Smith JS

Name: John Stafford Smith

Achievements: First musicologist.  Wrote "Star-Spangled Banner" music.

Born: Baptized March 30, 1750; Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

Died: September 21, 1836; London, England (Aged 86)

Field & Discipline: Music; Composer

Language: English

Father: Martin Smith

Mother: Unknown

Siblings: Unknown

Spouse: Unknown

Children: Unknown

Education: Chapel Royal, Gloucester

Major Work:

"A Collection of English Songs . . . Composed about the year 1500. Taken from the MSS. of the same age"

"Musica Antiqua"

Life & Times:

Smith's got his first musical training from his father, the organist at Gloucester Cathedral, and at 11 was sent to London to study under composer/organist William Boyce at the Chapel Royal.  He and [fellow-chorister was] Arnold* were choristers under James Nares until their voices broke.

In his 20s, Smith became known as a composer of "glees" (brief musical compositions for three or more unaccompanied voices) and published five collections of them between 1776 and 1799.  "Let happy lovers fly,"  "Blest pair of sirens,"  "While fools their time,"  and "Return, blest days"  all won prizes and became popular.  Several of his songs were published as separate pieces, and  others appeared in collections and anthologies.  His "Flora now calleth forth each flower" reproduced the old madrigal idiom.

In 1793, he published a set of 20 anthems, and also composed a number of hymns and chants.  His song "To [wrote song to] Anacreon* in Heaven" later became the melody to [music used by] Francis Scott Key's* "The Star-Spangled Banner," the American national anthem.

In 1784, Smith was made a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal and two months later a lay vicar of Westminster Abbey.  In 1790, he agreed to be organist for the Gloucester Festival, and in 1802 was appointed one of the organists to the Chapel Royal.  Three years later, he was named Master of Choristers at the Chapel Royal, a post he held until his retirement in 1817.

Despite his success and popularity as a composer, Smith became more noted for his work as a musical antiquarian.  Early in his career, he began a collection of old music manuscripts and editions, and in 1779 published "A Collection of English Songs . . . Composed about the year 1500. Taken from the MSS. of the same age,” considered the first scholarly edition of songs printed in England.

His collection included the Mulliner Book the Old Hall manuscript, and the copy of the "Ulm Gesangbuch" (1538), formerly owned by J.S. Bach and presented to Smith by [met] C.P.E. Bach* at Hamburg in 1782.

Smith's study and editing of early music culminated in the creation of his most important and original publication: "Musica Antiqua" (1812), a selection of English and European music from the beginning of the 12th century to the beginning of the 18th century.  The first work of its kind, it contained works from the Gregorian chants onwards, including English keyboard music and movements from Jacobean masques, as well as works by many European composers, including Ockeghem, Obrecht, Willaert, Wert, Clemens, and Morales.  Each piece was accompanied by Smith's historical notes.

When Smith died in 1836, his library passed to one of his daughters, who eight years later was declared insane.  Her property, including the priceless library containing about 2,200 volumes of music, was sold at auction.  Most of it was never seen again.

Assessment: Best known as one of the first musicologists

Oneliner: JS Smith, who wrote ‘Star Spangled Banner’ music

Bibliography:

• Dictionary of National Biography.
• Temperley, Nicholas, "Smith, John Stafford,” in The New Grove  Dictionary of Music and Musicians, London: Macmillan, 1985.
• Young, P.M., A History of British Music, London, 1967.