Anacreontic Society
Encyclopedia
The Anacreontic Society was a popular gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London
founded in the mid-18th century. These barristers, doctors, and other professional men named their club after the Greek
court poet
Anacreon
, who lived in the 6th century B.C. and whose poems, "anacreontics", were used to entertain patrons in Teos
and Athens
. Dubbed "the convivial bard of Greece", Anacreon's songs often celebrated women, wine, and entertaining.
While the society's membership, one observer noted, was dedicated to "wit, harmony, and the god of wine," their primary goal (beyond companionship and talk) was to promote an interest in music. The society presented regular concerts of music, and included among their guests such important musicians as Franz Joseph Haydn
, who was the special guest at their concert in January 1791.
There is also evidence of an Anacreontic Society having existed at St Andrews University in the late 18th Century in much the same vein as the Anacreontic Society of London, however due to the club's informal nature, detailed accounts of the group are sparse.
wrote the tune in the mid-1760s, while still a teenager. It was first published by The Vocal Magazine (London, 1778).
It soon became a popular drinking song on both sides of the Atlantic. But the melody, if not the original lyrics, would acquire even greater fame after Francis Scott Key
, an attorney
, wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" while detained on a British
ship during the night of September 13, 1814, as the British forces bombarded the American fort. This song, consisting of Key's text "Defence of Fort McHenry" and Smith's tune The Anacreontic song, is today known as The Star-Spangled Banner
, the national anthem
of the United States of America
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
founded in the mid-18th century. These barristers, doctors, and other professional men named their club after the Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
court poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Anacreon
Anacreon
Anacreon was a Greek lyric poet, notable for his drinking songs and hymns. Later Greeks included him in the canonical list of nine lyric poets.- Life :...
, who lived in the 6th century B.C. and whose poems, "anacreontics", were used to entertain patrons in Teos
Teos
Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas of land . Teos ranked among twelve cities comprising the Ionian...
and Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Dubbed "the convivial bard of Greece", Anacreon's songs often celebrated women, wine, and entertaining.
While the society's membership, one observer noted, was dedicated to "wit, harmony, and the god of wine," their primary goal (beyond companionship and talk) was to promote an interest in music. The society presented regular concerts of music, and included among their guests such important musicians as Franz Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
, who was the special guest at their concert in January 1791.
There is also evidence of an Anacreontic Society having existed at St Andrews University in the late 18th Century in much the same vein as the Anacreontic Society of London, however due to the club's informal nature, detailed accounts of the group are sparse.
"To Anacreon in Heaven"
The lyrics of The Anacreontic Song, the first four words of which are "To Anacreon in Heaven" were written by Ralph Tomlinson, who had been president of the society. John Stafford SmithJohn Stafford Smith
John Stafford Smith was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach....
wrote the tune in the mid-1760s, while still a teenager. It was first published by The Vocal Magazine (London, 1778).
It soon became a popular drinking song on both sides of the Atlantic. But the melody, if not the original lyrics, would acquire even greater fame after Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
, an attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" while detained on a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
ship during the night of September 13, 1814, as the British forces bombarded the American fort. This song, consisting of Key's text "Defence of Fort McHenry" and Smith's tune The Anacreontic song, is today known as The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
, the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.