The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-10

The origin of God Save the
King" the. national song Of Eng
land-in fact, It might be said. the
national air of twelve natlons-has
been a matter for endless discussion.
Il remains question as holly de-
bated as ever. in spite Of the fact
that volumes have been written on
the subject. and It is a controversy
that viii. probably. never be settled.
Knight in his Half Hours with
the Best Authors" says: THE most
popular song OF the world is our
God Save the Queen The history
Of its composition is very uncertain.
Perhaps the best sustained theory
is that IT was originally a Jacobite
song. written during the rebellion
OF 17i5 by Henry Carey. and partly
composed by him, It rushed into
popularity in the English theaters
IN 1745, and Carey himself sang IL
publicly in 174o. having changed
James 10 George The air Is sim
pie and yet stately. It Is capable
of calling forth the talents OF the
finest vocal performers. and yet Is
admirably adapted for a chorus, in
which the humbIest pretender to
music may Join. The words are not
elegant. but they are very express
sive: and the homeiiness of some OF
the lines may have contributed to
its universally"
Kilikely. in his Curious Cues
TONS" states: THE author Of the
English national anthem, God Save
the King or (Queen), was DR.
Henry Carey. born in London about
1896. and died in I743. The poem
was written in honor OF a birthday
OF George II, but it has undergone
some changes as regards the words
The music was composed by DR.
Bull"
Grove, in his Dictionary OF
Music and Musicians" an authority
always taken without question, Il
evidently less certain than the two
persons quoted. regarding the au-
thorship!' for IN the long sketch o.
the life OF Dr. Carey in the first OF
his volumes. he makes no mention
of him as being the author of the
English national hymn, but In the
brief biography of Carey's son,
Grove notes. TN the latter part
Of his life he claimed for his father
the composition OF God Save the
King and the claim occupied much
attention for some time"
The most generally accepted the
ory. nevertheless, is that Henry
Carey wrote it for James II, the
exiled King. and that. Il was revived
and sung during the rebellion OF
I715 and l745. and then silenced
by the failure Of the Jacobites. un-
I'll II reappeared with the reading
God save Great George. Our King.
substituted for the original one.
Richard Clarke, the popular Eng
lish composer. made a research COW
ering a number Of years. and final
~ published a book in which he as
serts that the anthem was written
in the reign OF James I. by Ben
Jonson, who was poet laureate. He
says IT was written ct the particu-
lar request of the Merchant TaiIors'
Company. and was sung in their
hall at the first public appearance
OF King James after the discovery
OF the gunpowder plot If this be
true. It probably explains the mean
ing of the last two lines of the sec
ond verse:
"Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks"
There is no evidence that can be
produced 10 show that Carey
claimed for himself the composing
OF the song. Is 1t possible that he
could have secured. from some one.
the Jonson words and then wrote
a new line to give an especial Jacob
lite twist to the sentiments, and set
II afloat 20 the praise of the exiled
house Of Stuart? There is no doubt
that he sang it in public with
Great George. the King" and that
It became popular through his in
Producing 1t. Carey's life of eighty
years extended through the reigns
Copyright. 1919 ct