Evening star., 1926-10-10
CRITIC D|SL|KES
AMERICAN ANTHEM
British Musician Holds ''God
Save the King" Is Great
est National Song.

The Australian national anthem.
God Preserve the Empire is the
worlds only blue -hlooded" patriotic
hymn. but Great Britain's God Save
the King" Of lowlier origin. leads all
other national anthems in point of all
around supremacy. in the opinion of
w. H. Grattan Flood, Mus. D.. X.
S. G.. as expressed in an article in the
Irish independent
Americas The star SpanE,ed Ban
ner." of obscure origin, doesn't make
the grade to this distinguished critic.
it seems.
The Austrian song is the only one
Of its kind composed by great mas
ter. DR.. Flood declares. 1t was writ
ten by Joseph Haydn and was first
presented at the celebration of the
emperor's birthday in Vienna in 1877.
Air Used Elsewhere.
The British anthem. DR. Flood
states. is the finest Of all national
songs" The air ia also that of the
national anthems of Germany. Rus.
sia and Denmark he points out.
God Save the King" was set in its
present form by Henry Purcell, theb
son OF an Irish exile in London and
its earlier origin can be traced back
as far as 1895 under the title
"Ochone," he adds.
Oscar George Sonneck, in his book
on American national songs. says
that at the time Francis Scott Key
wrote the Star Spangled Banner"
an English song. ITO Anacreon in
Heaven" was sweeping the country
O ad - -hAv o,--
all classes Of people. Key himself
learned it and in moment of pa
triotic stress wrote the words of the
Star Spangled Banner" to the tune
Of this popular song, Sonneck relates.
ITO Anacreon in Heaven was writ
ten by John Stafford Smith about
1855. 1t was used as the constitu-
tional song of the "Anacreontic So
ciety." the membership of which in
cluded all the high,lights of the
musical profession.
yankee Doodle" Debated.
The meetings Of the Anacreontic
Society were held in the great ball
room of the Crown and Anchor
Tavern in the Strand London, once
fortnight, and the song was sung
at the end of each meeting. The song
lish public and then appeared in
America.
Yankee Doodle for half a century
the national air of America. is the
subject of much debate concerning its
authorship and origin.
Several theories have been advanc-
ed as to when and why it was writ
ten. Some say it was written by an
English officer at the time of the rev.
olution. in derision of the Americans:
others. that it is an old Hessian
march and was brought to this coun-
try by the Hessian troopers when they
were hired to fight for the English.
Ii has been pretty conclusively proven
however. that Yankee Doodle orig
mated as an old Lancashire hornpipe
as early as 1850. and was called
Doodle Doodle Doc" 1t was sung as
such in the Spanish Gypsy" in 1858.
When the song had become popular
in America about 1867. the name
Yankee" was added and the words
changed a bit. Yankee Doodle Doc"
then became what was almost accept
ed as the National air of America.
Neither the author of the music or
the words is known.
According to another theory, the
tune of Yankee Doodle" was taken
from a song known as "All The Way
TO Galway an Irish air which was
brought to America b. an Iriehman
in 1856. The Brti~'- u-ut Under an
Irish bandmaster. Mclean of Dublin.
played this tune. and words We're set
to it in derision of the Yankee troops.
hut after the surrender at Yorktown
the Irish air was adopted by the
Americans as their own.