The words for theStar Spangled Banner, the USA National Anthem, are written by Francis Scott Key, while the music is from a British drinking song "The Anacreontic Song", 1814.

In bar 6 (and 14), the harmony cadences prematurely to theIchord, in bar 7 (and 15), anticipating the rhythmically proper cadence toIin bar 8 (and 16),The Winter Syndrome.

In bars 17-20, we findThe Joy Syndromeof harmonies stagnating on theIandV⁷ chords.

Try the revised version, compare it to the original, joinMusicNovatory.com'sAnalysisJudges, and submit your appreciations and suggestions, as well as contribute to the appreciation statistics available on-site, with the revised version.

Using the first two cells (bars 1-4) as a subject, this 48-bar, 1.5-minuteFugueis in a medieval, Elizabethan style.

The fugue uses only the first cell (bars 1-2) as a subject, indicated "A", with melo-harmonyI-VI-II / V, the chords C-Am-Dm / G, for the first and third entries, which has, as symmetrical counterpartV-VII-IV / I, the chords G-Bb-Fm / C, for the second and fourth entries, producing a medieval, Elizabethan sound, for 24 bars, 1 minute.

This fugue is of ternary form, three 8-bar sections - the first section has 4 subject entriesAAAAof 2 bars each, the second and third sections have only 2 subject entries, preceded by canonic interludes,BBAA, for an overall form ofAAAA BBAA BBAA.

We have here two 4-voiceRounds, one in C and one in G, where the second is placed as an interlude between two performances of the first, which has 2 sets of words.

The first round, in the key of C, is based on cells 1, bars 1-2, and is of quite conventional structure, with the words appropriately disposed, for 8 bars, 15 seconds, per repeat.

The second round, in the key of G, acts as a trio between two performances of the first round, and uses all sorts of material from the original tune.

     Line 1 uses bars 17-18.
     Line 2 uses bars 27-28 at the end.
     Line 3 uses bars 29 at the end.
     Line 4 starts with the rest of bar 29 and ends with the last 3 notes.
With the words of bars 23-32 appropriately disposed, for the same size as Round 1.

Performance
The second form is recommended where the canon is first performed as a melody by the four voices in unison, then the four entries are made in a specified order, in this case BTAS for Round 1 and BSAT for Round 2, so as to end on the best disposition of the final chord, 48 bars in all, for Rounds 1, 2, 1.

Total time = 1'30".