It鈥檚 hard to imagine a Fourth of July celebration without certain things 鈥� cookouts, fireworks, the American flag and the singing of 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner.鈥� But for many, Francis Scott Key鈥檚 iconic song can sound a little sour.
It doesn鈥檛 seem to matter who you are, even professional singers struggle with America鈥檚 national anthem. Over the years, country artist , Black Eyed Peas frontwoman and former Olympic track star have all been publicly lambasted for botching the song.
Dr. Ed Siegel is cringing with the rest of us when people mess up the song, but he doesn鈥檛 think they deserve all the blame. You can also thank the song's wide range.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very low and then it鈥檚 very high,鈥� said Siegel, a psychiatrist by trade and musician by hobby.
While the lyrics were written by poet Francis Scott Key, the music came from John Stafford Smith鈥檚 popular British drinking song "
鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 believe how long it took ,鈥� Siegel said.
Francis Scott Key wrote it in 1814. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson designated it as the military鈥檚 anthem. But it took many petitioners 鈥� including the Boy Scouts of America and the Daughters of the American Revolution 鈥� before Wilson signed an executive order in 1924 making it the country's national anthem. Then in 1931 Congress passed an act confirming that order and President Herbert Hoover signed it into law.
Siegel understands long waits. For more than 20 years, he鈥檚 been on a to make the anthem easier to sing.
With some minor tweaks, the song could be much less intimidating, he said.
鈥淚 have been conducting a sing-along for 31 years in Solana Beach, California, and I鈥檓 able to adjust the key to any song so that everyone can sing it,鈥� Siegel said. 鈥淲ithout even thinking, I found the key that I was playing (the anthem) in allowed everyone to hit the 'high' notes.鈥�
Typically, 鈥淭he Star-Spangled Banner鈥� is performed in B flat major. The trick is to perform it in G major, he said.
Seeing members of the sing-along get excited about hitting those usually out-of-reach high notes 鈥� particularly that 鈥淥'er the land of the free鈥� part 鈥� gave Siegel an idea: Why doesn鈥檛 everyone just sing it in that key?
He brought a resolution to the Solana Beach City Council that when the anthem was performed at city events, it be played in G major.
It passed unanimously, Siegel said.
https://vimeo.com/29294213">Dr. Ed Siegel on the Today Show with Katie Couric from https://vimeo.com/user8586885">Dr. Ed Siegel on .
The movement gained a lot of media attention, netting interviews with NBC's Katie Couric and , along with a story on the front page of the New York Times. But that was more than a decade ago. Since then, he鈥檚 been unable to convince people on a national level to make the change, although he hasn't given up.
鈥淏ecause I saw that ,鈥� Siegel said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that he will find it as something that even he can sing.鈥�
Now Siegel has enlisted the aid of his hometown orchestra, the , along with local composer .
The Northwestern University music composition student was commissioned to write 鈥淔anfare for the National Anthem.鈥� The piece, featuring the anthem in the lower key, will premiere at the City of Fort Collins鈥� Fourth of July celebration at City Park.
鈥淚 really thought, well, here鈥檚 my chance to harmonize this timeless, patriotic classic in a way that can really stir people鈥檚 emotions,鈥� Boxley said.
The goal was to do that in a way that keeps the song鈥檚 swelling emotion, he said, but that also makes it possible for people to get swept up in the music and sing, rather than worry about hitting all the right notes.
鈥淪ometimes in composing it feels like you鈥檙e trying to communicate the flood of emotion that you feel so that other people will hear your music and feel that, too,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 the goal for Siegel: to get crowds at baseball or football games singing the national anthem again instead of cringing.
鈥淚 mean, can you imagine?鈥� he said. 鈥淚 am sick and tired of hearing people play with our national anthem... It鈥檚 meant for us to experience together. It鈥檚 not meant for someone to show off their vocal chops and it鈥檚 become that, and it鈥檚 really sad.鈥�
It鈥檚 also not limited to just this song.
鈥淚 think our country has developed a PTSD about singing because growing up here in Fort Collins, we sang all the time,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e sang at the theaters -- -- we sang around the campfires at City Park, everyone sang, everyone. All these things have gone by the way. When I ask people to sing, you鈥檇 think I was asking them to take their clothes off or something.鈥�
That, Siegel said, can be damaging.
鈥淏ecause music is so close to our emotions," he said. "Every child is encouraged to sing -- you know, 鈥楾winkle, Twinkle鈥� or 鈥極ld MacDonald鈥� -- but then at some point, they start realizing they鈥檙e doing it to entertain other people. They become self-conscious and they close down.鈥�
When you sing songs that inspire pride and patriotism 鈥� like the 鈥淪tar-Spangled Banner鈥� 鈥� it encourages a sense of community and belonging, he said.
Even if you can鈥檛 sing like Beyonc茅.
The Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra will perform
