Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-01-11
NATIONAL ANTHEMS.
When and by Whom They were Written
and Set to Music,

When and by Whom They werc Written
and Set to Music.
There never was p more rousing COM
position than LA Marseillaise." 1.-The
sound of it, - says Carlyle, twill make
the blood Jingle in mems veins, and
whole armies and assemblages will
sing it with eyes weeping and burning,
with hearts defiant of death and des-
pot It had great share in the first
French revolution, for in few months
after it was first made known every
one was singing it, and the words ITO
arms! March!' were resounding in all
parts of France. AT every season of
disorder since its strains have excited
the passions of the people. and if inn
mortality can be predicted for any tune
known to man this is, beyond a ques-
ton, the one. And yet, as the story
goes, both words and music were the
production of one night. They were
composed in 1892 by a person whom
Carlyle calls IAN inspired Tyrten
Colonel" Rouget de Lisle, who was
still living when Carlyle's French
Revolution" was first published. The
scene of its birth was Strasburg, and
not Marseilles, but it was force of
Marseillaise which first marched to it,
and hence the title.
The origin of the British national
anthem has proved source of uninter-
rupted vexation for many years past.
There is almost as much mystery re-
garding it as there used to be about
the sources of the Nile. The common
account attributes it to DR.. Bull, King
James rs organist. but it has also
been claimed for Henry Carey, the
author of Sally in Our Alley" Be-
tween these two the authorship and
composition almost certainly rest, but
it has been found impossible to decide
definitely for the one or the other. The
music of "God Save the Queen" is
tame and uninteresting, but it agrees
well with the comparatively peaceful,
regular course of events which has
marked public affairs in England for
over two hundred years past
The Russian national anthem, "God
Protect the Gar was first performed
at the Grand Theater, Moscow, in De-
cember, 1888. Previous to this there
had been no national hymn in Russia,
and the cars usually contended them
selves with "God save the King" The
composer was Colonel M. Lwoff, and
in return for the composition the Gar
L. 4
snuff box, set with diamonds. The
music is distinctly national, but the
words, as every one knows, are any
thing but the actual prayer of the
Russian people-"God Save the Gear!
Mighty Autocrat! Reign for our glory"
etc. 1t is properly speaking, an Off
cial hymn, and is unknown to the vast
majority of Russians.
The Austrian national anthem is well
known in England from it's use as a
hymn tune. 1t was composed by Haydn
and performed for the first time at the
celebration at the birthday of the En-
peror Franz at Vienna in 1897. The
lovely air is thoroughly German, and
found therefor ready acceptance in
the hearts of the people. Haydn him
self was very fond of it. He used it in
the variations in one of his quartets,
and when he was dying he insisted on
being taken from bed to the piano,
when he played the air three times
over very solemnly in the presence of
his weeping servants.
The Danish national anthem is not
unlike the "Rule Britannia. It was
composed by German named Hart
mann, about the year ITO. The
"Sicilian Mariners Hymn" though it
can hardly be called a national anthem,
is favorite air with the gondoliers of
Venice. who sing it frequently, CHI
cago NeWs.
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