Waltzing Matilda

 

‘Waltzing Matilda’ is a well-known Australian bush ballad that was made popular by numerous re-recordings by various artists.It was written by ‘Banjo’ Paterson. There are many folklores surrounding the making of this song but no urban legends created in the modern age. According to Dennis O'Keeffe’s Waltzing Matilda: The Secret History of Australia's Favourite Song, there existed oral stories that pointed out the possibility of Paterson having modified an old bush song. Another song, ‘The Bold Fusilier’ or ‘Marching through Rochester’ had a similar tune and was said to be the origin of ‘Waltzing Matilda’. This was later proved to be the other way around. From the numerous versions of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ it can be agreed that there is one story that had a direct influence on the lyrics.

It is widely accepted that ‘Waltzing Matilda’ was created in the sitting room of Dagworth Station (Queensland) in January of 1895 by ‘Banjo’ Paterson (lyrics) andChristina Macpherson (tune). Paterson was a horse-lover and therefore enjoyed riding around Dagworth Station with Christina’s brother Bob Macpherson. Bob would have explained some of the recent events to him. Many shearing sheds in the district had been burned to protest against a wage agreement proposed by Queensland squatters. Samuel ‘Frenchy’ Hoffmeister, a shearer who had taken part in theprotest, was then found dead at a nearbybillabong. Bob Macpherson and three Senior Constables were the people who recovered Hoffmeister’s body. (NLA) The song’s lyrics undoubtedly refers to and is based on these events in Queensland.

The tune which Christina Macpherson rearranged is most likely based on the Scottish song ‘Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielea’ set to music by James Barr, with words by Robert Tannahill. This Scottish song is most likely based upon the old Irish melody of ‘Go to the Devil and Shake Yourself’. An Australian version was called ‘Thou Bonnie Wood of Craigielee’. Christina Macpherson probably heard ‘Craigielee’ at a band performance at the Warrnambool races in 1894. (NLA)

As the popularity of the song rose, the connection with the original creators was decreased. Currently there are three different categories. The original was passed down orally and through the manuscript. The mainstream, popular version of the song was created in the beginning of the 20^th century. It includes billy tea and is associated with Marie Cowan and Harry Nathan. The third is the Queensland version, and exists in two tunes.(NLA)

This simple song has had a complex history and the debate on the origins and meaning does not end. Banjo Paterson created the original lyrics due to the tune, the events at Dagworth Station, and Christina Macpherson.

One example of a foreign folktale or legend that is similar to ‘Waltzing Matilda’ is Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan. It is a song about the Emperor. Waltzing Matilda is more informal and refers to a swagman. The origins of the lyrics of Kimigayo are from old books of poetry. The first one was the KokinWakashū in which this poem is found to be created by an anonymous person. The other collections were only copies. The music was first created by John William Fenton. As it lacked solemnity, the music was abandoned. Yoshiisa Oku, Akimori Hayashi, German musician Franz Eckert and Hiromori Hayashi composed the current version. Folklores exist surrounding the inclusion of the anthem by Strauss in 1862. One urban legend includes the German national anthem competition (1903), in which Kimigayo is said to have been awarded first place. There are also many debates on the origin and meaning of Kimigayo which is the same case as Waltzing Matilda. Other songs such as ‘the second Japanese national anthem’ also exist.

The ‘God save the queen’ is similar to Kimigayo. Many national anthems are taken from popular folk songs as well as music from the past.Australian folklore is unique due to its setting. Waltzing Matilda’s lyrics and story is all about the swagman and the suicide. The music is Scottish but has evolved through more than a century, and can therefore be considered Australian. Kimigayo is thought to be made by the Japanese, as many people overlook the fact that an Irishman and German had been involved in the process of editing the instrumental music. Compared to this fact, Waltzing Matilda was always handed down through generations of Australians. This song was sung after dinner and other times when people gathered to enjoy some music. As time went on, other music entered the country and grew popular. Consequently, less people sang or knew about this song. However, it was never lost, probably because of its popularity, significance, and usage by the media, various groups, and artists. With the Internet becoming more widespread, urban legends will be even easier to create. This is because using the Internet, people who in the past did not have a method of sending out information can now do so with greater freedom. A greater amount of Australian urban legends will result.

References

ABC Radio's AM program 2008, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-05-05/waltzing-maltida-a-little-ditty-historians-say/2425772 (accessed 4/06/2016)

National Library of Australia, http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/34755/20110606-1326/www.nla.gov.au/epubs/waltzingmatilda/index.html (accessed 4/06/2016)

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2015Japanese folklore, https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/伝承(accessed 3/06/2016)

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2016 Waltzing Matilda, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda (accessed 4/06/2016)

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2016君が代, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/君が代 (accessed 4/06/2016)

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