The national anthem of the United States was on display today at the inauguration of Joseph R. Biden Jr., the 46th President of the country. Notoriously difficult to sing, the anthem has an unusually wide range of an octave and a half, and is usually pitched in the key of B-flat, with the lowest note being a B-flat below middle C and going all the way up to a high F—way more than the average hymn which is a range of about a sixth, according to Mark Mitchell who did a statistical analysis of hymns and vocal range.
Singing the fiendishly difficult American national anthem was pop star Lady Gaga, as you can hear and see below.
Well! The rhythm was NO WAY like any I’ve seen in any standard notated version, like I found on the Internet for tenor saxophone!
Here’s what a professional soprano, Catherine Bott, a Baroque specialist, had to say about Lady Gaga’s performance at Classic FM:
“Well, as always, Lady Gaga made the occasion her own – starting with the gold microphone, accessorised by a massive gold brooch, pinned on what looked rather like the top half of a wetsuit, with a vast crimson skirt,” Bott begins.
“And her confident smile was reassuring as she sang: in the key of G flat major [emphasis mine-KC] and staying in the no-mans-land of the contralto/mezzo-soprano registers, she began with appropriate classical dignity and 4 beats in the bar, just a hint of funky cross-rhythms in her phrasing of the words ‘Proudly we hailed’.
“Then into waltz time for the second half of the anthem, with a daring – and clearly deliberate – 5-beats-in-the-bar here and there. Perhaps the most poignant moment, after last week’s disturbances in the building behind her, came as her voice rose through the words ‘that our flag WAS STILL THERE’, and held – and held – that last note.
“Then, Lady Gaga gave us a final reminder of her mastery of pop style as she sailed aloft to celebrate ‘The Land of the Free and The Home of the Brave’ with some Mariah Carey-esque melismas. Carey could have reached some higher notes, but Gaga put her own unique heart and soul into what an American commentator immediately declared to be ‘a great rendition of our National Anthem’.
“Later on, mask in place, she could be seen joining in the communal singing of ‘Amazing Grace’. She was the right choice for today.”
What I marveled at was the ensemble between her and the band—Kudos to that conductor! The rubato [the temporary disregard of strict tempo] was absolutely amazing!
Compare today’s version with that of Whitney Houston’s landmark performance at the 1991 Super Bowl, perhaps the first time the anthem was performed in 4/4 time rather than the standard 3/4 time.
All this manipulation of the rhythm of the Star Spangled Banner reminds me of the kajillion ways organists perform Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor!
Just a slight correction – the average ALTO range in a 4-part setting is a 6th. The average melodic range (Soprano) is an octave. 🙂
Thank you for setting me straight! I thought your article was really, really interesting!
Personages who want to to be superstars more often than not deviate from the actual notes -as written- and give a self-serving performance, as hers was. The right way to sing was Garth Brooks performing AMAZING GRACE as it was written….and a cappella at that….with no need for some band trying to follow an unorthodox “performance”.
You know that this former military musician can’t help but comment. This was a federal ceremony with The President’s Own Marine Band providing the music and, as such, the official Marine Band standard arrangement of the National Anthem should have been played. I have nothing against Lady Gaga – in fact I think she is an immensely talented musician – but this was not the time or place to take liberties with our National Anthem.