Product Description
In 1817, James Hewitt set Francis Scott Key's poem "The Defence of Fort M'Henry" (which we now better know as "The Star Spangled Banner"). Hewitt's original song gained some local popularity; however, throughout most of the country, people began singing the poet's words to a popular drinking song then known to many Americans, English composer John Stafford Smith's "To Anacreon in Heaven" (originally written for a popular gentleman's club of amateur musicians in London, the Anacreontic Society). Whereas John Stafford Smith's music was borrowed for the poem, Hewitt's music was especially composed for the poem. I was asked by Mitch Sturman, the band director of the Wilson Junior High School "Warrior" Band in El Centro, California, to arrange the original piano music for his band to play at his annual spring "Concert of Premieres" where he presented new works he had commissioned for his band from well-known band composers, and arrangements of neglected works he felt were worthy of performance. This was one of those neglected worthy pieces by an American composer for an American poem. It is orchestrated for flute, oboe, clarinets 1-3, bass clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, bassoon, French horn, trumpets 1-2, baritone horn, trombone, tuba, timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, and glockenspiel.
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.