ABSTRACT

A debate that surfaces from time to time concerns a proposal to change the national anthem from “The Star-Spangled Banner” to “America”. Proponents of the change argue that the former had less-than-noble origins, that it has too wide a range for the average person to sing comfortably and invites grandstanding by those who perform it, and that its lyrics ill-fit the melody and glorify a battle rather than the country itself. Range is the distance from the highest to the lowest pitch in a melody. Many folk, popular, and traditional songs span less than an octave. Most melodies unfold in a variety of pitch-rhythm patterns that might be called gestures. The gestures in “The Star-Spangled Banner” have dramatic and sweeping pitch contours, perhaps accounting for its inspirational, heroic character. Composers often infuse a melody with a sense of tonality by emphasizing the tonic and dominant.