Any Decent National Anthems?

[znmeb <znmeb...>]

[ Article crossposted from rec.music.folk,rec.music.classical ]
[ Author was ghost ]
[ Posted on 7 Jun 1995 17:25:30 GMT ]

In article <3qfr6a$e8g (at) linda(dot)teleport(dot)com> znmeb (at) 
teleport(dot)com writes:

>ghost (jmf (at) endor(dot)harvard(dot)edu) wrote:

>: In article <3qfan4$kmc (at) linda(dot)teleport(dot)com> znmeb (at) 
>teleport(dot)com writes:

>: >JonathBlue (jonathblue (at) aol(dot)com) wrote:
>: >: The Israeli National Anthem "Ha Tikvah" (which means "Hope") is very
>: >: moving.  It is in a minor key (I believe) and has a beautiful, bittersweet
>: >: melody.

>: >It is also from a well-known classical composition, "The Moldau", by
>: >Smetana.

>: Nope:  Smetana, in "The Moldau", steals what was either a local (Chezch?)
>: folk tune or a local Jewish folk tune, messes around with the key its in to
>: make it sound "more uplifting", rearranges it a bit, & puts his name on it.
>: Typical story.  When classical composers wanted something with ethnic
>: flavor they usually just swiped something from the local ethnics, but many
>: did acknowledge their sources.  I don't know about Smetana.

>Israel was founded in 1948.  "The Moldau" was written much earlier.

The tune of Hatikvah, aka "The Moldau", is found in the Sabbath morning
(prayer) service, at least in the version on a tape I bought (which sounds
just as trad as I could have hoped for, even though some of the other melodies
used are familiar alternates to the ones I really wanted, learned in
childhood).  So...it pays to buy those rabbi tapes!  Tape is in the car; 
I'll get you reference later if you like.

The Jewish Sabbath morning prayer service, is, needless to say, mostly
"written much earlier" than Smetana's lifetime.

The tune in question could still be a Czech (or whatever) folk tune which
found its way in to the Jewish service as performed across eastern Europe;
stranger things have happened, & people did trade tunes in those days when
they had a good one.  I seriously doubt it was taken from Smetana's
composition & didn't appear before that, but as I don't know if cantors were
given to transcribing the service as best they could into western
notation, which is severely inadequate to the task, I don't know if I
could prove this origin to your satisfaction.  Check this reference out in
alt.music.jewish if you can get that newsgroup at your site; I can't, as 
we don't get this or many other alt groups here.

-- 
znmeb (at) teleport(dot)COM (M. Edward Borasky)
How to Stop A Folksinger Cold # 2
"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?"
No.