for the Anacreontic Society, a London social club. This “Anacreontic Song” (also called “To Anacreon in Heaven”), set to various lyrics, was at that time already popular in the United States. Set to Key's poem and suitably renamed, it would soon become a well-known American patriotic song.

With a range of one and a half octaves, this melody is known for being difficult to sing. To make it somewhat easier, we added an easier version of the piece in the last page of the score. This added version is transposed to F major, so that you won't need to play in the third register.

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