Any Decent National Anthems?

[znmeb <znmeb...>]

[ Article crossposted from rec.music.classical,rec.music.folk ]
[ Author was Roger Lustig ]
[ Posted on 2 Jun 1995 02:52:04 GMT ]

In article <1995Jun1(dot)004115(dot)27305 (at) 
inca(dot)comlab(dot)ox(dot)ac(dot)uk> ehrlich (at) sable(dot)ox(dot)ac(dot)uk 
(Charles Ehrlich) writes:
>In article <3qfr6a$e8g (at) linda(dot)teleport(dot)com>,  <znmeb (at) 
>teleport(dot)com> wrote:

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

>This is a non sequitur.  Ha Tikva didn't just materialize in 1948, nor did
>the Moldau in whatever year Smetena wrote it.  We are dealing with an old
>folk song - the exact origin of which we may never know.  It seems to crop
>up in several cultures.  

Right: see James J. Fuld, _The Book of World-Famous Music_.

>It seems likely, as someone has already posted, that
>Smetena borrowed the theme from some Czech folk melody (and then rearranged
>it a bit).  Ha Tikva was a traditional Jewish song.  

Actually, the words are by Naphtali Herz Imber (1856-1909).  They first
appeared in conjunction with the melody in 1895, the melody being called
"Syrian" (a synonym for Jewish in those days!) in the publication.

>Whether the melody was 
>originally Czech or Jewish or whatever is the question of this thread.  When 

See Fuld--it could even be Swedish.  The basic pattern of the tune is found
in a half-dozen cultures.

>Smetena wrote the Moldau is partly irrelevent (since the theme is not 
>originally his - although he has changed it a bit); when Israel was founded
>is entirely irrelevent (the thread is about Ha Tikva, not Israel - who cares
>when Israel was founded?).

Besides, it was the anthem of Zionism from 1897 onward...

Roger

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