136. Smith, John Stafford. “The Anacreontic Song as Sung at the Crown & Anchor Tavern in the Strand the Words by Ralph Tomlinson Esqr. late President of the Society.” London, Longman and Broderip, 26 Cheapside [1771], 3 pages quarto; full leather presentation binding in red, blue and gold flag motif.

The extremely rare and very first printing of the tune known as “The Star Spangled Banner.”

The tune started out in life as the constitutional hymn of the Anacreontic Society, a group of wealthy amateur musicians who, from 1766, met in the Crown and Anchor Tavern to sing catches and glees. John Stafford Smith had a considerable reputation as a composer of catches and glees and also wrote a number of anthems and hymns. Smith’s tune became immensely popular, especially in the United States. Richard Hill compiled a list of more than eighty settings to different words that appeared in America before 1820. In 1814, Francis Scott Key used the tune and wrote the words with which it is now associated. In this form it soon became a national song and, in 1931, it was officially adopted by the United States as the national anthem.
References: BUC page 1011, RISM S 3705, Fuld page 529. $15,000 - $25,000

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