
Stravinsky’s “Illegal” Arrangement of “The Star Spangled Banner” (2015) - wrongc0ntinent
http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/stravinskys-illegal-arrangement-of-the-star-spangled-banner-1944.html
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rurban
I want to bring this comment to the articles author and readers attention.

> Terry Vosbein says: July 5, 2015 at 12:40 pm

> I made a comment here yesterday, and its disappearance is disturbing. I
> wrote that I liked the arrangement by Stravinsky, but that the author had
> misused the term “dominant seventh chord.” Today I find my comment erased,
> the article re-written, and the new version just as incorrect.

> The original version of the Star Spangled Banner utilized dominant seventh
> chords. In fact. most tonal music from Bach on forward utilizes dominant
> seventh chords. A lot of them.

> It is true that Stravinsky’s “sin” was to muck with the harmonies. But the
> description as it stands is pretty meaningless. He did not add a dominant
> seventh chord. He re-hamonized a few chords with tonal, yet not traditional,
> chords. They may be a bit startling to one used to the original harmonies,
> but I assure you, the inclusion of a dominant seventh chord is not the
> reason why. \---

In my ears Stravinsky's version is much clearer and richer than the simplier
original version. The original is like a pop song for kids, the improved
version does not fulfill all cadences immediately, he leaves them open, as in
most better arrangements. E.g. hear the last notes of the trombone.

