Music
Well into the 19th century, it was a common practice to attach new words to existing melodies. For example, most early American hymnals (books of hymns to be sung in church) showed just the words a...
Setting
"The Star-Spangled Banner" has a very specific setting: the battle of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. Even more specifically, it tells the story of the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenr...
Songwriting
Most are so familiar with “The Star-Spangled Banner” as a song that they forget that it was written as a poem. Francis Scott Key was an amateur poet, not a musician. In fact, some argue that it...