Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-09
NATIONAL ANTHEMS.
Why o Distinctive American Song has
not yet been Produced.

NATIONAL ANTHEMS.
Why Distinctive American Song has
not yet been Produced.
| NATIONAL AIR DEPENDENT UPON STIRRING
occAsIoS-PATRIoTIc SONGS OF AMERICA AND
HOW THEY WERE PRODUCED SOMETHING
ABOUT EUROPEAN NATIONAL ANTHEMS.
Some one who went it strong on sentiment
remarked years ago that he didn't care who
made the laws of a country if he could make
the songs. In free America for a hundred
years or more the privilege craved by this per-
son has been open to all corners, but the COM
paint is still heard that the American song,
like the often-talked of great American novel,
has not yet been written. This lack of a dis
tinctly national American air, which whould be
so-recognized on all hands, does not seem to
worry the people to any great extent, but
among musicians it is often commented
on. The government of the United States
is too severely practical to concern
itself about matters of this kind, so that oven
If there was in existence a song or hymn gen.
orally accepted by Americans as national it
would probably not obtain any official status.
Neither is there a court band to take the lead
and give the tempo as it were, but there is a
DdHu WHICH, III measure, ulScnarSeS the
functions of the court bands of the European
capitals. This is the Marine band of Washing
ton, and its leader, Prof. Sousa, has frequently
OF late had the question of a national Ameri-
can air forced on his attention.
II think, with many other musicians" Prof.
Sousa said to STAR reporter the other night,
that the American national air has not yet
been written, and may not be for years to
come. National songs grow out of some great
popular occasion, some deep and widespread
stirring of the national feeling. They sing
themselves, as it were, for when the time is
ripe the right man has only to give the air and.
as ii by magic, the whole people catch up the
chorus and the thing is done. In our history
no such great occasion has yet arisen, the
popular heart has not been stirred, the strong
the expression has been lac king, and SO the
song has not been sung"
PATRIOTIC SONGS.
"But how about Hail Columbia the Star
Spangled Banner and Yankee Doodle?'" the
reporter inquired.
''Well should call them merely patriotic
songs. There are others beside the three you
have named that are equally good, but that
have failed to become as we'll known. Such,
for instance, is Columbia, the Gem of the
Ocean But none of these. in my opinion.
fuliills the essential conditions of true Ameri-
can national air. Now, think. the American
national air should certainly be entirely the
work OF Americans as well as a true express
sion of genuine American feeling. Hail
Columbia was originally composed by Ger
man named Fyles, leader of the orchestra Mt
the yohn-street theater, New York, in
compliment to Gen. Washington, and was
known for many years under the name of
the Presidents March, The words were not
written until 1898. In that year much excite
ment arose in this country and good deal of
national feeling was aroused over the contro-
versy with France. At the height of this ex-
element in Philadelphia a young vocalist. who
was to have a benefit, bethought himself of
turning the patriotic sentiment to his own adj
vantage by having words written for the Presi-
dents March and singing them. He applied
to a man named Joseph Hopkinson, who was.
by the way, a son of Francis Hopkinson. one of
the signers, to write the words for him. These
words found at once a ready response in every
American heart and became immensely pop
ular.
AS FOR THE STAR sPANGLED BANNER
the air is an old English one, and it used to be
sung to rollicking stanzas called Anacreon in
Heaven beginning:
"'To Anacreon in Heaven. where he sat in full glee
few sons of Harmony sent petition.
That he their inspirer and patron should be-
when this answer arriyedfrom the jolly old Grecian.'
''What the answer was l don't remember. but
these lines show you there was not much of
the sentiment or martial spirit of the star
Spangled Banner associated with the original
air. Francis Scott Keys words are fine. of
course. and were written under peculiarly in
spring conditions, as you may re-
member. 1t was on the i4th of
September, 1914, you know, during the war
with England After the British burned WASH
ington they advanced on Baltimore. They
were met by small force of Americans,
who were captured by the British. Among
them was DR.. Beames, friend of Key,
whose release the latter sought to obtain. He
went for that purpose in a small sail-boat to the
British admiral's vessel and was detained there
for twenty-four hours during the terrible bonn
bardment. At daylight in the morning, after
all the frightful storm of shot and shell, an
American flag to which the British had directed
much of their fire still floated defantly over
Fort McHenry. 1t caught the eye of Key.
who pulled from his pocket an old letter and
wrote on the head of a barrel the words which
are now so familiar.
YANKEE DOODLE.
s.'Yankee Doodle is of rather a low-comedy
turn, and while foreigners charge us with a
lack Of dignity, distinction and reverence, l
don't think we are ready to adopt comic song
for our national air.
II have several times been called upon"
Prof. Sousa continued, 'for the American
national air by foreign governments. In the
early part of 1887, while he was minister of
finance. Gen. Boulanger sent me request
through Capt. st. Maur, military attache of the
French legation here, for an official copy of the
music and words of our national air. A similar
request came later in the same year from the
British government, on the occasion OF the
queens jubilee. Each time / sent Hail
Columbia for the reason already explained
that both music and words were written in this
country.
ATTEMPTS ARE BEING MADE
all the time to write the air for which we are
all waiting, but with poor success because, as
have explained. the occasion for the song has
not yet arisen. Among REGENTS attempts are
the Salute to the Flag by Mr.. Preston. now
correspondent here of the New York Herald:
the American Union by Prof. Widows. also
OF this city; God for U.s. by Converse: Cen
tennial Ode by Paine; God Save Our Presi-
dent, by Willard, and many others which can't
recall. Hardlya week goes by that do not
receive a new national air. l faithfully play
them all, but, strange to say, 1 never receive
requests to have them repeated. curious
thing about it is that most of these attempts to
write national airs for us are made by for
eigners. The first thing most foreigners do on
landing, in fact seems to be to sit down. on
hearing that We have no well-defined national
air, and attempt to supply the deficiency
''Of the above, Prof. Widows is an English
man. Converse is a Pennsylvania man. and
also composed What a Friend we have in
Jesus Probably the very latest addition to
our national songs is this which received to-
day from member of Congress-" Mr.. Sousa