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REIGN OF QUEEN ANNE TO GEORGE II. 703 |
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Objections may be taken to Carey's claim, because " God save the King" was published anonymously. I do not attach any importance to that fact, because I Lave before me several others of his songs so printed. The copies were, in all probability, obtained surreptitiously. He complains of this piracy in the preface to the first volume of The Musical Century, 1737, and states his losses on that account to have averaged nearly 300£. a year. I do not understand why he could not have repressed such piracy, under the act of Queen Anne; but he was evidently not aware that he possessed the power, since he prays the legislature to piss a bill, then pending, for the protection of authors, such as was already enjoyed by engravers.
Carey's last musical publication bears date Jan., 1740, and that is the year in which he is stated to have sung " God save the King " at a tavern in Cornhill. The celebration of Admiral Vernon's victory was certainly an appropriate time for its production.
Carey died in October, 1743, and " God save the King " first became extensively popular in October, 1745. It was the rebellion of that year that called forth such repeated expressions of loyalty, and caused so much enthusiasm when the song was sung at all the theatres.
" God save the King" consists of six bars in the first part, and eight in the second. The rhythm is peculiar, but not defective, since all the phrases consist of two bars. No composer of the time seems so likely to have used this rhythm as Carey. Several of his songs contain six bars in the first part, and some have moro than six in the second. A glance at his Musical Century, and other songs, will shew this.
If Carey wrote both words and music of " God save the King," without haviag seen Dr. Bull's " ayre," he, in all probability, had in mind the song of Vive le Roy (ante p. 430). The music begins in the same way, and we know by
f D'Urfey's song that Vive le Roy was in use, or at least remembered, in the reign of George I. I have not seen any old German copies, but in the modern, such as, ': 157 Alte und neue Studenten,—Soldaten,—und Volks-Lieder," Leipzig,
i 1847, the composition is attributed to H. Carey.
I now leave the verdict as to the authorship in the hands of my readers.
: There will, no doubt, be differences of opinion among them. Some will be for Dr. Bull; others will say that the only four bars in Bull's "ayre" which are
j identical with "God save King" are a common passage; and will instance the
| four bars in the Christmas Carol, which is older than Bull's tune, as nearly the same. (The reader may compare the second part of the carol at p. 374, with the second part of Bull's " ayre.") These will argue the coincidence to be accidental.
Without speculating further upon opinions, I will now place before my readers a printed copy of earlier date than any yet known. In this copy neither George nor James is mentioned. It is applicable to any king, but was printed in the reign of George II. It consists of but two stanzas instead of three. |
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