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John Stafford Smith
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John Stafford Smith

English composer

Learn about this topic in these articles:

contribution to U.S. national anthem

  • Key, Francis Scott
    In The Star-Spangled Banner: Origin of the melody

    Written by British composer John Stafford Smith—whose identity was discovered only in the 1970s by a librarian in the music division of the Library of Congress—the song was sung to signal a transition between the evening’s orchestral music concert and after-dinner participatory singing. Its original lyrics were written in…

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