Stories of Famous Songs, Vol 2

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FAMOUS SONGS
first phrase consists of six bars and the second of eight, which similarity does not exist in any other airs from which it is supposed to have been taken. It is true that the eight bars of the second phrase are made out by holding on the final note of the melody through two bars, there-fore it differs decidedly from all copies of our more modem tune ; but the words may be sung to Dr. Bull's f ayre' by dividing the time of the long notes—in fact it has been so performed in public." But this only more conclusively proves that the tune of " God Save the Queen," as now sung, was not composed by Dr. Bull. The fact is that Richard Clark, who had already written a booklet in 1814 to prove beyond refutation that Henry Carey, and Henry Carey alone, was responsible for both words and music of the national anthem, was a seeker after literaiy fame, and coming by chance upon the MS. book of Dr. Bull, in which he noted a composi-tion at folio 56 called " God Save the King," he bought it thinking he had really found the origin of the disputed anthem. But this par-ticular " ayre" entitled " God Save the King," and which is the one that was sung at a banquet given by the Merchant Taylors' Company in their hall to King James I. in 1607, so often referred to as being the real original, proved to
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