"The Anacreontic Song" was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, a club of amateur musicians in London who gathered regularly to perform concerts. The song is commonly (albeit incorrectly) referred to as "To Anacreon in Heaven", which is not the title, but rather the the opening line of the lyrics. These barristers, doctors, and other professional men named their club after the Greek court poet Anacreon (6th century BC), whose poems, "anacreontics", were used to entertain patrons in Teos and Athens. His songs often celebrated women, wine, and entertaining, and today can be considered eroticism. The Anacreontic Society was a popular gentlemens club of amateur musicians in London, named in honor of Anacreon, a lyric poet of Greece who lived and wrote in the sixth century B.C. The societys patron saint was Anacreon, the convivial bard of Greece. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and the largest city of England (strangely, England has no constitutional existence within the United Kingdom, and therefore cannot be said to have a capital). ... A poet is someone who writes poetry. ... Anacreon (born ca. ... Teos (or Teo), a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus. ... Athens (Greek: Αθήνα, Athína IPA: ) is the capital and largest city of Greece. ... Eroticism is an aesthetic focused on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. ...

The connection with Anacreon, along with the "drinking" nature of the lyrics, have caused many people to label "The Anacreontic Song" as a drinking song. In all probability some drinking did occur at Society meetings, but the primary purpose of the Society (and its song) was to promote an interest in music. This, however, did not keep the song from being associated with alcohol, as it was commonly used as a sobriety test: If you could sing a stanza of the notoriously difficult melody and stay on key, you were sober enough for another round. In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. ...

The tune was probably composed (there is only one known firsthand account, by Society member John Samuel Stevens) by a member of the Society, John Stafford Smith (but see the discussion under the entry for The Star-Spangled Banner, where an alternative, earlier, composer is suggested), to lyrics by the Society's president, Ralph Tomlinson. Smith wrote the tune in the mid-1760s, while still a teenager. It was first published by Longman & Broderip in London in 1778/1779. John Stafford Smith (1750 - 1836) is a composer best known for writing To Anacreon in Heaven. ... Nicholson took the copy Key had given him to a printer, who published it as a broadside on 17 September, 1814 under the title “Defence of Fort McHenry,” with a note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ...

The song, through its bawdy and imbibing lyrics, gained popularity in London and elsewhere beyond the Anacreontic Society, and new lyrics were also fashioned for it, including, in the United States, under such patriotic titles as "Adams and Liberty" and "Jefferson and Liberty."

The melody, if not the original lyrics, became well-known after Francis Scott Key, an attorney, wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" while detained on a British ship during the night of September 13, 1814, as the British forces bombarded the American fort. Key most likely wrote the poem with Stafford's tune in mind. He had earlier written a poem to the same metrical scheme. Later retitled "The Star-Spangled Banner," Key's words with a modified version Stafford's music became a well-known and recognized patriotic song throughout the United States and was officially designated as the U.S. national anthem in 1931. The same melody, albeit sung off-key, was used as a Betelgeusean death anthem in the BBC production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Francis Scott Key Fort McHenry looking towards the position of the British ships (with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the distance on the upper left) Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779 – January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer and amateur poet who wrote the words to the United States... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... September 13 is the 256th day of the year (257th in leap years). ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Nicholson took the copy Key had given him to a printer, who published it as a broadside on 17 September, 1814 under the title “Defence of Fort McHenry,” with a note explaining the circumstances of its writing. ... Year 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, invariably known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, employing 26,000 staff in the UK alone and with a budget of £4 billion. ... Opening titles from the TV series, designed by Doug Burd The televised adaptation of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, broadcast in January and February of 1981 on BBC Two, became the fifth version. ...

Lyrics

I.

To Anacreon in Heav'n,
Where he sat in full glee,
A few Sons of Harmony
Sent a petition
That he their Inspirer
And Patron would be;
When this answer arrived
From the Jolly Old Grecian:
"Voice, Fiddle, and Flute,
No longer be mute,
I'll lend you my name
And inspire you to boot,

Chorus

And besides I'll instruct you,
Like me, to intwine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine."

II.

The news through Olympus
Immediately flew;
When Old Thunder pretended
To give himself airs.
"If these Mortals are suffered
Their scheme to pursue,
The devil a Goddess,
Will stay above stairs.
Hark, already they cry,
In transports of joy,
'Away to the Sons
Of Anacreon we'll fly,

Chorus

And there with good fellows,
We'll learn to intwine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine.

III.

"The Yellow-Haired God
And his nine fusty Maids
From Helicon's banks
Will incontinent flee,
Idalia will boast
But of tenantless shades,
And the bi-forked hill
A mere desert will be.
My Thunder no fear on't,
Shall soon do its errand,
And dam'me I'll swing
The Ringleaders I warrant.

Chorus

I'll trim the young dogs,
For thus daring to twine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine."

IV.

Apollo rose up,
And said, "Pry'thee ne'er quarrel,
Good King of the Gods,
With My Vot'ries below:
Your Thunder is useless"--
Then showing his laurel,
Cry'd "Sic evitabile
Fulmen, you know!
Then over each head,
My laurels I'll spread,
So my sons from your Crackers
No mischief shall dread,

Chorus

While, snug in their clubroom,
They jovially twine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine."

V.

Next Momus got up
With his risible Phiz
And swore with Apollo
He'd cheerfully join --
"The full tide of Harmony
Still shall be his,
But the Song, and the Catch,
And the Laugh shall be mine.
Then, Jove, be not jealous
Of these honest fellows."
Cry'd Jove, "We relent,
Since the truth you now tell us:

Chorus

And swear by Old Styx,
That they long shall intwine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine."

VI.

Ye Sons of Anacreon,
Then join hand in hand;
Preserve Unanimity,
Friendship, and Love!
'Tis yours to support
What's so happily plann'd;
You've the sanction of Gods,
And the Fiat of Jove.
While thus we agree,
Our toast let it be:
"May our Club flourish Happy,
United, and Free!

Chorus

And long may the Sons
Of Anacreon intwine
The Myrtle of Venus
With Bacchus' Vine."

Species The Myrtle (Myrtus) is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north Africa. ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Ancient Greek , Apóllōn; or Ἀπέλλων, Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros, was the archer-god of medicine and healing, light, truth, archery and also a bringer of death... In Greek mythology, the Muses (Greek Μουσαι, Mousai : from a root meaning mountain) are nine goddesses who embody the right evocation of myth, inspired through remembered and improvised song and traditional music and dances. ... The 11th-century monastery of Hosios Lukas on the west slope of the Helicon is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. ... Two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida in Greek mythology, equally named Mount of the Goddess. ... It may have been generated by a computer or by a translator with limited proficiency in English or the original language. ... Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity, usually, but not always, during a rain storm. ... For the Scottish artist and singer see Momus (artist) Momus or Momos (μῶμος), in Greek mythology the god of satire, mockery, writers, poets, a spirit of evil-spirited blame and unfair criticism. ... Physiognomy (Gk. ... Look up round in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In Greek mythology, Styx (Στυξ) is the name of a river which formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, Hades. ... Decree is an order that has the force of law. ...

External links

• Sons of Anacreon
• UVa Library: Exhibits: Lift Every Voice: Patriotic Odes
• Smithsonian: The Star-Spangled Banner: The Story of the Flag: From Poem to National Anthem
  • To Anacreon in Heaven(real audio, 1:08)
• An early copy of To Anacreon In Heaven
• Modern a capella version by Oak Ash & Thorn
• The song and video at YouTube