The first national anthem to be composed was the Dutch national anthem "Wilhelmus" (William), which was written between 1568 and 1572.
There is an acrostic secreted in "Wilhelmus". The first letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV. This was one of the hereditary titles of William of Orange (William the Silent), who introduced himself in the poem to the Dutch people.
The first anthem to be officially adopted as such was the Spanish anthem "Marcha Real" in 1770.
The French anthem "La Marseillaise" was written soon after in 1792 and adopted in 1795.
There is an acrostic secreted in "Wilhelmus". The first letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV. This was one of the hereditary titles of William of Orange (William the Silent), who introduced himself in the poem to the Dutch people.
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| Early version of the Wilhelmus as preserved in a manuscript from 1617 |
The first anthem to be officially adopted as such was the Spanish anthem "Marcha Real" in 1770.
The French anthem "La Marseillaise" was written soon after in 1792 and adopted in 1795.
"Il Canto degli Italiani," also known as "Fratelli d'Italia" (Brothers of Italy), the Italian national anthem, made its public debut in Genoa on December 10, 1847. The anthem's lyrics were penned by Goffredo Mameli, a young patriot, and the music was composed by Michele Novaro.
"Il Canto degli Italiani" quickly gained popularity among Italian nationalists during the Risorgimento, the movement for Italian unification. It was adopted as the provisional national anthem on October 12, 1946, after the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of the Italian Republic.
Despite its widespread use and popularity, "Il Canto degli Italiani" remained the provisional anthem for many decades. It wasn't until December 4, 2017, that the song gained official legal status as the national anthem of Italy.
The first performance of "O Canada," the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, took place in Quebec City, Quebec in 1880, during a Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day banquet.
Francis Scott Key's poem about the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships in 1814, was later set to music and became known as "The Star-Spangled Banner."
The "Cup of Solid Gold" was adopted by the Qing dynasty on October 4, 1911, as the first official national anthem of China. Six days after the anthem was adopted, the Wuchang Uprising took place and quickly led to the fall of the Qing. The "Cup of Solid Gold" was never performed publicly.
"The Star Spangled Banner" was recognized for official use by the United States Navy in 1889 and the White House in 1916. It became the United States' national anthem on March 4, 1931.
In the United States, it is against the law to use "The Star Spangled Banner" as dance music in Massachusetts.
Algerian nationalist poet Moufdi Zakaria penned the words to his country's national anthem in prison in April 1955. Since he did not have access to paper or writing instruments while incarcerated in Barberousse Prison, Zakaria reportedly wrote the lyrics with his own blood on the walls of his jail cell.
South Africa's national anthem is unique in that five of the eleven official languages are used in the same anthem, in which each language comprises a stanza.
The tune for "God Save the Queen" has been used in many countries as a national anthem. Apart from several German states, many of which were linked to Great Britain by marriage, Liechtenstein and Switzerland also used the same the same melody. Switzerland changed to a different tune in the 1960s. Liechtenstein still uses the same one for their national anthem, Oben am jungen Rhein ("Up above the Young Rhine"). In the United States, the melody is used for the patriotic song "My Country, 'Tis of Thee".
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| Publication of an early version in The Gentleman's Magazine, 15 October 1745 |
Mexican Racing driver Pedro Rodríguez always traveled with a Mexican flag and a record of the national anthem, because when he won the 1967 South African Grand Prix the organizers did not have the Mexican anthem, and instead played the Mexican hat dance.
"Advance Australia Fair" was adopted as Australia's national anthem on April 19, 1984, replacing "God Save the Queen," which had been used as the national anthem since 1788. Scottish-born composer Peter Dodds McCormick wrote the song in 1878 and it gradually gained popularity across Australia over the years. After several attempts to find a new national anthem, a plebiscite was held in 1977 to choose a new national anthem and "Advance Australia Fair" emerged as the winner. However, it was not until 1984 that it was officially adopted as the national anthem by the Australian government.
When Czechoslovakia split, the Czech Republic and Slovakia also split the national anthem - each country got one verse.
Between 1996 and 2001, Afghanistan had no national anthem because the Taliban had banned music altogether.
The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.
The Spanish national anthem has no words. It has no official lyrics because they could not find an agreement on which ones to use.
Other countries with wordless national anthems include Bosnia, San Marino and Kosovo.
Between 1996 and 2001, Afghanistan had no national anthem because the Taliban had banned music altogether.
The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.
The Spanish national anthem has no words. It has no official lyrics because they could not find an agreement on which ones to use.
Other countries with wordless national anthems include Bosnia, San Marino and Kosovo.
Finland doesn't have any official national anthem. Their unofficial one has lyrics in Swedish and the same music as the Estonian official national anthem.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded 205 national anthems ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games. After completing the 50-hour recording marathon, conductor Philip Sheppard said: "I’ll be perfectly happy not to hear another anthem for a long time."
Source Daily Mail
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