The “God Save The King”: a French Creation!
The peculiar origin of the famous British national anthem.
Did you know that the “God Save The King”, the British anthem and national pride, is a French creation? Shocking isn’t it?
And to add insult to injury, the song owes its existence to Louis XIV’s royal posterior!
Here is the story.
The Fistula
The Sun King is in his forties.
He has been suffering for months from a painful and debilitating abscess affecting his royal bottom: an anal fistula.
Several factors may have contributed to this ailment:
The repetition of rectal enemas, a popular remedy then.
The intense practice of horse riding.
A precarious body hygiene. The great King is almost toothless, sporting only a few snags.
The “Barber-Surgeon”
The King's health deteriorates. Unshaken by the pain, he forces admiration.
Let's not forget that we are in Versailles. There is the court, but also a plethora of spies working for enemy powers. The King must avert suspicion at all costs.
Antoine d’Aquin, the King’s first Doctor, and Félix de Tassy, his first Surgeon, prescribe all sorts of treatment, each more absurd than the other.
As expected, all these fanciful options fail. From now on, surgery is the only recourse, and the last chance to save the King.
But it’s quite a leap into the unknown as well as a life-threatening procedure. And of course, a major political risk!
At that time, surgery is in its infancy. Most of the “surgeons” are former hairdressers or barbers (educated by doctors), since they are the only ones to have well-sharpened blades, essential to make clean and precise cuts.
The Great Operation
Félix de Tassy is now in charge. He is well aware of the stakes and gets down to the task.
He begins by making a special scalpel with a curved blade, called “à la royale”. He then searches for patients in local hospitals (unlikely volunteers!) suffering from the same ailment as the King's.
He will use them as guinea pigs.
Many of these poor fellows do not survive the procedure. They die, unaware of the significance of their humble sacrifice!
After this dry run, Félix is ready.
The big operation took place on November 18, 1786 at 7 am.
A small group of faithful surrounds the King. He is lying on his stomach, a cushion under his buttocks.
For Félix, failure is not an option. He will either become a hero or be on his way to the gallows! As the Romans used to say: “Arx tarpeia Capitoli proxima” or “The tarpean rock is close to the Capitol”.
The ordeal begins, without anesthetics of course. The pain is unbearable, but the King remains stoic, gritting his teeth and imploring the Lord. One can only imagine what he must have endured during this terrible procedure.
There is only thing to cheer him up: music! We will get to it.
After three long hours, the verdict is in. It’s a success!
Felix has won his induction into the hall of fame of surgery!
The same evening, the King took his supper in public, and received foreign ambassadors. Stunning!
To be honest, the surgery is a mixed success. In the months following the “big operation” there will be more interventions.
The King still is in agony but faces it with courage and determination.
Then, finally, in March 1687, the fistula has healed. The recovery is deemed complete.
Great God Save The King!
To relieve the royal ordeal and ward off bad luck, Madame de Maintenon (who married the King in secret in 1683) asks a friend of hers to write a cheering song.
Her name is Madame de Brinon. She is the superior of the Royal House of Saint-Louis.
The French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully will work on the musical part.
The hymn called “Grand Dieu Sauve Le Roi” is to be sung by the Demoiselles de Saint-Cyr during the "great operation".
The song became very popular and was performed at each of the King’s visits to the Royal House.
Almost thirty years later, the German-English composer George Frederic Handel, hears the canticle as he is visiting Versailles. He falls under its spell.
He keeps the melody, translates the text word for word, and renames the song “God Save The King”. In 1745, it officially becomes the British anthem.
From Lully-Brinon (1686) to the infamous rendition of “The Sex Pistols”(1977), the circle is complete…
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