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God Save the King

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This article is on the British patriotic anthem. For the Sex Pistols song, see God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song).

God Save the Queen is a patriotic song whose origin remains a matter of speculation. It is traditionally used as the national anthem of the United Kingdom, one of the two national anthems of New Zealand, and the royal anthem of Canada, Australia, and the other Commonwealth Realms, as well as the royal anthem of the British Royal Family. When the British monarch is male it becomes God Save the King. God Save the King (or ... Queen) is also the royal anthem (but not the national anthem) of Norway – sung there in Norwegian – as the Norwegian and British royal familes both descend from Queen Victoria.

There is no single authorised version of the song; indeed, the anthem has never been officially adopted by Royal Proclamation nor Act of Parliament. In general only one, or on rare occasions two, verses are ever sung [1].

History

The origin of the tune is surrounded by uncertainty, speculation and a certain amount of misinformation. In the Oxford Companion to Music, Percy Scholes devotes about four pages to this subject. He points out the similarities to an early plainsong melody, although he points out that the rhythm is very distictly that of a galliard and gives examples of several such dance tunes that bear a striking resemblance to God Save the Queen. He quotes a keyboard piece by Dr. John Bull (1619) which has some strong similarities to the modern tune (rather more or less like it, depending on the placing of accidentals which, at that time, were, in certain cases, unwritten and left to the discretion of the player—see Musica ficta). He also points to several pieces by Henry Purcell, one of which includes the opening notes of the modern tune, set to the words God save the King.

The first definitive published version of the present tune appeared in Thesaurus Musicus, in 1744, as a setting of the familiar first verse. Undoubtedly, the song was popularized in the following year (with the landing of the Young Pretender). It was certainly sung in London theatres in 1745 with, for example, Thomas Arne writing a setting of the tune for the Drury Lane Theatre.

Scholes' analysis includes mention of "untenable" and "doubtful" claims, as well as "an American misattribution". Some of these are:

  • A tale, widely believed in France, that the tune was written by Lully for Louis XIV, then pirated by Handel. Scholes points out gross errors of date which render these claims untenable, and they have been ascribed to a 19th-century forgery, the Souvenirs of the Marquise de Créquy.
  • James Oswald. He is a possible author of the Thesaurus Musicus so may certainly have played a part in this story, but is not a strong enough candidate to be cited as the composer of the tune.
  • Dr. Henry Carey. Scholes refutes this attribution, firstly, on the grounds that Carey himself never made such a claim. Secondly, when the claim was made by Carey's son (as late as 1795), it was accompanied by a request for a pension from the British Government on that score; thirdly, that the younger Carey claimed that his father had written parts of it in 1745 (despite the fact that the older Carey had died in 1743!). It has also been claimed that the first public performance of the work was when Carey sang it during a dinner in 1740 in honour of Admiral Edward Vernon who had captured the Spanish harbour of Porto Bello (then in Colombia, now Panama) during the War of Jenkins' Ear.

Scholes recommends the attribution; "traditional" or "traditional; earliest known version by John Bull (1562-1628)". The English Hymnal (musical editor Ralph Vaughan Williams) gives no attribution, stating merely "17th or 18th cent.".

Traditionally, the first performance was thought to have been in 1745, when it was sung in support of George II after the defeat of his army at the Battle of Prestonpans by the Jacobite claimant to the British throne, Bonnie Prince Charlie, whose forces were mostly Scottish. To express this support verse 6 was added, but as its call to crush the rebels now suggests an anti-Scottish sentiment it is rarely (if ever) sung nowadays.

Joseph Haydn was impressed by the use of God Save the King as a national anthem during his visit to London in 1794, and on his return to Austria wrote a tune to the national anthem, the God Save Emperor Franz (Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser), for the birthday of the Emperor Franz of Austria. The tune of God Save the King was later adopted for the Prussian national anthem Heil Dir im Siegerkranz.

Use in the Commonwealth

It was formerly used as a national anthem by most of the Commonwealth Realms, including Australia, Canada, and Jamaica. It has since been replaced by Advance Australia Fair, O Canada, and Jamaica, Land We Love respectively, though it remains those countries' royal anthem and is played during formal ceremonies involving the Royalty or viceroyalty (Governors-General, Governors, and Lieutenant-Governors—see Vice Regal Salute); in Canada, God Save the Queen is sometimes sung together with O Canada at public events. It continues to be recognised as the national anthem of New Zealand, together with God Defend New Zealand, although it is almost never performed as such. It is also the former national anthem of Ireland, replaced in the 1920s by Amhrán na bhFiann (in English, The Soldier's Song).

Use elsewhere

God Save the Queen was the very first song to be used as a national anthem (although the Netherlands' national anthem, the Wilhelmus, is actually older), and its tune was either used as or officially adopted as the national anthem for several other countries, including those of Germany (unofficial), Russia (until 1833), Sweden and Switzerland.

It is also the melody to the popular United States patriotic song My Country, 'Tis of Thee. The tune is also used as Norway's Royal anthem entitled Kongesangen. The rock band Queen played God Save the Queen at the end of all of their concerts.

The tune is still used as the national anthem of Liechtenstein. This was a source of embarrassment to Winter Olympic officials in 1980 when Hanni Wenzel won this country's first gold medal ever, and they had no record of her country's national anthem. There was also an amusing incident when England met Liechtenstein in a Euro 2004 qualifier, which necessitated the same tune being played twice.

The melody of God Save the Queen is used in Christianity as well. The United Methodists of the southern United States, Mexico, and Latin America play the same melody as a hymn.

Other UK anthems

Frequently, when an anthem is needed for one of the component countries of the UK — at an international sporting event, for instance — an alternate song is used:

  • Wales has its own recognised anthem in Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of My Fathers);
  • Scotland uses either Flower of Scotland or Scotland the Brave, or traditionally Scots Wha Hae;
  • England generally uses God Save the Queen, but has used Jerusalem or Land of Hope and Glory.
  • Northern Ireland generally uses God Save the Queen at events associated with the British tradition, and the Irish national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann at events associated with the Irish tradition. Additionally, Londonderry Air is a popular cross-community anthem.
  • At international football matches, England and Northern Ireland both use God Save the Queen, while Scotland uses Flower of Scotland, and Wales uses Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. There has been some debate about replacing God Save the Queen with Jerusalem for England matches.
  • At international rugby league matches, England uses Land of Hope and Glory while Scotland uses Flower of Scotland and Wales uses Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. At Great Britain matches, God Save the Queen is played, which recently led to Irish-born Brian Carney bowing his head and not singing along.
  • In international rugby union, England uses God Save the Queen, Scotland Flower of Scotland and Wales Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. Ireland (a team representing both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) sing Ireland's Call, a song which attempts to unite the two traditions on the island.
  • Recently the British and Irish Lions rugby union tour used the song The Power of Four but this anthem was especially designed for the tour and will likely not be used again, perhaps because most of the players did not know the anthem. There is actually no collective anthem for Britain and Ireland since the Republic of Ireland has been independent from the United Kingdom since 1920.
  • The Song of the Western Men has popularly been considered to be the Cornish national anthem and is sung at rugby matches and events such as Saint Perran's day or at the end of concerts. However some Cornish nationalists argue that Bro Goth Agan Tasow which is in Cornish rather than English should be adopted.

Performance

The style of performance most commonly heard in official performances was that proposed as the "proper interpretation" by King George V, who considered himself something of an expert, in view of the number of times he had heard it played. An Army Order was duly issued, in 1933, which laid down regulations for tempo, dynamics and orchestration. This included instructions such as that the opening "six bars will be played quietly by the reed band with horns and basses in a single phrase. Cornets and side-drum are to be added at the little scale-passage leading into the second half of the tune, and the full brass enters for the last eight bars". The official tempo for the opening section is a metronome setting of 60, with the second part played in a broader manner, at a metronome setting of 52Template:Fn.

This slow and sombre pace can sound dreary to those having more modern tastes than George V, and more recent performances sometimes use a faster and livelier tempo to reduce the dreary effect. Comedian Billy Connolly performed a sketch broadcast on TV comparing the UK's slow tune to the lively ones of many other nations and suggested that it should be replaced by the theme tune to The Archers.

So far, Parliament has declined to take action.

At the end of theatre performances the audience was expected to stand to attention while the anthem was played. In cinemas this brought a tendency for audiences to rush out while the credits played at the end of the film to avoid this formality.

The anthem was traditionally played at closedown on the BBC and with the introduction of commercial television to the UK this practice was adopted by some ITV regions. BBC Two never played the anthem at closedown, and ITV dropped the practice in the late 1980s, but it continued on BBC One until 8 November 1997, and is still done on BBC Radio 4.

The rock band Queen put a version of God Save the Queen on their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. During the Queen's Golden Jubilee pop concert at Buckingham Palace on 4 June 2002, Brian May performed the anthem on electric guitar from the Palace's roof.

The Broadway musical West Side Story (1957) also features the Jets (a street gang of Polish-Americans) whistling the first six bars of My Country 'Tis of Thee, which has the same tune as God Save the Queen.

In 1970, the rock band Gentle Giant put a version of God save the Queen on their album Gentle Giant.

Lyrics

The United Kingdom version is as follows: "God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen: God save the Queen. Send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us: God save the Queen.

Another verse follows but in ceremonies i.e. the Proms it is one verse: Thy choicest gifts in store, on her be pleased to pour, Long may she reign, May she defend our laws, and ever give us cause, to sing with heart and voice, God save the Queen. Since God Save the Queen is the Royal Anthem of Canada, the first verse has been translated into French for use in that country, as shown below. As sung in English in Canada, God Save the Queen has an additional English verse, sung after the first or second verse, which is also given below. In general use in Canada, however, only the first verse is sung. In New Zealand, the second verse, which proved to be more militaristic, was replaced with the fourth verse, otherwise known as a Commonwealth verse. However, that verse is primarily used only when the anthem is played past the first verse.

1
God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen:
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen.
2
O Lord, our God, arise,
Scatter her enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On thee our hopes we fix:
God save the Queen.
3
Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign:
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice
God save the Queen 1.

Although in the original lyrics, verses 4-6 are now omitted entirely - partly to reduce the length of the anthem and partly due to the 'rebellious Scots to crush' line in verse six:

4
Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world o'er.
5
From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O'er her thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!
6
Lord grant that Marshal Wade
May by thy mighty aid
Victory bring.
May he sedition hush,
And like a torrent rush,
Rebellious Scots to crush.
God save the Queen!

Verse 6 was a reaction to Sir John Cope's defeat by the Jacobites at the Battle of Prestonpans with a prayer for the success of Wade's army then assembling at Newcastle.

The Jacobite forces bypassed his force and reached Derby, but then retreated and when their garrison at Carlisle surrendered to a second government army led by King George's son the Duke of Cumberland another verse was added, according to Fitzroy Maclean Template:Fn: The verse he quotes appears to have a line missing.

7
George is magnanimous,
Subjects unanimous;
Peace to us bring:
His fame is glorious,
Reign meritorious,
God save the King!

In the 19th century, there was some lively debate about the national anthem. Even then, verse two was considered to be slightly offensive. Notably, the question arose over the phrase "scatter her (or his) enemies". Some thought it placed better emphasis on the respective power of Parliament and the Crown to change "her" to "our"; others pointed out that the theology was somewhat dubious and substituted "thine" instead. In 1836, William Edward Hickson wrote four alternative verses:

1
God bless our native land!
May heaven's protecting hand
Still guard our shore:
May peace her power extend,
Foe be transformed to friend,
And Britain's rights depend
On war no more.
2
O Lord, our monarch bless
With strength and righteousness:
Long may she reign:
Her heart inspire and move
With wisdom from above;
And in a nation's love
Her throne maintain
3
May just and righteous laws
Uphold the public cause,
And bless our isle:
Home of the brave and free,
Thou land of liberty,
We pray that still on thee
Kind heaven may smile.
4
Nor on this land alone,
But be God's mercies known
From shore to shore:
Lord make the nations see
That men should brothers be,
And form one family
The wide world o'er

The first, third, and fourth of these verses are appended to the National Anthem in the English Hymnal. However, only the fourth seems to get even the rarest airing nowadays, often with the first word erroneously changed to "not". Charles T. Brooks, in 1833, translated a German Lutheran hymn also starting with the words God bless our native land. This hymn inspired Rev. Samuel F. Smith to write the words to the American patriotic song My Country, 'Tis of Thee (also known as America), sung to the same tune, in 1832.

1
God bless our native land!
Firm may she ever stand
Thro' storm and night!
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of wind and wave
Do Thou our country save
By Thy great might.
2
For her our prayer shall rise
To God above the skies;
On Him we wait.
Thou who art ever nigh,
Guarding with watchful eye,
To Thee aloud we cry,
God save the State!

To this hymn is often added the fourth of Hickson's verses.

First verse in French, as sung in Canada

Dieu protège la reine
De sa main souveraine!
Vive la reine!
Qu'un règne glorieux,
Long et victorieux
Rende son peuple heureux.
Vive la reine!

Bilingual verse in Canada - often song on Remembrance Day

Dieu sauve notre reine,
Notre glorieuse reine,
Vive la reine!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God Save the Queen!!

Additional verse sung in Canada

Our loved Dominion bless
With peace and happiness
From shore to shore;
And let our Empire be
Loyal, united, free
True to herself and Thee
God save the Queen

.

Official peace version

Although known as the "official peace version, 1919", these less militaristic verses are not the official national anthem. They are found in some hymn books.

1
God save our gracious Queen
Long live our noble Queen
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious
Happy and glorious
Long to reign over us
God save the Queen!
2
One realm of races four
Blest more and ever more
God save our land!
Home of the brave and free
Set in the silver sea
True nurse of chivalry
God save our land!
3
Of many a race and birth
From utmost ends of earth
God save us all!
Bid strife and hatred cease
Bid hope and joy increase
Spread universal peace
God save us all!

Footnote

  1. When the monarch of the time is male, the last two lines of Verse 3 become 'with heart and voice to sing, God Save the King'

A naval version

God save Great George our King,
Long live our Noble King,
God Save the King!
Fulfill his heart's desire,
And all our youth inspire,
With pure celestial fire,
Thy praise to sing!
When insults rise to wars,
Oak-hearted British Tars
Scorn to be slaves;
Ranged in our wooden walls,
Ready when duty calls
To send our cannon balls
O'er oceans' waves.

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Sources

  • Template:FnbMaclean, Fitzroy, Bonnie Prince Charlie, Canongate Books Ltd. 1989 ISBN 0-86241-568-3
  • Template:FnbPercy A Scholes: Oxford Companion to Music, Tenth Edition, OUP
  • The English Hymnal with Tunes, OUP, 1906
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