Thursday night, before the overflow crowds to see U.S. Sen. Ed Markey that filled Sweeney Concert Hall at Smith College and the sanctuary of First Churches, a wonderful singer began the evening with a fine rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
My pet peeve these days is why the national anthem has almost universally become a spectator sport. Don’t get me wrong; I applaud the soloist.
But the larger question for me is, why does it always have to be a solo? I know there are parts that aren’t the easiest to sing, but it’s a national anthem, right? It’s not meant to be a show, it’s meant to be sung by the crowd.
And there’s power in that group singing. Think of the French singing “La Marseillaise” in the face of Nazi occupation as a way to declare and remind themselves of who they really were.
I found it ironic that at an event where, universally, people expressed the importance of being politically aware and active, that we missed the opportunity to sing together a faith in the enduring quality of democracy — real democracy that is our only hope to get us through our current national embarrassment and tyranny.
I long for the day when event planners everywhere will treat the anthem not as entertainment, but an expression of our mutual care.
Scott Barton
Pelham