Biography
Though best known today for having written the melody of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” later adopted for “The Star-Spangled Banner,” John Stafford Smith never excelled as a composer. After completing studies with Boyce in London, he was named a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1784, appointed its organist in 1802, and elevated to Master of the Children three years later. By then he had already earned recognition for numerous glees, produced one madrigal modeled on earlier styles, and written roughly twenty anthems, yet these pieces did not secure his lasting reputation. Instead, Smith is acknowledged as the first true English antiquarian and musicologist. His pioneering effort appeared in 1779 with “A Collection of English Songs.” Over time his library grew to encompass the Old Hall Manuscript and a 1538 exemplar of the “Ulm Gesangbuch,” alongside material stretching back to the twelfth century that included several Gregorian chants. In the pages of “Musica Antiqua” he presented scores by Obrecht, Willaert, Clemens, and Morales, each accompanied by his own historical commentary.