Flag Day

June 14 is Flag Day, the official commemoration of the adoption of the stars and stripes as the United States national symbol.  Many songs celebrate the flag, the most famous of which are "You're a Grand Old Flag,: and "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa.

Of course the most famous song about the flag is The Star-Spangled Banner, which dates from 1814.  The words are by Francis Scott Key, but did you know that the song was originally a drinking song?  One of the Music Collection's song books has both versions.  Check them out below.  (Note that the first two notes of the melody were different a hundred years ago, when the book was published).  Although well known almost immediately, it was not offically declared the national song until 1931.

The song you know:

The original song:

New Books, Scores & CDs received in May

You can find a list of the new books & scores here and a list of the new CDs here. If a score or book is still at the bindery, you can still place a hold/recall request on it. Simply log into CardCat and look it up, then you'll see "Hold/Recall Request" to the left of the full item description.
 
There is one new music DVD in the Educational Resources Collection: Jazz on a Summer's Day. Filmed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958, it features classic performances by iconic musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Thelonious MOnk, George Shearing and many, many others. It is the first true "concert film," and a classic documentary.