| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
FAMOUS SONGS
having seen Dr. Bull's music at any time, as it was only preserved in Dr. Pepusch's private collection and certainly was not printed during Carey's lifetime. Carey died before his melody was taken up by the public, and consequently he never had an opportunity of asserting his claim to its inspiration.
Dr. Bull, by the way, was one of the organists of the Chapel Royal in the reign of James L, and died in the ancient city of Antwerp (circa 1619) more than two centuries and a half ago. Carey's version of the music, so says the " Telegraph'' scribe, was pirated at the Hague in 1766, with other songs, in a collection of lyrics entitled the " Masonic Lyre," and was subsequently adopted by the Danes as their national anthem, words being set to the air, which were Germanized later into " Heil Dir im Siegeskranz." In this form it was published in Berlin towards the close of the year 1793, as a volksleid, or popular song, shortly afterwards it became the Prussian national air, and was taken over in the same capacity by the German empire in 1871. Con-sequently it will be seen that it has been familiar to Continental, as well as British ears, as the recognized profession of loyalty to the Crown for over one hundred and thirty years.
Another account of this part of the anthem's
203 |
||