05-29-2003, 03:01 AM | #1 |
Lord of the Pants
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,382
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National Anthems.
Inspired by my irreverent sig
You can apparently listen to it here, but I haven't tried, so I don't vouch for it. Further information: God Defend New Zealand is one of the national anthems of New Zealand, together with God Save the Queen. Although they both have equal status, only God Defend New Zealand is used, and most New Zealanders would be unaware that the country has two national anthems. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage has responsibility for the national anthems. History The words for God Defend New Zealand were written as a poem in the 1870s by Thomas Bracken. A competition to compose music for the poem was held in 1876, with a prize of ten guineas. The winner of the competition was John Joseph Woods, who had composed the melody in a single sitting the evening after finding out about the competition. The song became increasingly popular during the 19th century and early 20th century, and in 1940, the New Zealand government bought the copyright and made it New Zealand's national hymn in time for the centennial celebrations. In 1976, a petition was presented to parliament asking for it to be made the national anthem, and with the permission of Queen Elizabeth II, it became the country's second national anthem on November 21, 1977. An alternative official arrangement for massed singing by Maxwell Fernie was announced by the Minister of Internal Affairs on June 1, 1978. ~ http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Defend_New_Zealand I should add that generally only the first couple of verses in English and Maori are sung, and if it's a male sport like rugby, then the Haka can sometimes replace/supplement the National Anthem. Edit: if anyone's interested in a translation of the maori version, I'll post it at a later stage. Last edited by Sheeana : 05-29-2003 at 03:03 AM. |
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