The Minstral Boy/Sean Connery

Subject: The Minstral Boy/Sean Connery
From: Don Meixner
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 01:24 AM

The Kipling subtext of the now infamous Corries thread has prompted this question. (How much heat can this generate?)

In "The Man Who Would Be King" Daniel Dravot(Connery) walks to his doom singing:

"The Son of God goes forth to war a kingly crown to gain, His blood red banner streams afar, who follows in his train?"

In the book he is said to be singin Bishop Heber's old hymn. Are the songs one and the same and is the melody the base for The Minstral Boy or visa versa?

This seems fairly scholarly and non-controversial I hope.

Regards.

Don

Subject: RE: The Minstral Boy/Sean Connery
From: MMario
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 09:11 AM

This site:
http://www.tch.simplenet.com/htm/s/sonofgod.htm
puts the lyrics as written 1812 and two tunes....One written in 1872, one in 1877.

The Minstrel Boy is attributed to Thomas Moore, coincedently also 1812, but the tune is "the ancient irish air 'the maureen'.

musically, I would then say the tune for the hymn would have had to be influenced by the older tune, lyrically - if they were both written at the same time, perhaps more by events then each other?

My two cents worth, anyway

MMario