Streaming music platforms currently include a version of the British anthem “God Save the King”, sung recently by French singer and opera professor Arnaud Kentz (51) in 2017.
The singer, who had already performed the French national anthem “La Marseillaise” in 2016, recorded “God Save the Queen” a year later, in response to a request from the music production company “Musicgram”, and then had the idea of creating an alternate version called “God Save the King”.
He told AFP: “Originally there was a copy of God Save the King (…) and sometimes we heard it in the movies, and then it was rumored that another version would be recorded.”
The two versions of the new British anthem, the first with lyrics and the second with music only, have been heard 500,000 times “to date” on various streaming platforms (Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music …), as well as being used in videos via Tech Tok.
The new anthem met with sudden enthusiasm, reinforced by press articles, including what was published by the British newspaper The Guardian. Arnault did not expect this success and said: “What’s happening is interesting”, expressing his happiness in reaching a young group of the audience.
He added with a smile that this success “makes me happy because the anthem allowed them to hear a voice they are not used to”, stressing that this type of singing “needs young people”.
The singer recorded only the first verse of the hymn, which, according to him, is “the most famous, similar to what he did in the French anthem”.
Currently, only the Arnault version of God Save the King and one recorded in 1932 are available for commercial use.
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, some record companies changed the names of versions of the anthem presented only with music.
The BBC, for its part, has invited Scottish mezzo-soprano Catherine Jenkins to record the anthem with lyrics, but this version has not yet been released.
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