Eric Schissel asks:

>I wonder why Weber would use God Save the King in .his. overture, unless
>it was also the anthem of the municipality whose ruler he was feting?  If
>so, it might have gone by a different name than God Save the Queen .or.
>King, just as Raff's did (I forget what name it went by in Nassau
>offhand.)

The tune "God Save the Queen/King" was the anthem of several European
principalities during the 19th century.  As a result, it was a popular
candidate for variations, especially from touring composer-virtuosi.  It
was a gesture equivalent to the lounge singer's "It's great to be here in
Provo!"

All this according to S. Frederic Starr's Bamboula!, on Gottschalk.

Steve Schwartz