[Dixielandjazz] A new take on the Nat'l Anthem

[Bill Gunter]

Hi all,

Russ Guarino wrote (regarding the anthem):

>Because it is so hard to sing, I just can't believe it might have been a 
>folk
>song or drinking ditty in merry old England.

Isn't it the case the only reason it is "hard to sing" is because of the 
unusual range of the melody? You know, "Happy Birthday To You" can be hard 
to sing for the very same reason. It's usually sung a capella and if the 
singer doesn't start low enough the octave jump in the middle of the song is 
pretty difficult to hit. That's probably why F is the best key in which to 
sing it.

Similarly, I don't have a vocal problem with the anthem if it starts low 
enough.

Someone mentioned a vocal quartet performing the anthem at a ball game and 
said it was quite good. Here in Sacramento there was a barbershop quartet 
which sang for the opening of a River Cats ball game (local Sacramento team) 
and it was fantastic! They got a rousing ovation. Barbershoppers are 
uniquely qualified to sing this because they always have a tenor who is 
usually capable of hitting the high notes.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "Love That Anthem" Gunter
jazzboard@hotmail.com

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