National Anthems Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

National anthems, songs, or hymns adopted by certain nations are performed at official functions of those governments or other public events (baseball games, concerts). Many evoke loyalty to the country or its head of state (king, queen). Text and melody are often written by two or more different people.

Origins Of Anthems

Occasionally there is a noteworthy composer, such as Josef Haydn (Austria, Germany), or Charles Gounod (Vatican), associated with a nation’s anthem. The original Austrian anthem was composed by Haydn in 1797. Germany adopted this tune, applying the text in 1950. The current Austrian anthem, adopted in 1947, is attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, although evidence shows it was composed after his death.

Former colonies sometimes use the anthems of the countries that colonized them, and sometimes multiple countries in geographical proximity have identical anthems (Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau). Some countries’ anthems use words of the same author or poet: Rabindranath Tagore’s text for the anthems of India and Bangladesh; Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa’s text for the anthems of Paraguay and Uruguay. Estonia and Finland use the same melody.

Musical Forms Of Anthems

Today, there are five principal musical forms used in anthems, although others exist. Most tend to be in a duple meter (two or four beats per measure), and a few others in triple meter (three beats per measure).

Hymns. This form tends to be used in the oldest national anthems, including those of England, continental Europe, and their former colonies. Most noteworthy is Thomas Arne’s 1745 rendition of God Save the King, the British hymn. Words have often been altered to reflect another nation’s patriotism, as in America’s version of the tune, My Country ’Tis of Thee. Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, and Germany have also used this tune as their anthems. Liechtenstein does today. Until 1974, Australia used God Save the King/Queen, as did Canada until 1980.
Marches. France’s La Marseillaise, adopted in 1795, is also the national anthem of nine other countries, from Martinique to New Caledonia.
Folk music. Cambodia’s Som pouktepda (Heaven Protects Our King), was adopted in 1941. Japan, Tibet, and Sri Lanka also based their anthems on folk music. Mauritania’s national anthem, based on a traditional tune, is instrumental only.
Fanfares. These are often instrumental, without text. This form has been adopted by Middle Eastern nations, such as Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. For Belarus, the words are not in use today.
Operatic anthems. These are prevalent in Central and South America, that of El Salvador being one of the longest.

Contents Of Anthems

Anthems may evoke different emotions, based on their geographic origins. Countries in peace have generally chosen anthems that highlight their scenic or natural beauty. These extol the virtues of the land. Australia refers to the radiant Southern Cross, Barbados to fields, and Burundi to a gentle country. Chile extols its blue sky and snow-covered mountains. China highlights the Great Wall.

Some focus upon a national hero, such as Denmark’s King Christian. Similar to that of the United States (Star-Spangled Banner), the anthem of Honduras salutes its flag (Tu bandera es un lampo de cielo [Your Flag is a Strip of Sky]). Others describe the colors and features of their flag in song (Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ghana, the Maldives). Some praise their freedom or liberations—Andorra’s reflects on eleven centuries of freedom. Those of Angola and the Comoros invoke their days of independence. Others identify the name of the nation (Malawi, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea).

Several anthems are prayers, such as God Save the King of Britain. In religious overtones, Bhutan’s extols the Thunder Dragon and Buddha, while Brunei’s exalts Allah. Many others speak to their gods, while India’s finds salvation in seven major religions. La Marseillaise served as a call to arms, not only for France, but to some extent for the Confederate States of America.

Unofficial And Changing Anthems

At times, unofficial anthems have inspired allegiance to a new cause or produced ire in a nation’s opponents. During the U.S. Civil War (1861–1865), John Brown’s Body, set to a melody of William Steffe, was assigned new text by Julia Ward Howe as the Battle Hymn of the Republic. This tune and the Star-Spangled Banner were also used in temperance songs, with altered text suited to that political issue. When the Confederate States of America formed, several songs became unofficial anthems, the leading one being I Wish I was in Dixie, by Daniel Decatur Emmett, a northern minstrel performer. Another song, The Bonnie Blue Flag, composed by Harry McCarthy and harmonized and published by A. E. Blackmar in New Orleans, so infuriated Union General Benjamin Butler that in 1862 he destroyed the publishing house of Blackmar and fined any one even whistling the tune.

During times of crisis, other national songs become unofficial anthems, as when, in the post-9/11 United States, God Bless America was sung during baseball games. Some unofficial anthems are covert. A national anthem of Tibet, based on ancient Tibetan sacred music and with words by Trijang Rinpoche, is not used inside Tibet.

Regime changes have caused several anthems to change as well. In 1941, Cambodia adopted Nokoreach (“Royal Kingdom”), which started with the phrase, “Heaven protects our king.” But in 1970 the Khmer Rouge chose an anthem that began, “Khmers are known throughout the world as descendants of glorious warriors.” From 1975 to 1989, Kampuchea (the renamed totalitarian state of Cambodia) used another anthem. In 1993, Cambodia reverted to the 1941 anthem. In 1978, during its Cultural Revolution, China attempted to change its anthem’s words, but the original words were restored by 1982. Cuba’s anthem has remained the same for nearly a century and a half, having first been sung in 1868 during the Battle of Bayamo.

Bibliography:

Nettl, Paul. National Anthems. 2nd, enl. ed. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1967.
Reed,W. L., and M. J. Bristow, eds. National Anthems of the World. 9th ed. New York: Cassell, 1997.
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Peter Breiner, conductor. The Complete National Anthems of the World. 2005. Marco Polo 8.225319–8.225326.

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