Advance Australia Fair

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Advance Australia Fair
Title in German Go forward beautiful happy Australia
country AustraliaAustralia Australia
Usage period 1984 - today
text Peter Dodds McCormick
melody Peter Dodds McCormick
Sheet of music GIF
Audio files Vocal (MP3 file; 1.13 MB), instrumental ( memento from June 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ), MIDI ( memento from June 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

Advance Australia Fair ( english "Stride ahead, beautiful, happy Australia") is since 1984 Australian national anthem .

history

Peter Dodds McCormick, the composer of the national anthem

The song was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick in the 19th century and premiered in 1878.

Before Australia had its own national anthem, God Save the Queen was used as the national anthem. In the course of breaking away from the United Kingdom , an Australian National Anthem Quest was carried out in 1973 , in which a completely new anthem was to be composed and written. However, none of the results presented was able to convince, so that finally the songs Waltzing Matilda , Song of Australia and two verses from Advance Australia Fair , which had previously been used as unofficial national anthems, were proposed.

In a referendum in 1977, a majority of 43.6% was in favor of "Advance Australia Fair", while only 28.5% ("Waltzing Matilda"), 18.7% ("God Save the Queen") ) and 9.2% (“Song of Australia”) accounted for. Therefore, "Advance Australia Fair" was adopted on April 19, 1984 as the new national anthem. The royal anthem is still God Save the Queen .

The official text differs in length and some formulations from the original text. Several passages were deleted because they glorified motherland Great Britain too much ("Britannia rules the wave!"), Others rephrased because, among other things, they discriminated against women (from "Australia's sons let us rejoice" became "Australians all let us rejoice") .

Original English text

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing:
“Advance Australia fair!”

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing:
“Advance Australia fair!”

German translation

Happy let us rejoice, residents of Australia,
For we are young and free,
we have golden earth and prosperity through our efforts,
The sea surrounds our home,
Our land is rich in the gifts of nature,
Of precious and exquisite beauty,
May in the book of History in every period of time,
The beautiful, happy Australia continue to advance.
Then we want to sing to happy sounds,
step forward, beautiful, happy Australia.

Under the shining Southern Cross ,
we shall strive with hearts and hands to continue building
our Commonwealth
Famous in all countries.
For those who come to us across the seas,
we have land limitless to share;
Let us all unite with valor to
advance happy Australia.
Then we want to sing to happy sounds,
step forward, beautiful, happy Australia.

Original text by McCormick

Australia's sons let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
“Advance Australia fair!”

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
“Britannia rules the wave!”
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this youthful Commonwealth
Renowned of all the lands;
For loyal sons beyond the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Brittannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Only the first and third stanzas were declared the national anthem. The text has been changed in three places:

  1. Verse, line 1: Australia's sons, let us rejoice ⇒ Australians all, let us rejoice
  2. Verse, line 3: To make our youthful Commonwealth ⇒ To make this Commonwealth of ours
  3. Verse, line 5: For loyal sons beyond the seas ⇒ For those who've come across the sea

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Long form of the state name: Commonwealth of Australia