The National Hymn

— The death of Rev. Samuel F. Smith brings up again the subject of the origin of the tune to which he wrote the words of the national hymn America. The Souvenirs de la Marquise de Créquy contain the solution of this much-disputed question.

The music was composed by Lully, an Italian, educated in France, and distinguished as the creator of French opera. The original text was written by Madame de Brinon, a Parisian lady. The hymn was suggested by Madame de Maintenon, in honor of King Louis XIV. on his appearance at the official opening of the school for noble young ladies at the convent of St. Cyr, in 1686. It was sung by the pupils at the entrance of the king into the chapel, and the words were as follows : —

It was a tradition at St. Cyr that Handel, during a visit to the superior of the convent, asked and obtained permission to copy the air and the words of that French invocation ; and this assertion is supported by a written declaration, signed by the nuns of St. Cyr, and also by a full narration of the circumstances in the Memoirs of the Duchess of Perth, who gives three nuns of St. Cyr as her authority. Handel published the music with English words, and offered the work to King George I. of England, apparently as his own composition.

In 1790, a Danish clergyman, Heinrich Harries, prepared a hymn in honor of the birthday of King Christian VIII. of Denmark, and set it to what was called the English tune of God Save the King.

In 1793, a German scholar, Dr. Schumacher, translated the Danish hymn, with slight alterations, and published it in a Berlin newspaper, as a greeting to King Friedrich Wilhelm on his return from the campaign against France. That hymn, Heil dir im Siegerkranz, sung to the melody of God Save the King, became at once the favorite national hymn of Germany, and found its way also into Austria, Hungary, and Iceland ; both music and words being in every case a plagiarism of the French originals.

Mr. Smith borrowed the tune from a German music-book, being entirely ignorant of the history of the composition, and he wrote his text without reference to the royalist invocation.