This next item is a musical score, sheet music from the National Music Series. This one is a patriotic piece – The Star Spangled Banner. While a popular national song, it was not yet the national anthem, nor even an “Official Song” at the time this copy was published – 1861. The timing is notable, the music meant to stir up patriotic fervor at a time when many states were seceding. Indeed, this music includes a fifth verse, created for the times by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Holmes makes no secret of his contempt for the rebellion, writing:
“When our land is illumined with liberty's smile,
If a foe from within strikes a blow at her glory,
Down, down with the traitor that tries to defile
The flag of the stars, and the page of her story!”
The rest of the song, naturally, was written by Francis Scott Key. Item 114. $475.
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