As early as 1806 Francis Scott Key adapted the tune to an earlier poem. Auction of first edition of ‘Star Spangled Banner’ tops $500,000. During the 1800s, the tunes of popular songs often were used for another set of lyrics.Oh! Say Can You See… Rare First Edition of The Star Spangled Banner to be Sold at Christie’s in December 2010.Of the eleven first edition copies, ten are in institutions or public libraries.On December 3, 2010, Christie’s sold the recently discovered eleventh copy, the only one in private hands, for $506,500. To bring it to Michigan will provide the state with its only copy, and one of only two copies not confined to the East Coast.” Peckham, Director of the Library, wrote, “It is the single most important piece of music in our history. The lyrics come from Defence of Fort McHenry, a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British. It was purchased for the Library in 1966 by the Clements Library Associates and friends of the library in Flint. It was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the War of. This rare first edition of “The Star Spangled Banner” is one of eleven known copies. Like so many famous songs of yore, 'The Star-Spangled Banner' started as a poem, called The Defence of Fort McHenry. Inspired by the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, Keys was so moved at the American resilience he saw that he couldn’t wait to write the lyrics and scribbled them on the backside of a letter. Sunday is the 200th anniversary of the day Francis Scott key penned what came to be known as 'The Star-Spangled Banner' as he observed the American flag still flying over Baltimore Harbor's Fort. Renamed “The Star Spangled Banner” and set to the tune of “To Anacreon in Heaven,” a popular British song, it eventually became the official national anthem of the United States. The Star-Spangled Banner was penned by Francis Scott Key, a 19th-century lawyer who dabbled in poetry. Upon seeing the fort’s flag still flying on the morning of Septemafter the attack ceased, he began jotting down the lines of a poem on the back of a letter that was in his pocket. The lyrics of “The Star Spangled Banner” come from “Defence of Fort McHenry,” a poem written by Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British during the War of 1812. Like so many famous songs of yore, The Star-Spangled Banner started as a poem, called The Defence of Fort McHenry. The Star Spangled Banner: A Pariotic Song.īaltimore: Printed and sold at Carrs Music Store, 36 Baltimore Street.