Manticore's National Anthem

RHWoodman wrote:As I said, I love the song, but I think we'd be better served in this country by "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" as a national anthem.

The problem with the former is that it's sung to the same tune as "God Save the King/Queen", the British national anthem. And it just wouldn't do to match the nation from which you had to fight to win your independence.

One of the things that sets the Star-Spangled Banner apart from other anthems (at least the ones to which I know the words) is that it never names the nation in question; it always refers to "the land of the free and the home of the brave". It's an indication that the ideals of liberty expressed in the Declaration of Independence (as the founding document of the nation) are more important than the mountains, prairies or anything else about the place.

I would imagine that a lot of Honorverse nations were expressly founded on ideas more than traditional ideas of nationhood, most notably Grayson, Masada, Mesa, and Torch, while others developed national identities tied to ideals along the way like Beowulf and both the People's Republic of Haven and the restored RoH.

The initial colonists of Manticore didn't particularly express any ideological reasons of which I'm aware, so the question is what's at the core of its national identity (itself a nebulous concept in that the original planets of the MBS have one identity, the San Martin and Lynx might make the OSK's identity a bit fuzzier, and adding Silesia and Talbott make the SEM's identity different from that).

If Saganami played any music on the bridge when he took his death ride, it ought to be a prime candidate.

Northstar wrote: <snip>

re another post: Wasn't the Grayson founder from Wyoming or somewhere there abouts? Hmmm...thus the Western music thing.

Grayson anthem. Home on the Range.

Solarian League anthem: You're So Vain You probably Think This Song Is About You.

Flag in Exile wrote:The choir's glorious harmony swept through her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. The choir sang without accompaniment, for its superbly trained voices needed none, and the artificiality of instruments, however magnificent, could only have detracted from their beauty. Honor had always loved music, though she'd never learned to play and her subjects would have greeted her singing voice with pained politeness. Classical Grayson music was based on an Old Earth tradition called "Country and Western" and took some getting used to, but she was developing a taste even for it, and she was delighted by Grayson's popular music, while its sacred music was breathtaking."

The passage above put me in mind of this piece by Alison Kraus --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NStkWiuYwqw#aid=P8xHQMf8aWg

Although, my wife likes this one better --> http://www.hulu.com/watch/575601

Michael Riddell wrote:Hmmm, didn't RFC say he envisioned Graysons as having a Welsh sounding accent?

How about "Men of Harlech", just substituting Grayson instead of Harlech and Welshman?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8ft371DLlo

Mike.

I like "Men of Harlech" and it might make a good Grayson National Anthem, but it doesn't "feel" right for a Christian-based religion that came out of the Pacific Northwest.

Anyway, on the Honorverse Wiki, I found this:

Honorverse Wiki wrote:Steadholder's Anthem
The Steadholder's Anthem was the traditional music played for any Steadholder, basically serving as the national anthem of the Protectorate of Grayson.

A bugler traditionally played it for a Steadholder who was a ranking officer in the Grayson Space Navy, rather than having the officer piped aboard by the bosun as was common in other navies. (HH5)

HH5 is Flag in Exile. The only place that the Steadholder's Anthem is mentioned in Flag in Exile is in Chapter 5, where it is referred to as the "Steadholder's March", then, two paragraphs later, as "Steadholder's Anthem." I looked (and maybe overlooked it), but I couldn't find the information that the Wiki has on the bugler playing the Steadholder's Anthem or on it being the national anthem of the Protectorate of Grayson.

I'm not thinking "Home on the Range" (after all, Grayson's ranges are probably hostile to all Terran-based life). I agree with roseandheather that "God Bless the USA" is probably too American. Still, the Church of Humanity Unchained came from Idaho in the U.S.A. Pacific Northwest and its roots are Christian, according to http://honorverse.wikia.com/wiki/Church_of_Humanity_Unchained. That got me to thinking, then, that maybe the Grayson National Anthem is something like "Battle Hymn of the Republic" sung by the Burlington Welsh Male Choir. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3skrG41WZk4

But, if the Wiki is correct, then perhaps it's "Battle Hymn of the Republic" played by a brass-and-percussion-heavy orchestra and sung by a choir (Mormon Tabernacle Choir seems appropriate don't you think? ):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpZ3jPMM5Ac#aid=P9yBwfMiPo4

Northstar wrote:

RHWoodman wrote:
As a singer, I love "The Star Spangled Banner." It's a challenging piece to sing, and more challenging to sing well. On the other hand, I never would have chosen it for a national anthem. It is too difficult for ordinary voices to sing; the range is too wide for normal, untrained voices, and the phrasing (part of singing it well) requires more breath support than most people can give. As I get older (now 52), even I have trouble maintaining the necessary breath support for properly phrasing the song.

As I said, I love the song, but I think we'd be better served in this country by "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" as a national anthem.

Just my personal opinion. YMMV.

Isn't 'My Country Tis of Thee' -which I like, btw - set to the same tune as God Save the Queen? Might cause some 'whose anthem' confusions, eh?

For the GA ... tongue in cheek, The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Victor Cachet's personal theme anthem. Peter Gunn Theme. It plays witlessly in my head when he has a scene.

You're making me guffaw, Northstar!

TheMonster wrote:

RHWoodman wrote:As I said, I love the song, but I think we'd be better served in this country by "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" as a national anthem.

The problem with the former is that it's sung to the same tune as "God Save the King/Queen", the British national anthem. And it just wouldn't do to match the nation from which you had to fight to win your independence.

One of the things that sets the Star-Spangled Banner apart from other anthems (at least the ones to which I know the words) is that it never names the nation in question; it always refers to "the land of the free and the home of the brave". It's an indication that the ideals of liberty expressed in the Declaration of Independence (as the founding document of the nation) are more important than the mountains, prairies or anything else about the place.

<snip>

If Saganami played any music on the bridge when he took his death ride, it ought to be a prime candidate.

I understand about the anthem confusion. It's still a singable song for ordinary voices compared to the "Star-Spangled Banner". Your other points are very good ones, and well-taken. Thanks for bringing them up.

RHWoodman wrote:<<SNIP>>
HH5 is Flag in Exile. The only place that the Steadholder's Anthem is mentioned in Flag in Exile is in Chapter 5, where it is referred to as the "Steadholder's March", then, two paragraphs later, as "Steadholder's Anthem." I looked (and maybe overlooked it), but I couldn't find the information that the Wiki has on the bugler playing the Steadholder's Anthem or on it being the national anthem of the Protectorate of Grayson.
<<SNIP>>

Later in FiE, Honor mentions that she had convinced the bugler not to direct the music at the mouth of the tube so the tube would not amplify the sound. I do not recall anything, anywhere, saying it was the national anthem, either.

KNick wrote:I do not recall anything, anywhere, saying it was the national anthem, either.

It seems a bit strained for a piece of music nominally honoring the heads of "state" governments somehow representing the entire nation, but given their history, so much of their identity is bound up into the institution of the Steadholder.

Remember after Honor's "resurrection" how Elizabeth finessed the matter of her title of nobility by admitting she'd made a mistake the first time around and undervalued just what a Steadholder's power truly represented, and created a new title. In fact, Honor's authority over Harrington Steading arguably exceeds Elizabeth's over the Star Empire.

So the idea isn't as silly as it seems at first blush.

I just can not see the Protector using the same anthem as the Steadholders. Benjamin I specifically distanced himself from them. He was no longer "first among equals" but the supreme power on the planet. IMPO, he would have his own anthem to underscore that difference.

KNick wrote:I just can not see the Protector using the same anthem as the Steadholders. Benjamin I specifically distanced himself from them. He was no longer "first among equals" but the supreme power on the planet. IMPO, he would have his own anthem to underscore that difference.

I agree with you. He hasn't been shy to make the point since the events of HotQ, either.

Michael Everett wrote:Now that it's been pointed out that Manticore needs an anthem, I think it is a given that sooner or later someone will provide one or more in the realworld.
After all, the Discworld's city-state of Ankh-Mopork got a national anthem which was them performed at the Proms (by a fat lady wrapped in a white bedsheet, just as tradition demanded).

Well that would fit quite well as the official name of the Ankh Morpork national anthem is "We can rule you wholesale". In Discworld that relates to Ankh Morpork's economic dominance, so Manticore's dominance of galactic shipping through the use of the Junction has a definite parallel.

Flag in Exile wrote:The choir's glorious harmony swept through her, and she closed her eyes to savor it. The choir sang without accompaniment, for its superbly trained voices needed none, and the artificiality of instruments, however magnificent, could only have detracted from their beauty. Honor had always loved music, though she'd never learned to play and her subjects would have greeted her singing voice with pained politeness. Classical Grayson music was based on an Old Earth tradition called "Country and Western" and took some getting used to, but she was developing a taste even for it, and she was delighted by Grayson's popular music, while its sacred music was breathtaking."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYzZPsK78Gg