"The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline J. Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger (1810-1862), a prominent member of the Australian Forty-Eighters.
The song was popularised in Australia by a beautiful[citation needed] and stirring[citation needed] rendition in the early 20th century by Australian baritone Peter Dawson.
The song was one of four included in a national plebiscite to choose Australia's national song in 1977. Nationwide it was the least popular of the four choices, but it had the distinction of being the most popular choice in South Australia.[1]
The four songs in the plebiscite were: Waltzing Matilda; the then current anthem, God Save the Queen; the now current anthem, Advance Australia Fair; and Song of Australia.
References
- ^ "Plebiscite results - see 1977 National Song Poll". Elections and referendums. Department of the Parliament (Australian federal government). 2002. http://www.aph.gov.au/library/elect/referend/pleb.htm. Retrieved on 2007-11-21.
In January 2009 Nina Verlingieri of Adelaide, South Australia recorded a modern vocal version of Song Of Australia to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Caroline Carleton writing the lyrics. This version of the song is not for sale but free use is encouraged.
External links
- Song of Australia
- More history of "Song of Australia"
- Recording by the Royal Australian Navy Band in MP3 format
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