| Share page | Visit Us On FB |
|
STORIES OF
history is somewhat as follows. The fact that our English national anthem invariably accom-panied the German Emperor on his state ap-pearances in this country seems to have per-plexed a good many people, who doubtless think that " Die Wacht am Rhine" would be more appropriate. The truth is, however, that the melody of l< God Save the Queen/' under its German title, has for little more than a century been the state anthem of Prussia. It was early in 1790 that the Holstein clergyman, Heinrich Harries, wrote in honour of Chris-tian VII. of Denmark a national hymn in eight stanzas " to the melody of the English ' God Save Great George the King.'" Three years later Frederick William II. adopted an ab-breviated version of it for the Prussian Court, the words being written by Schumacher. This is still the state anthem, while Wilhelm's "Wacht am Rhein," composed in 1854, and first brought prominently into notice during the Franco-German War, ranks as a patriotic song with our " Rule Britannia." Besides being the state anthem of Denmark and Prussia, " God Save the King" was also the state melody of Russia, until the Czar Nicholas, desiring that the Russians should have a national hymn of their own, commissioned Lwoffin 1833 *° com~
204 |
||