Oct 292006
The origins of the tune are more complex. The discovery around 1970 of an original musical manuscript (today held in the National Library of Australia as MS9065), together with an undated letter by Christina Macpherson to Thomas Wood recalling the events surrounding the creation of the song, has finally led to Christina being accredited as the first ‘creator’ of the music. Yet as Christina openly acknowledged, she simply adapted the tune from an existing folk song.
I’m rather fond of the idea that our national song comes from an Irish folk song entitled “Ga’ng the De’il an’ Shake Y’sel’ “.