National Anthems

[Sportsman]

A bit insensitive to keep that verse about Wade in for so many years after Culloden, though...

True Davy, but I think we should keep it in just for the England Scotland games

 

 

The Scots aren't too bothered about referring to sending proud Edwards Army homeward to think again in "The Flower of Scotland"

[nomadpaul]

i remember Billy Connolly doing a 'skit' where he was referring to the Olympic games opening ceremony where all these nations come bounding in to their bright , bouncy anthems and then us Brits come in , looking like a funeral march. His solution to 'perk' us up ? - change our national anthem to the ' ARCHERS THEME TUNE '

 

Imagine that - Beckham standing there , before the WC final , ready for the most important footy game ever and over the stadium speakers.....

 

Dum de dum de dum de dum , dum de dum de da da.........brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it

 

Note : If you don't know the Archers theme tune , this will mean nothing to you whatsoever

[Slack lines]

Just been "playing" on google, and I found the item below. It would seem we don't have a National anthem

 

United Kingdom

"God Save the Queen"

 

Words by: unknown

Music by: unknown

In use since: 1745

 

"God Save the Queen" (or "God Save the King", depending on the gender of the ruling monarch) was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745 after the king, George II defeated the Jacobite claimant to the throne, "Bonnie Prince Charlie. The song came to be referred to as the National Anthem from the beginning of the nineteenth century.

 

The words and tune are anonymous, and may date back to the seventeenth century. There are various claimants to authorship of both the words and tune, the words can be found as early as 1545, when the watchword at night was "God save the King", the reply was "Long to reign over us." The authorship of the melody has been claimed by many, including John Bull (the author of the earliest piece of music that resembles the work), Henry Carey, Henry Purcell, and Joseph Haydn (althoguh he probably borrowed the tune upon hearing it in London.)

 

There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition; the anthem has also never been officially declared as the national anthem of the country, the royal anthem (as this technically is) is used as the national anthem as a matter of tradition. The words used are those sung in 1745, substituting 'Queen' for 'King' where appropriate. On official (and most other) occassions, the first verse only is sung, rarely are the other verses heard.

 

The British tune has since become one of the world's most recognizable anthems, and has has been used in other countries - as European visitors to Britain in the eighteenth century noticed the advantage of a country possessing such a recognised musical symbol - including Germany, Russia, Switzerland, the United States (where use of the tune continued after independence), and even today by Liechtenstein and as the royal anthem of Norway. (One might say that because of this fact, that the United Kingdom was the creator of the concept of a "national anthem".) Some 140 composers, including Beethoven, Haydn and Brahms, have used the tune in their compositions.

 

"God Save the Queen" also serves as the royal anthem for most Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and Canada. (Governor-generals of Commonwealth countries usually have bits and pieces of the national anthem strung together played as their anthem.)

[argyll]

I remember a few seasons back when Ferrari ruled the GP circuit. Schumaker was heavily criticised for bouncing up and down on the rostrum conducting the assembled Tifosi singing the Italian national anthem.

 

The sound of the Italian AND German anthem so close together used to get my old man reaching for his bayonet

[DavyR]

Dum de dum de dum de dum , dum de dum de da da.........brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it

 

At least we wouldn't have to endure half the team trying to mime and cover up their ignorance of the words...

[Tony U]

The Spanish National Anthem "Marcha Real" does not have any official words to it perhaps we should follow their example.

I must admit I have always thought God Save the Queen a bit of a dirge and the Scots Flower of Scotland is little better; only the Welsh have a decent tune (and they can sing as well).

Edited June 5, 2006 by Tony U

[Severn Wolf]

Why is it that the Scots, Welsh and Irish have their own national anthems at large sporting events yet the English have to suffer the indignity of having to stand to the BRITISH anthem?

Edited June 5, 2006 by Severn Wolf

[DavyR]

Why is it that the Scots, Welsh and Irish have their own national anthems at large sporting events yet the English have to suffer the idnigity of having to stand to the BRITISH anthem?

 

Go on, then - what do you recommend for an English national anthem? I can guarantee that whatever you pick, it will be unacceptable to northerners, southerners, west countrymen or east anglians...

[Tony U]

Blake''s Jerusalem it annoys the Church., but I do like the tune.

[gozzer]

Go on, then - what do you recommend for an English national anthem? I can guarantee that whatever you pick, it will be unacceptable to northerners, southerners, west countrymen or east anglians...

 

Land of Hope and Glory, seems a good 'sing-a-long' type of tune.

 

But with the popular view of the English abroad, maybe "Two Pints of lager and a Packet of Crisps PLEASE" seems appropriate.......... Or should that be 15 pints of lager?