SOLDIERS' SONGS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 251, 27 November 1914, Page 4 (Supplement)

SOLDIERS' SONGS.

IX TIME OF WAR,

It was Sir Edwin Arnold who wrote: —

"Marching down to Armageddon, Brother's stout and strong, Let us clioer tho way we tread on With a soldier's song. Faint we by the weary road, Or fall we in the rout, Dirge or Paean, Death or Triumph Let tho song ring out;"

During the present welter of war. when the fair lands of Belgium and France have been turned into Hade-, of death and destruction owing to the orer-weening ambition of Teuionh militarism, one turns for relief froa. the details of appalling atrocities ant dreadful carnage to the lighter side oi this mighty moving picture of titann strife, the soags of the soldiers, as witl brave hearts, undaunted spirits, an? cheerful mien they waken the echoes o the countryside to the note; of son* lilting ditty. THE PRESENT FAVOURITE. The favourites appear to be "It's a long way to Tipperary" and "Cheei boyß, cheer," although no doubt othei music hall and popular tunes get » turn. It has been stated that the Bel gian and French " Tonray Atkins' have become quite enamoured of thest marching songs, and have endeavour cd to learn them from their British comrades-in-arms. Manly voices havo stffttched then vocal chords shouting them in tho beau tiful city of Park and in that greai North Sea port Ostend. They have mad« the welkin ring along dusty Frcne). highways and leafy English roads, an< likely enough in the trenches to the accompaniment of the deadly zip-zap o. Lee-Enfield Mauser, and Lebel, whik the roar of thunderous siege cannon an< howitzers supplied a profound bass. The subject of soldiers songs in tim< of war would be an. interesting one tt follow up, but I only propone to touch the matter lightly in a topical manner. In olden days the skalds and harpersang war songs to the warriora of man;. nations as they marched to battle. These hongs were generally recitals oi the deeds of former heroes, and wci\ calculated to stir up the warrior spins in the soldiers, making them desirous o! emulating tb e achievements of tho* thus glorified. It ia, howfcvter, onl,> when we come to the period of the wart. in the Low Countries in the seven teenth century that wc strike firn. ground. One of the °f our soldiers ij. Flanders was the following bi-linguai effusion:—

""We be soldiers three-

Pardonnez-moi, je vous ca prie— Lately come forth of the Low Country, With never a penny of monic.

Here, good fellow, 1 drink k th«e — Pardonnez-moi, ye vous en prie— To all good fellows, wherever the> be. With never a penny of monie."

And so on for other two verses. It is in no wise remarkable that these early soldiers' songs should have been princi pally of a convivial character considering the morals and liberties permitted in campaigning in those days. IN NAPOLEONIC TIMES. With the coming of standing armieand th© Napoleonic wairs, naval anc military songs became butter knowi and more numerous. In the Britisl 6ong literature the glorious achieve ments of our Jack Tare appear to hart captured the imagination of our lyrical poets and ballad-writers. Dibelin Smollett, Thomson, and Campbell idem titled their patriotic songs largely with our gallant sailors and their exploit upon our world-wide boundary, tin OCCiU.

While we can point to fine patriotic lyrics like "Rule. Britania," "Britannia's the Pride of the Ocea," "Hearb of Oak." "Ye Mariners of England,' as voicing national sentiments from the naval point of view, there is nothing corresponding, of a purely national character, on the military side, and this notwithstanding the world-wide activi ties of our armies and their famou: victories and thrilling deeds in differed quarters o fthe globe. Of the war songs of the separate natonalities composing tho United Kingdom. I think tlie best both as regards words and music is Sir Harry Erskine\ k i'aio lyric, "In tho Garb of Old GauP the stirring music of which s by Gene ral Reid. It is instinct with martiai verve, as anyone must admit who has swung past to its rousing strains. "The March of the Men of Harlech" and the "Glamorgan War March" have both tine words an music. Tho predominant partner has not, as far as 1 have seen, produced marching songithat will compare in sentiment or martial lire with these.

The popular Marseillaise hymn of oui French Allies is on e of tho best, if not the very best, battle chants ever composed. Its author, Claude Rouget de Lisle, was a captain with the French Army in quarters at Strasburg in 1792. Observing the need ot a chant do la »o.ute, he wrote tho words and compos«.i the music of this famous hymn, r liieh wa-i called the " Song of the Army of the Rhine." It reached Paris by mfc&ns ot the soldiers from Marseille* during the revolution, and hence received its now well-known name. It has been heard in many tinies of groat publit events in fiance since then, and in England the suffragettes have annexed the music for their own song of freedom.

The national anthem of Russia, whicL is also their battle-song, is a majestic composition both in words and music. When Holy Russia mobilises for war it is liko in the time of the Crusades, a liolv wad'. Tho Czar proceeds to the episcopal capital. Moscow, mid inaugurates hostilities with .-of. am 'religious ceremonies in that aneiur, cradle of the Russian dvnastv;

This anthem »;c composed by Guiicriil Alexis Lvoff in 1830 at tho vM\ of the Czar. It will be noted in paw-big that Tvoir is the new Ilm.biau uatue litf' U'.mherg. recently captured from the Austrian"!-. The English translation e- ; t.his battle-liviyn, which is published v\ th* Student S;^K;.vk,ia.'the. Ik-. Jcha EUorteo. Ihi £---i -»or:a i .- '•'God tho AU-Itu-riblc King who «r----dainest. Great wind Thy clarion, the lighting Thi' nvord. Fhow forjh Thy pitv on high nhce Thou rotgncM. Give to us peace 111 our >itn . 0 F/irn., . Tlierc i- something incongruous abouM the la-( line : hut in"tb'-pv : enl war of :hr Titans riveif of '.tod arc Wing'

shed and fabulous treasure expended .hat through war peace majr eonie tor long years, and that the grim spectre jf Teutonic niilitarisni may be exorcised for many generations. Al the battle of Kara in the RussoTurkish war tho Russian advanced singing this battle-hymn in the face of a storm of shot and shell. IN THE AMERICA CIVIL WAR. During the American Civil War the ' great marching song of the Northern troops was "John Brown's body lies A-mould'riug in the grave." 1, was to li P well-known air of those words that Mrs. Julie Ward Howe composed her noble " Battle-Hymn of the Republic":

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is iiampling out the vintage where the urapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of H: •> rrible swift sword: ii. truth is marching on.

Towai K ,i:e conclusion of that war & favourite h.arching song wai, that of 'Marching Through Georgia," commemorating General Sherman's famous march through the State to the seaboard. . One of the best of tho Tinted States national songs Is "The Star-Spangled 3anner," by Francis Scott Key. The inndent which gave birth to this splenlid lvric happened, I think, during th> Confederate forces. "Old Glory," as jombordment of New Orleans by the ;hev call the national flag, was still Hying" when night caino on, although tiie southern gunners had been trying to cnock it When the author aro.*.> nb dawn lie gazed o«£ to see if tha «§tars and Stripes" nH»e still flapping jflhe breeze, Wl ou ascertaining that fhe l\2g was s'Jm there the inspiration ■ame to him for this fine song. Of war songs otu- German foemen pesibly possess moro than any other na .ion. Korner, their great song pre - . has written many for them; but tho.which appear to'be mostly sung befor> ind during the war are "Deutschlan über Alles" and " Die Wacht an. Rhein," songs which breathe the deep >st sentiments of Pan Germanism.—G. .1. F.