“GOD SAVE THE KING”

Te Aroha News, Volume XLI, Issue 6546, 20 November 1924, Page 1

“GOD SAVE THE KING”

ORIGIN QF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM „ , ‘ It has been said that the authorship of “God Save the King" once excited as much controversy aS the authorship ‘“Letters of Junius” (says a writer in the Weekly Scotsman). Many belieyed it to have been Composed, by Dr. Jonh Bull for King James I. in 1667. In endeavouring to' arrive at this date, we may derive h little help from the Memoirs of Madame de/Crequy, wherein it is stated that “G6d Save the King” is an almost literal translation of the Canfrqueyaurig by the demoiselles do St. Syr when Louis XIV. entered the chapel of that establishment. The words >Were att|ibuted to M. de Brinon and the music to Lully:— Grand ifeu, venial 1 vivei lj Que toupours gloreux, ! ; v * Louis victorieux, ; ' Toujours soumis! ■ Grand Dieu, venge le Roivive le Roi! But Rinibault, who Supported the authorship of Dr. John Bull, affirmed that the music, was sixteenth century, and in all essentials could be found in a manuscript of Dr. John Bull. There is another claim to the authorship, namely, that of Harry Carey, who died in 1748. Chappell, in hjs notes to the collection bf old English airs, recdrdsi that about the year 1796 6eorge Saville Carey asserted his fatlier s, .claim and made a journey to in. the.hope of obtaining «>me p«ju‘niary ; recompense from the King.lt was By no means Carey’* wißh*,ihough he .the : jfrnes, as that his hbpes of reward, and it has been , suggested, that his ; conceijment of; the fact tended to throw suspicion u#on jiis statement. I^f, was immediately proved upon concurrent -have: been/sung// “God ;Save . Great James Our may be dated the endless discussions known uJa 1745. Partly owing, haps, to the fact that it had been originapr sung “God Saye Great, Jqipes Ou* King,” the Jacobites adopted it i.Wttb enthusiasm. Whether the French version was adapted from a pre-exist-Enplf^rai f °™s pre-existing French - form, are interesting topics of speculation. V i- 1 ' ; ■'(? I