John Stafford Smith
| John Stafford Smith | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
30 March 1750 Gloucester, England |
| Died | 21 September 1836 (aged 86) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Known for | Composed "The Anacreontic Song", later adopted as the tune of the national anthem of the United States |
John Stafford Smith (30 March 1750 – 21 September 1836) was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Stafford Smith is best known for writing the music for The Anacreontic Song, which became the tune for the American patriotic song The Star-Spangled Banner following the War of 1812, and in 1931 was adopted as the national anthem of the United States.
Smith was baptised in Gloucester Cathedral, England, on 30 March 1750, the son of Martin Smith, organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1743 to 1782. He attended the Gloucester cathedral school, where he became a boy-singer. He furthered his career as a choir boy at the Chapel Royal, London, and also studied under the famous Dr. William Boyce.
By the 1770s he had gained a reputation as a composer and an organist. He was elected as a member of the select Anacreontic Society which boasted amongst its membership such persons as Samuel Johnson, James Boswell and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
In the 1770s, Smith composed music for the society's constitutional song entitled To Anacreon in Heaven (The Anacreontic Song). The words were by Ralph Tomlinson (1744–1778) president of the society, and were inspired by the 6th-century BC Greek lyric poet, Anacreon, who wrote odes on the pleasures of love and wine. The song became popular in Britain and also America following the establishment of several Anacreontic Societies there. Smith never married.
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