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National anthems and patriotic songs for piano

Anthems and patriotic songs to play for people to sing, or to read for yourself, from level 2 to level 4: Rule, Britannia!, Thomas Arne's song from his masque Alfred (1740), at level 2; at level 3, The Star-Spangled Banner, the anthem of the United States since 1931, here in the Service Version, the harmony agreed for the armed forces during the First World War; O Canada, Calixa Lavallée's anthem first sung in Quebec City in 1880, once in an easy setting in C with fingering and once in four parts in E flat; the Battle Hymn of the Republic, Julia Ward Howe's words of 1861 to the tune of John Brown's Body; and at level 4, the national anthem of Brazil, Francisco Manuel da Silva's march of 1831. Each piece has easier versions made from the score itself (the right-hand melody alone, then with left-hand roots), so you can print the version that fits your reading now and play it as written later.

Pieces
6
Levels
2 to 4
Key signatures
none to 4 flats
Length
16 to 110 bars

Playing an anthem for people to sing

An anthem usually starts with no introduction, or with only its last two bars or a single chord, so the room hears the key and the pace and comes in together on the first note. Agree on which it will be with whoever leads the singing.

Keep the beat steady and a little broad, and hold the pauses the same length each time you play it, so the singers can breathe with you. Choose the speed you can hold through the hardest bar. If both hands together are too much yet, play an easier version: the melody alone, played steadily, leads singers better than every note played unevenly.

Mind the range. The Star-Spangled Banner spans an octave and a fifth, more than most people sing comfortably. Take it at a speed that leaves the singers breath for the high notes near the end.

Level 2

A tune over a simple left hand, mostly in one hand position.

Level 3

Both hands busy, the hand moves around, a sharp or flat or two.

Level 4

Real independence between the hands and more accidentals.

Open a piece to print any of its versions free, or to play it at your MIDI keyboard with every note marked. New to reading? The level 2 sight-reading exercises are a good warm-up.

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