WORLD'S NATIONAL SONGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18324, 14 February 1923, Page 5

WORLD'S NATIONAL SONGS.

■ •''<As : TJFi"*^ An interesting survey of the origin "of national, songs has been published in the ' North American Review ' from*' % pondent in Christiania, Norway.' rjrTha writer says that on the occasion of", the coronation of George I.; a theatrical iplay, Alfred, was -given at one of -the London thfettesT and intone of the scenes of th&t play*|' Bule?Britd3inia'' was> flung for the first time in 1714. It was written by the Scottish , poet, J. Thomson, anil it was long "believed that Hanaaei/wnaywas at: thjijb time' §\%& London, wa#S 'die composer of the? mfclic. This, however, was not h 'true,;?/ an Englishman, Thomas AnTe," composed the air. " The boastful words and the triumphant ' strains both •voice- the British pride .' '■:in the ipower of their • country" says : the : I writer.' \-/'si} ..'■■ The beautiful American ■ words fitted to the notes of " God Save the King, are well . suited to stir the heart of every American. In Europe it ifir-Squite differ- ! ent. r Although "we have the same air in five countries, ;, the words are, in all of them, the original English translated to the* three Scandinavian languages and to German, * whose " Hell-' T>ir •■' ■ iin Siegesk'rani;"''Tias about the same meatiing., These words, however, do not ; make", the song a national anthem. It is cial hymn in honour of the£ reigning king or. emperor. The German version of the song was written in 1790 in honour of the Danish king, Christian VII., by H. ..Harries,., a German residing in,; the Danish province of Holstein. •.",', ■■££■'■ ■■■■Y-' ; *.'. Deutschland^'';Deutichlahd '.'■[■ illber Alles," was written in 1841 by A- 'Hoffman, who at the time was in exile on account of his radical opinions. --The words ; were .fitted to; the melody of- the Austrian? official hymn, " Gott Exalte Franz den Kaiser," composed by Joseph Haydn., l The music to another German national song/ "0 Deutschland* Hoch In Ehren," was composed by an Englishman, Henry Pearson. "Die Waoht VAm Ri elri ,y * wag'born"of * the'-" fear of - a French attack on Germany in 1840. After, that time- 5 ' the song* J: was almost forgotten;;and hardly anybody knew who the author;? was till the • Franco-Prussian "war. bf ¥ 1870 revived it, and it was found out that* the poet's name was M. *' Schneckenbfirger. The first music to the song, composed by J. Wendel, is now forgotten, 'bdf the. stirring air by -Karl Wuhelm, in 1854, i has made it the ft watchword ■ of- the German army. J. ' <\t]■ ,-' " La Marseillaise," words and music by Rouget de Lisle, is the child;, or the ; French ■•; -revolution, -'.-. and t: its- ;. flaming? air '. became the war song, of the French armies fighting, against' 4 the c invaders. ;&fter the revolution the ■ poet was soon forgotten, and it was not till France became : a .republic,in s iß7o. that the song, was adopted as .the, national anthem. '-Since then it has not only: thrilled the people of France, but it has become the' war song of tne oppressed of all the nations on earth". ~ "La Brabanconne," the Belgian national song, was written during the war of independence of 1830 by Dechet, a Frenchman and an actor at one of the theatres of Brussels. - The author was killed in' the war, but the martial air of this-isong, composed "by' F. l van i Campenhout r \; was sung with enthusiasm by the Belgiate in the "Struggle for independence and the Great War. , •■'. ■■ | ■'■' The editor of the" journal adds that two-of. the best anthems that ever-were written were •in fact written to order. .They, are the : Austrian, " Gott Erfaalte Franzl' den Kaiser," of which the words were written by L.. L.„,.Haschka at imperial command,, ; and the, music by; Haydn at a self-imposed command—to give? Austria something comparable with .'.'.God Save the King," » with .which he hach*een greatly impressed in England; and tho Russian Boje Khrani,' ; ; words of which were ' written ""by Jopjcowskv and the - music by Alexis LwOff, by wder of Tsar Nicholas!.' •< "=* » «s■.