The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-01
GOD SAVE THE KTNGr
An Investigator Thinks the Air Of Eng
lish and Not Of German origin.

To THE EDITOR or THE SuN--Sir: Nd
| miral Chadwick still fails to provo the
very definite statement which no made
| in his first letter regarding God save
| the King" namely that the anthem was
| brought from Germany to England by
| the Georges Of Hanover G71D. | feel
sure that he Is mistaken. | have been
Interested in the matter for thirty years
ar more and have consulted every source
of Information in the old Beuox Library.
the present New York Public Library and
Others. have even Investigated the
evidence I'm the case OF the Souvenirs de
Ia Marquse de Crequi," declared TO he
spurious by number of distinguished
authorities, both French and English, he
cause that work refers to the air as Lul-
| ly's, a naturaliZed italian named Lulli
and ~ having been sung in France in
the time of Louis XIV. The libraries OF
France and Germany have been ran
sacked for some evidence that God Save
the King" IN It's present form---I refer
to the music, not the words existed
before l740 but in vain No older score
contains the tune. There are. however
several old airs. some being in a minor
| Key, which have points Of resemblance
most II not all OF which will he found
In the latest edition OF Groves "Dction-
airy OF Music and Musicians"
Your correspondent "Musicus" in THE
SUN OF January II mentions still an
other French setting. but leaves the de-
tails in doubt. His statement that the
big composers have a lofty contempt for
popular music" is amusing when we
know that Beethoven, perhaps the grea.-
est OF all, utilized tunes from every
source, no matter how humble, for vara-
tions or establishment, as I'm the case
OF the little air about the lost penny.
may add. Itch bin der Schneider
kakadu' and ia, ia. ia, lieber Maelzel,
lebe NOhl, sehr wohl," the latter occur
ring IN the allegretto OF his eighth SYM
phony.
It is interesting to find that some OF
the best evidence regarding the English
origin Of God Save the King comes
from German sources. for, strange as II
appears now, the two nations were once
upon excellent terms. and both Handel
aud Haydn, to say nothing Of Mendels-
sohn, were royalty entertained by their
British hosts.
Why does Admiral Chadwick ignore
the plain statement Of Beethoven. which
| quoted verbatim? The absurdty OF
the greatest OF the classical composers
using what the Admiral contends is a
German air to commemorate a British
victory is manifest The Admiral. too.
will have nothing to do with HANDLES
to have been gentleman OF excellent
character though an invalid and recluse.
lie wds certainly not a larkcy He
merely says that Carey's anthem, har-
nonzed. was brought to him and that
he made corrections I'm the bass. See
Chrysandcr's "Jahrbuecher fuer Musi-
kalische Wissenschaft" l.. 37i-376. a
work which devotes a very long chapter
20 Carey, Chrysandcr being also Han
del's hioErapher. Thl, was in l74o.
Then came the publication In the "Har-
monia Angllcana' G74D, and later
with some slight alterations in the GEN
tlemdH's Magazine G7B). Hell Dir
i'm Siegerkranz' G793) was adapted
from Hell Dir dem Hebenden" G79O),
used as the Danish national anthem, the
melody Of which IL expressly stated to
have been that OF God Save Great
George the King
with regard to Home, Sweet Home"
and the English ladies he met, Admiral
Chadwick does not make II clear
whether he refers to Payne's word. or
to the music When Mime. Anna Bishop,
who spent the last years Of her life In
New York tshe died here in 1890 sang
the air at Chckering Hall and else
where most OF her auditors supposed
that tho melody was English because
II had been written by her husband.
sir Henry Bishop. for his opera "Clarl.
or the Maid OF Milan" Gs2D. II is
true that II was originally described as
a -Sicilian air" but no such air is
known 10 musicians, ara B.5hoT after
ward admitted that he had written It
himself A e. c.
NEW YoRK January 40