Verbal and Musical Symbols
"God Save the Queen" is Australia's Royal Anthem. Due to a contemporaneous mistake in the Government Gazette, it is sometimes thought that the Royal Anthem can only be played in the presence of the Queen. The official Vice-Regal Proclamation, however, makes no such order, meaning the Anthem may be played by Australians to commemorate any occasion. In addition to the Royal Anthem, "Advance Australia Fair" has been adopted as the national anthem, both by proclamation of Governor-General Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 April 1984. The Vice-Regal Salute, played only for the Governor-General and each state Governor, is the first four and last four bars of "Advance Australia Fair".
In March 2006 organisers of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne came under fire when it was announced that they would not play "God Save the Queen" at the ceremonies where the Queen was to open the Games. Despite the fact that the song is officially the Royal Anthem of Australia, to be played whenever the sovereign is present, the games organisers refused to play it. After repeated calls from Prime Minister John Howard, organisers agreed to play eight bars of the Royal Anthem at the opening ceremony. However, there remained speculation that the opening of the games could be "thrown into chaos" should thousands of Australians continue to sing "God Save the Queen" after the eight bars were complete, drowning out singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In the end, with the crowd singing along, Dame Kiri sang Happy Birthday to the Queen, the rendition of which then turned into an abbreviated God Save the Queen, and at which point the majority of attendees at the stadium stood.
A Loyal Toast is also performed at official functions whether or not the sovereign is personally present; it consists of a toast to the health of Her Majesty the Queen, and is usually performed by the host or guest of honour at the ceremony, aside from the Queen herself. In English the toast is: "Ladies and gentlemen, The Queen of Australia".
Sessions of the High Court of Australia are opened with the words "the High Court of Australia is now in session; God Save the Queen."
Previously, the Oath of Citizenship contained a statement of allegiance to the reigning monarch. Since 1994, however, new Australian citizens have taken a pledge of allegiance to Australia and its values only. Under Australian nationality law the Queen is not an Australian citizen; but neither is she an alien. As Queen she in a category sui generis.
The Constitution of Australia requires all Members of the Commonwealth Parliament to swear an oath or make an affirmation of allegiance to the sovereign.
In the states all parliamentarians of the Legislative Assemblies and Councils (excepting Queensland which is unicameral) swear an oath in the name of the monarch. In the courts all Magistrates, Judges and Justices of the Peace swear in the name of the Queen
Read more about this topic: Australian Royal Symbols
Famous quotes containing the words verbal, musical and/or symbols:
“Whatever is felt upon the page without being specifically named there—that, one might say, is created. It is the inexplicable presence of the thing not named, of the overtone divined by the ear but not heard by it, the verbal mood, the emotional aura of the fact or the thing or the deed, that gives high quality to the novel or the drama, as well as to poetry itself.”
—Willa Cather (1873–1947)
“That vast moth-eaten musical brocade
Created to pretend we never die ...”
—Philip Larkin (1922–1986)
“I do not deny that there may be other well-founded causes for the hatred which various classes feel toward politicians, but the main one seems to me that politicians are symbols of the fact that every class must take every other class into account.”
—José Ortega Y Gasset (1883–1955)