Composed 2017; 8 minutes
Banner marks the 200th anniversary of The Star-Spangled Banner, whose words were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. Scored for solo string quartet and string orchestra, the piece is a rhapsody on the anthem’s theme. Drawing on musical and historical sources from world anthems and patriotic songs, composer Jessie Montgomery asks: what might an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today’s multicultural environment?
The work grows from Montgomery’s 2009 piece Anthem, written after the election of Barack Obama. That earlier score wove together The Star-Spangled Banner with Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson—often called the Black National Anthem—whose melody shares the same phrase structure. Banner extends that idea. The solo quartet acts as an individual voice, sometimes aligned with the orchestra, sometimes pushing against it.
The structure loosely follows traditional marching-band form—several contrasting strains following an introduction. Rhythms drawn from a drum line drive the finale, while layers of folk song, anthem fragments, and popular idioms create a multi-layered fanfare. The music reflects the contradictions of the anthem itself—a symbol of liberty for many, yet also a reminder of unresolved struggles in American history. (Based on notes by the composer)