Anthem from VAMP by VAMP Vocals
One of the first ideas we had when VAMP formed in March 2020 was to develop our own arrangement of The Star Spangled Banner. I started with the melody and Adrienne came up with a descending chromatic soprano line that really inspired me, and I decided to create an erasure poem of our four stanza national anthem, highlighting and pointing to the words within the lyrics that harbored a deeper, more poignant meaning. It felt particularly relevant to reflect on these lyrics during the tumultuous summer of 2020, when many of us were re-examining our relationship to this country, its ideals and each other.
– Laura Mercado-Wright
Tracklist
| 12. | Anthem | 2:54 |
Lyrics
O say, can you see we hailed the perilous fight?
We watched the red glare through the night
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, ore the land of the free and the home of the
brave?
Don’t seen through mists of deep, haughty, dread silence,
Fitfully half concealed, half disclosed
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, ore the land of the free and the home of the
brave?
Where war and battle their blood washed out,
No refuge from terror, flight, gloom, or grave
O say, does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave, ore the land of the free and the home of the
brave?
When freemen stand between victory and peace, praise power and conquer,
In God we trust
O say, does that banner yet wave
Ore the free and the brave?
Credits
License
All rights reserved.
Conceived pre-pandemic and born in March 2020, VAMP is a vocal quintet of formidable female artists touting a motley songbook and a bold red lip. Versatile in style and genre, they are committed to programming and commissioning new work and making classical vocal music relatable for audiences.