Every once in a while, somebody writes an article challenging the US’s choice of National Anthem. The usual argument is: it’s a poor choice for a national anthem because the melody was originally the official song of a British drinking club. I would argue that there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s common practice throughout music history to adapt previously-written tunes for different needs; there’s nothing wrong with that.

What’s wrong with the national anthem is that it’s a poem about a tattered piece of cloth during an insignificant battle of a war that most Americans know little about. It has little to do with our country; the only patriotic words come in the last line – “… the land of the free and the home of the brave?” – and it ends with a question mark!

If you ask me, we should adopt “Chester” as our national anthem. First, it was written by William Billings, one of the first American composers. Second, it has a rough and tough melody and harmony that embodies the American spirit of the common man. Third, the words better portray the revolutionaries’ struggle for freedom:

Let tyrants shake their iron rod,
And Slav’ry clank her galling chains,
We fear them not, we trust in God,
New England’s God forever reigns.

Howe and Burgoyne and Clinton too,
With Prescot and Cornwallis join’d,
Together plot our Overthrow,
In one Infernal league combin’d.

When God inspir’d us for the fight,
Their ranks were broke, their lines were forc’d,
Their ships were Shatter’d in our sight,
Or swiftly driven from our Coast.

The Foe comes on with haughty Stride;
Our troops advance with martial noise,
Their Vet’rans flee before our Youth,
And Gen’rals yield to beardless Boys.

This is a straightforward orchestral setting of “Chester” by William Schuman.

Colonial New England was largely literate for its time. Besides a Bible, many families might have owned a copy of the Psalms set to poetic verse by Isaac Watts. The region, being poor, lacked the musical instruments available to European audiences, and so, singing was the primary form of music-making. Everybody sang, and singing-masters made their living travelling from town to town, teaching people to read music, sing, and selling their scores.

William Billings is one of my favorite composers; you might even call him the first great American composer. His music and life perfectly embody the revolutionary American spirit. He was a tanner by trade, but found his passion in composing and singing. He had only one eye, one of his legs was shorter than the other, was unkempt, and probably stunk. His music is rough and angular, lacking any grace that might be found in late 18th century European music.

There is a tradition of giving hymn tunes names; very often, the name of a city – for example, there are hymn tunes named London, Cranham, Richmond. This is why one of Billings’ best loved tunes is called Africa, a place to which I’m sure he never traveled. Its bold melody (found in the tenor voice – not the top note) skyrockets into the high range, capturing the spirit of Watts’ emotional outpouring.

This style of music-writing and singing is today known as Sacred Harp. It is an uniquely American invention, a sort of degenerate grandson of English choral music. And it’s fun to sing, so much so that Sacred Harp singings now occur all over the world. This video comes from a singing in Ireland.