John Stafford Smith
John Stafford Smith (bapt. 30 March 1750 – 21 September 1836) was an English composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and a friend of his son Johann Christian Bach. Smith is best known for writing the music for "The Anacreontic Song", which became the tune for the American patriotic song "The Star-Spangled Banner" following the War of 1812, and in 1931 was adopted as the national anthem of the United States. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Gloucester (city and county town of Gloucestershire, England, UK), Died September 21, 1836 (London (capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1916 - 1942
Roles Represented in DAHR: composer, arranger
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-023914 | 10-in. | 6/27/1938 | The star spangled banner | Boston Pops Orchestra ; Arthur Fiedler | Orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BS-035320 | 10-in. | 3/21/1939 | The star spangled banner | Kate Smith | Female vocal solo, with mixed vocal chorus and orchestra | arranger | |
| Victor | BS-068668 | 10-in. | 12/17/1941 | The star spangled banner | Lucy Monroe ; Charles O'Connell | Female vocal solo, with orchestra | composer | |
| Victor | BS-071952 | 10-in. | 2/20/1942 | Star spangled banner | Leonard W. Joy ; Victor Military Band | Band | composer | |
| Brunswick | E29048 | 10-in. | 1/12/1929 | The star spangled banner | Brunswick Concert Orchestra | Orchestra | composer | |
| Brunswick | C248 | 10-in. | 4/29/1926 | Star spangled banner | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir | Mixed vocal chorus | composer | |
| Brunswick | C238-C239 | 10-in. | 4/28/1926 | Star spangled banner | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir | Mixed vocal chorus | composer | |
| Edison | 4818 | 10-in. | 6/23/1916 | Our national song—The star spangled banner | Harry E. Humphrey ; St. Ignatius Loyola Boys' Choir | Recitation and boys' vocal chorus, with orchestra | composer | |
| Edison | 5615 | 10-in. | 6/12/1917 | The star spangled banner | New York Military Band | Band | composer |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Smith, John Stafford," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103337.
Smith, John Stafford. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/103337.
"Smith, John Stafford." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: John Stafford Smith
Discogs: John Stafford Smith
Allmusic: John Stafford Smith
Grove: John Stafford Smith
IMSLP: John Stafford Smith
RILM: John Stafford Smith
RISM: John Stafford Smith
IMDb: John Stafford Smith
Britannica: John Stafford Smith
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Smith, John Stafford, 1750-1836 - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81126823
Wikidata: John Stafford Smith - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q563098
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/7575484
MusicBrainz: John Stafford Smith - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/8559b6be-dc18-4df1-9a20-7e84487f4013
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/81634 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/81634
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