I have long had two problems with the way many performers sing our national anthem at sporting events. My first concern is a technical one and, in comparison to the second, relatively minor. The seventh line of the first stanza reads as follows:
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
The adjective star-spangled modifies the noun banner, yet virtually every singer these days insists on taking a breath between star-spangled and banner. It shows laziness and is unnecessary; it is improper and no vocal coach would ever instruct their students to do so. Any singer worth listening to should be able to sing the line in one breath. This is not a “pet peeve” that is original with me. It is something that was engrained in all of us who had the opportunity to sing under Robert Page in any one of his numerous choruses. Once you realize how absurd it is to breath at that point, you realize that how right Bob was and it will bother you to no end.
The second concern has do to with current performance practices that have become the norm and are, as I perceive them, disrespectful to the very idea of a national anthem. The vast majority of singers I hear today, treat our national anthem as a pop song, to be embellished and altered at will – at their whim. They make it all about them; about how clever and creative they can be. My thoughts – a performance of The Star-Spangled Banner should never be about the singer, but should always be about our country, the trials it has been through, and the men and women who have served our country to keep it safe and free. There is a reverence due The Star-Spangled Banner that is, sadly, lacking in most performances and until the management of sporting venues insist on only hiring singers with the humility to sing our national anthem with the respect it deserves, nothing will change.
P.S. From time-to-time, the idea arises that The Star-Spangled Banner is too difficult to sing to be our national anthem. My response – deal with it. Democracy is challenging and takes effort, why shouldn’t our national anthem be challenging and require effort, as well.