A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/God Save the King

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A Dictionary of Music and Musicians
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God Save the King by George Grove
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From volume 1 of the work.

1504578A Dictionary of Music and Musicians — God Save the KingGeorge GroveGeorge Grove


​GOD SAVE THE KING. The so-called 'National Anthem' of England, a tune in two sections, the first of 6 bars, the second of 8.

{ \time 3/4 \key g \major \relative g' { g4 g a fis4. g8 a4 b b c | b4. a8 g4 a g fis g2. \bar "||" d'4 d d d4. c8 b4 c c c c4. b8 a4 b c8[ b] a[ g] b4. c8 d4 | c b a g2. \bar "||" } \addlyrics { God save our no -- ble Queen, Long live our gra -- cious Queen, God save the Queen! Send her vic -- tor -- i -- ous, Hap -- py and glor -- i -- ous, Long to _ reign _ o -- ver us, God save the Queen. } }

O Lord our God, arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics.
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all.

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.

Its first public performance is stated to have been at a dinner in 1740 to celebrate the taking of Portobello by Admiral Vernon (Nov. 20, 1739), when it is said to have been sung by Henry Carey as his own composition, both words and music. The nearest known copy to that date is that in the 'Harmonia Anglicana' of 1742 or 43, as follows[1]. It is marked 'for two voices,' but we give the melody only.

{ \time 3/4 \key g \major \relative g' { g4 g a fis4. g8 a4 b b c | a4. a8 b4 a fis4. g8 g2. \bar "||" d'4 d d d4. c8 b4 c c c c4. b8 a4 b c8[ b] a[ g] b4. c8 d4 | c a4. g8 g2. \bar "||" } \addlyrics { God save our Lord the King, Long live our nob -- le King, God save the King! Send him vic -- tor -- i -- ous, Hap -- py and glor -- i -- ous, Long to _ reign _ o -- ver us, God save the King. } }

O Lord our God, arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall.
Confound their politics.
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On him our hopes are fix'd,
O save us all.


This is the nearest we can arrive at to the original form of the air and words, and both will be found somewhat different from those with which we are familiar. The fact that Henry Carey was the author of both is testified to by J. Christopher Smith, Handel's amanuensis, and by Dr. Harington; but for the evidence the reader must be referred to Mr. Chappell's full statement in his 'Popular Music,' pp. 694, 5, and to Chrysander's 'Jahrbücher' (i. 287–407). In 1745 it became publicly known by being sung at the theatres as 'a loyal song or anthem' during the Scottish Rebellion. The Pretender was proclaimed at Edinburgh Sept. 16, and the first appearance of 'God save the King' was at Drury Lane, Sept. 28. For a month or so it was much sung at both Covent Garden and ​Drury Lane; Burney harmonised it for the former, and Arne for the latter. Both words and music were printed, the latter in their present form, in the Gentleman's Magazine, Oct. 1745.

How far God save the King was compiled from older airs will probably never be known. Several exist with a certain resemblance to the modern tune.

1. An 'Ayre,' without further title, at p. 98 [App. p.650 "fo. 98"] of a MS. book attributed to 'Dr. Jan Bull,' and dated 1619. The MS., formerly in possession of Pepusch and of Kitchener, is now in the hands of Mrs. Clark, who refuses to allow it to be seen, but the following is copied from a transcript of Sir G. Smart's[2]:

{ \override Staff.TimeSignature #'style = #'single-digit \time 3/2 \relative e' { \repeat volta 2 { e2 a a g2. a4 b2 | c2. b8 c b4 a8 b | c2. c4 b a | a2. b8 a \once \set suggestAccidentals = ##t gis2 a2. } \repeat volta 2 { e'2 e e e2. d4 c2 d d d d2. c4 b2 b b c d c b a a a e'2. } } }

This is in 2 strains of 6 and 8 bars, and besides its general likeness it has both the rhythm and the melody of the modern air in the first four bars of the second strain; but the minor mode makes an essential difference in the effect.

A piece entitled 'God save the King' occurs in the same MS., p. 66 [App. p.650 "fo. 56"], but this is founded on the phrase

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f c''1 g'' f'' e'' }
and has no resemblance whatever to the national melody.

2. A Scotch carol, 'Remember, O thou man,' in Ravenscroft's 'Melismata,' 1611.

{ \time 3/4 \key g \minor \relative g' { g4 g g bes4. a8 g4 fis4. fis8 g4 a4. fis8 d4 g g g bes4. a8 g4 fis fis g a2. bes4 d d d4. c8 bes4 a c c c4. bes8 a4 bes a g fis4. g8 a4 bes4. a8 bes4 g2. \bar "||" } \addlyrics { Re -- mem -- ber, O thou man, O thou man, O thou man, Re- mem -- ber, O thou man, thy time is spent. Re -- mem -- ber, O thou man, how thou art dead and gone. And I did what I can there -- fore re -- pent. } }

This is the air on the ground of which 'God save the King' is sometimes claimed for Scotland. It is in 2 strains of 8 bars each, and has the rhythm and melody of the modern tune in the first and third bars of the second strain. But it is in minor.

3. A ballad, 'Franklin is fled away' (first printed in 1669).

{ \time 3/4 \key g \major \relative g' { g4 g a fis4. e8 d4 | g g a b2. | b4 b c b4. a8 b4 | a a gis a2. \bar "||" d4 d c b4. a8 g4 a a g fis4. e8 d4 | g g g d'4. c8 b4 a a4. g8 g2. \bar "||" } \addlyrics { Frank -- lin is fled a -- way, O hone, O hone! In whom my joys d end, O hone, O hone! Frank -- lin, my heart's de -- light, since last he took his flight, Bids now the world good night, O hone, O hone! } }

[App. p.650 "last note should be A."]

4. A piece in 'A choice Collection of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnet, composed by the late Mr. Henry Purcell,' 1696.

{ \time 3/4 \key g \major \relative d'' { d4 d d d4. e8 fis4 g g g g4. a8 b4 e, a a a4. g8 fis4 b g4. f8 e2( d4) \bar "||" fis fis fis fis4. e8 d4 d d d d4. c8 b4 e e fis g b, c d g, a a2( g4) \bar "||" } }

Here the similarity is confined to the recurring rhythm in the first and third bars of each section.

Thus the rhythm and phrases of God save the King, and even the unequal length of the two strains (its most essential peculiarity), had all existed before. So also did some of the phrases of the words. 'God save the king' is found in the English Bible (Coverdale, 1535), and as the phrase is in no sense a rendering of the Hebrew words, which literally are 'Let the king live,' it seems to follow that the phrase must have been employed in the translation as one familiar to nglish readers. Mr. Froude has also quoted a watchword of the navy as early as 1545—'God save the king,' with the countersign 'Long to reign over us' (Hist. chap. 22). 'God save King James' is the refrain of a ballad of 1606; and God save Charles the king, Our royal Roy, Grant him long to reign. In peace and joy,' is the opening of another ballad dating probably from 1645.

Both words and tune have been considerably antedated. They have been called 'The very words and music of an old anthem that was sung at St. James's Chapel for King James the Second' (Victor's letter, Oct. 1745). Dr. Arne is reported to have said that it was a received opinion that it was written for the Catholic Chapel of James II. This is the date given it by Burney in Rees's Cyclopaedia (Chappell, 694), and Dr. Benjamin Cooke had heard it sung to the words 'Great James our King.' But Dr. Cooke was not born till 1734, and his 'James' must have been (James III. ) the Pretender. And as to the Catholic Chapel of James II, to have been sung there it must surely have been in Latin, of which certainly no traces are found.

Lully's (1633–87) claim to the 'God save,' sometimes put forward, rests on the 'Souvenirs de la Marquise de Créqui,' which is now known to be ​a mere modern fiction. The tune however quickly crossed the Channel. It is found in 'La Lire Maçonne … de Vignolles et du Bois … a la Haye' as early as 1766, and it is worth noting that [3]the first bar has there taken its present form, and that the close is as follows:—

{ \override Score.TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f \time 3/4 \override Score.Clef #'stencil = ##f \override Score.Rest #'style = #'classical \relative e'' { \times 2/3 { e8 d c } b4 a g2 r4 \bar "||" } }

It was employed as the Danish National Air, to words which afterwards became 'Heil dir im Siegerkranz!' (Flensburger Wochenblatt, Jan. 27, 1790.) As a Berlin 'Volkslied' the words first appeared in the 'Spenersche Zeitung,' Dec. 17, 1793, and both words and music have since become the Prussian and German National Air.

Mr. Chappell has quoted more than one additional occasional stanza as well as parody of 'God save the King.' But perhaps none are so curious as the extra stanza which is said to have been sung at Calais at the banquet given in honour of the Duke of Clarence, when, as Lord High Admiral of England, he took Louis XVIII. across the Channel:—

God save noble Clarence,
Who brings her king to France,
God save Clarence!
He maintains the glory
Of the British navy,
O God make him happy!
God save Clarence!

The tune was a great favourite with Weber. He has introduced it into his Cantata 'Kampf und Sieg' (No. 9) and his 'Jubel Overture,' and has twice harmonised it for 4 voices—in D and B♭ (both MS.—Jähns, Nos. 247, 271). With Beethoven it was at least equally a favourite. He wrote 7 variations on it for Piano (in C; 1804), and has introduced it into his Battle Symphony; and à propos to the latter the following words are found in his journal: 'I must shew the English a little what a blessing they have in God save the King' (Nohl, 'Beethoven-Feier,' P. 55). Our own Attwood harmonised it in his anthem 'I was glad' for the coronation of George IV, as he did 'Rule Britannia' for the coronation of William IV.

Since these pages were in print Mr. Cummings has published an investigation of the subject in the Musical Times (March to August, 1878) more complete than any preceding it. I have only been able to avail myself of his copy of Bull's Ayre, and must refer my readers to the Musical Times for the rest.

[App. p.650 "Add that the version made by Harries for use in Denmark appeared in the 'Flensburgsches Wochenblatt' for Jan. 27, 1790, and begins 'Heil Dir, dem liebenden.' It is expressly stated to have been written for the melody of 'God save great George the King.' The Berlin form, beginning 'Heil Dir, im Siegerkranz,' is by Balthasar Gerhard Schumacher, and was published in the 'Spenersche Zeitung,' Berlin, Dec. 17, 1793. See a paper by A. Hoffman von Fallersleben in his 'Findlinge,' Leipzig, 1859.

Besides the authorities quoted in vol. i., and Mr. Cummings's papers, see an article by Major Crawford in Julian's 'Dictionary of Hymnology,' P. 437."]

[ G. ]

  1. ↑ See Chappell's 'Popular Music,' ii. 704.
  2. ↑ Printed by Mr. Cummings (Mus. Times, May 1878). The sharps there given are omitted from the signature; as Mr. Cummings surmises, with great probability, that they were added after Bull's time.
  3. ↑ If the tune is alike in the 1st and 2nd (1775) editions. See Tappert to Mus. Wochenblatt, Aug. 31. 1877.
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