Argentinian national anthem
The Argentine National Anthem is the official anthem of Argentina, and one of the national symbols of that country. It was written by Alejandro Vicente López y Planes in 1812 and composed by Blas Parera a year later. Originally it was called Patriotic March, then National Patriotic Song and later it was a Patriotic Song. A publication in 1847 called it the "Argentine National Anthem", a name that it has kept and by which it is known.
The Day of the Argentine National Anthem is May 11.
History
On May 24, 1812, the play "El 25 de Mayo" , referring to the May Revolution of 1810, by Luis Morante. It ended with a hymn written by Morante himself, to which the Spanish Blas Parera had put music, chanted by the actors. One of the spectators, Vicente López y Planes from Buenos Aires, felt inspired and that same night he wrote the first stanza of a hymn to replace the previous one.
The Triumvirate understood that it had to give the people a national song of greater importance than the one that had been sung until then. In an official letter dated July 22, 1812 addressed to the Cabildo of Buenos Aires, he suggested that they order "la marcha de la patria" to be composed at the beginning of the theatrical performances, the public having to listen to it. standing and uncovered, as well as in schools at the end of classes each day.
The General Constituent Assembly of the Year XIII ordered to compose the lyrics of the anthem dated March 6, 1813 and approved it as the "Patriotic March" on May 11 of that year. The next day he commissioned Blas Parera to compose new music. In a single night he finished the score.
According to tradition, on May 14, 1813, in the house of Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson, it was sung for the first time, being that lady who interpreted its stanzas. It is estimated that the work was presented on the same day, May 25 of 1813, since on the 28th of that same month it was sung in the theater during a patriotic performance that took place during the night. Later it would be known as National Patriotic Song, and later simply as Patriotic Song. But in a copy from 1847 it appears titled as Himno Nacional Argentino, name it receives today.
In 1817, Parera left Argentina, living for several years in Rio de Janeiro and finally in Spain, where he died. Much has been speculated about the exile of Blas Parera, indicating that he left the country because he had been forced to compose the music for the hymn; this theory lacks supporting documentation. The musicologist Carlos Vega explains in this regard that "months before his departure, the Argentine government (remember that the country was at war) demanded that all resident Spaniards swear an oath of fidelity to the nascent homeland and die for its total independence, legalizing their adhesion by means of a letter of citizenship. It could be that the adoption of Argentine nationality would have been too hard an imposition for the Catalan, and perhaps the cause of his sudden estrangement & # 34;.
The testimony of a traveler at the time gives an idea of the wide popular acceptance that the new hymn enjoyed: In 1817, an American diplomat, Henry M. Brackenridge, witnessed the extraordinary diffusion it had had in the people of the River Plate the patriotic song that the Assembly of the year 1813 had consecrated as the National March.
Brackenridge was traveling in a small boat from Montevideo to Buenos Aires and, during the voyage, he heard the stanzas of the hymn sung spontaneously by his companions. Brackenridge's account, taken from his book Voyage to South America, published in Baltimore in 1819, said:
In the afternoon, our companions, after drinking a glass of something stimulating, broke with one of their national songs, which they sang with enthusiasm like us would intonate our ‘Hail Columbia!’. I joined them at the bottom of my heart, though unable to take part in the concert with my voice. The music was slow, though bold and expressive... This hymn, they told me, had been composed by a lawyer named López, now a member of the Congress, and that he was universally sung in all the provinces of El Plata, as well in the Artigas camps, as in the streets of Buenos Aires; and that he is taught in schools as part of the essence of youth education...
The lyrics were markedly pro-independence and anti-Spanish, as befitted the spirit of the times. Some time later the Assembly of the year XIII requests an "arrangement" of the lyrics, so that the hymn would be more in tune with the new winds that were blowing: England vigorously opposed any attempt at autonomy in the colonies of Spain, her ally in the war against Napoleon. The British ambassador, Lord Strangford, informs the government in Buenos Aires "the madness and danger of any premature declaration of independence".
Then stanzas announcing that "a new and glorious Nation is rising on the face of the Earth" disappear. On the other hand, monarchical concepts so in vogue then infiltrate, when the heroes competed in candidacies of European princes to govern them: the Portuguese, French, Italian princes...[citation required ]
It is not surprising then that "see noble equality enthroned", a francification related to the purpose of crowning the Duke of Orleans (although other authors point out that the Orléanists were not in favor of " "noble equality" of the French Revolution, but rather the opposite, that they were supporters of the Old Regime). Or "on wings of glory the people rise, a throne worthy of His Great Majesty", a stanza that has disappeared in the definitive version. O "and they opened their most worthy throne, the United Provinces of the South".[citation needed]
The music of the hymn underwent a modification in 1860 entrusted to the musician Juan Pedro Esnaola, who made an orchestrated version that was richer from the harmonic point of view.
The Patriotic Song by Vicente López y Planes was considered the National Anthem, through a long period of nationality it was interpreted according to the original text. But once the fury of the contest against Spain had disappeared, for the sake of a political rapprochement with it, due to numerous criticisms on the part of Spanish diplomatic representatives, the national song underwent a modification in its form in relation to that part that could have a pejorative concept for other countries.
During the second presidency of General Julio Argentino Roca, on March 30, 1900, a decree endorsed with the signature of the President of the Nation and the ministers Luis María Campos, Emilio Civit, Martín Rivadavia, Felipe Yofre, José María Rosa and Martín García Merou provided that:
"Without producing alterations in the text of the National Anthem, there are verses in it that respond perfectly to the concept that nations universally have regarding their hymns in time of peace and that harmonize with the tranquility and dignity of thousands of Spaniards who share our existence, those who can and should prefer to be sung in the official festivities, because they respect the traditions and the law without offense of anyone, the President of the Republic,
Article 1. In official or public holidays, as well as in State schools and schools, only the first and the last quartet and the choir of the National Song sanctioned by the General Assembly on 11 May 1813 will be chanted. "
Thus, the martial references to "the brave [Argentines] who united swore their happy freedom to uphold, to those bloodthirsty tigers [the Spanish] strong breasts will know how to oppose" disappeared. Also removed: "San José, San Lorenzo, Suipacha, both Piedras, Salta and Tucumán, the Colony and the very walls of the tyrant in the Banda Oriental/They are eternal signs that say: Here the Argentine arm triumphed, here the Fierce oppressor of the Homeland [the Spanish soldier] his proud neck bent.
Music
In 1813, the General Constituent Assembly that governed the current Argentine Republic commissioned Blas Parera to compose what would become the Patriotic March, with lyrics by Alejandro Vicente López y Planes.
In 1860 Juan Pedro Esnaola made some changes to the music based on the composer's handwritten notes.
On August 2, 1924, the president of the Nation Marcelo T. de Alvear created a commission made up of Floro Ugarte, Carlos López Buchardo and José André, to compose an official version of the National Anthem. Thanks to the discovery of a score in the National Historical Museum attributed to Blas Parera, to which the commission introduced arrangements, it was able to premiere to the public at the Teatro Colón on May 25, 1927. However, due to the criticism brought by the "nuevo hymno", by means of a decree of September 1928, Alvear put together a new commission, where it was advised to make a version more faithful to that of Juan Pedro Esnaola. Today, the current version of the Anthem corresponds to the transcription made by Luis Lareta, which conforms to what was agreed on September 1928 by the Executive Power of the Nation. Already in 1900 it had been regulated by decree of the Executive Power to use a reduced version of the march for official and public acts.
By decree number 10,302 of April 24, 1944, this March was approved as the Argentine National Anthem.
Original lyrics
The letter that corresponds to the original version of the National Anthem of the year 1813 is much longer than the current one due to its reduction from the year 1900.
The first version that was published had errors attributable to the printing press.
As well as misspellings ("imbasor" instead of "invader" in the print version, but not in the manuscript), one particularly striking error in light of conflicts later was "Buenos--Aires opposes the front of the peoples..." instead of "... he puts on the forehead..." from the original version.
Here is a transcript of the May 14 version:
- Argentine National Anthem
- (Read complete and corrected)
- Letra: Alejandro Vicente López y Planes
- Music: Blas Parera
- Hear, mortals, the sacred cry:
- Freedom!
- Hear the noise of broken chains
- go to the throne to the noble equality.
- It rises on the face of the earth
- a new glorious nation.
- Knead your laurel sien,
- and to its plants give a lion. (bis)
- Stribillo (with choir)
- Be eternal laurels
- that we learned to get: (bis)
- crowned with glory, let us live,
- or we swear with glory to die. (tris)
- From the new champions the faces
- Mars himself seems to cheer.
- The greatness nests in her breasts
- to his march all make tremble.
- The graves are moved from the Inca,
- and in his bones revives the burning,
- What I saw renewing your children
- of the Patria the ancient splendor. (bis)
- Stribillo (with choir)
- But saws and walls feel
- Retumbar with a horrible fragor. (bis)
- The whole country was constrained by screams
- Revenge, war, and anger.
- In the fiery tyrants the Envidia
- He spit out his badge. (bis)
- Your Bloody Standard Stand Up
- causing the most cruel lyd. (bis)
- Stribillo (with choir)
- Don't you see them about Mexico and Quito?
- toss with tenacious sana?
- And what weep, bathed in blood
- Potosi, Cochabamba, and La Paz?
- Don't you see them about the sad Caracas
- mourning, crying, and death spreading?
- Don't you see them devouring like beasts
- all people who manage to give up?
- Stribillo (with choir)
- You dare Argentinian
- the pride of the vile invader.
- Your fields are already treading
- so many victorious hollar glories. (bis)
- But the bravos that joined swore
- your happy freedom to sustain
- to these thirsty tigers of blood
- strong breasts will be opposed.
- Stribillo (with choir)
- The brave Argentine to arms
- run on fire with courage and courage:
- The clarion of war, like thunder
- in the Sud fields resonated.
- Buenos Aires gets to the front
- of the peoples of the small union.
- And with rugged arms tear
- the Iberian lion.
- Stribillo (with choir)
- San José, San Lorenzo, Suipacha,
- both Stones, Salta, and Tucumán,
- the colony and the same walls
- the tyrant in the Eastern band. (bis)
- They are eternal signs that say:
- here the Argentine arm triumphed;
- here the fierce oppressor of the Homeland
- his proud cervix doubled(bis)
- Stribillo (with choir)
- Victory to the Argentinian Warrior
- with his bright wings he covered.
- And whipped at his sight the tyrant
- with infamy to the escape was given. (bis)
- Your flags, your weapons, surrender
- for trophies to freedom.
- And on wings of glory rise the people
- throne worthy of his great majesty.
- Stribillo (with choir)
- From one pole to the other resonate
- the sound of fame. (bis)
- And America's name teaching
- Repeat to them, mortals, hear:
- Now his dignified throne opened
- the United Provinces of the South.
- And the free of the world respond
- to the great Argentine people health. (bis)
- Stribillo (with choir)
Post-1900 handwriting
From the year 1900, officially only the first quatrain of the first stanza, the last quatrain of the ninth and the final chorus of the Argentine National Anthem are interpreted.
- Argentine National Anthem
- Letra
- Alejandro Vicente López y Planes
- Music
- Blas Parera
- Fix them.
- Juan Pedro Esnaola
- Hear, mortals, the sacred cry:
- Freedom!
- Hear the noise of broken chains;
- go to the throne to the noble equality.
- His most worthy throne opened.
- the United Provinces of the Sud!
- And the free of the world answer:
- to the great Argentine people, health!
- And the free of the world answer:
- To the great Argentine people, health!
- And the free of the world answer:
- To the great Argentine people, health!
- Coro
- Be eternal laurels
- that we learned to get: (bis)
- Crowns of glory live,
- Or we swear with glory to die!
Sung introduction
In the lands of Catamarca, La Rioja and Santiago del Estero (since at least the 1950s) a sung introduction is interpreted whose lyrics are not part of the original. In it, the initial chords, which are not sung in the official version, are accompanied by the following lyrics:
- Thank God, the time of freedom already sounds
- He gave up the anguish and pain.
- Let us raise our voices to heaven and may our souls be comforted
- Let's go mass boys to the square to sing
- the clarines invite us to the military sound of their joyful song
- trumpets answer
- Look how women and children come and trot horses and
- Sounds like drums.
- and everyone goes to the square and there's not one
- I want to miss
- Silence and attention, attention.
Origin and controversy
While initially considered anonymous, further investigation revealed that these lyrics were written by Antonio Dellepiane in 1929 as part of a historical and artistic study of the national anthem. In this regard, some authors have criticized this letter for considering it contrary to the style and spirit of the original hymn, alien to its musicological conception and close to the ideology of national Catholicism.
Versions
Older recordings
The oldest known recording of the anthem, of which records are preserved, is the one made on a gramophone record made by the Italian tenor Arthur B. Adamini, of which no exact date is preserved but it is estimated that it had place before April 1899. Adamini is known to have recorded several songs from Latin American countries, including other hymns such as those of Chile, Peru, and Mexico, at the end of the 19th century. A recording is preserved in the United States Library of Congress United.
A version recorded by the couple and duo of local artists known as Los Gobbi, made around 1906, is known.
Charly Garcia's version
Musician Charly García published a version of the Anthem on his sixth solo studio album, Filosofía barata y zapatos de goma, from 1990. All the songs were recorded that same year. The album was produced by Garcia and Joe Blaney.
The album version caused controversy and was at the time described as "unpatriotic" by some media and/or journalists, and García had to avoid a trial for "offending national symbols". Finally, the version ended up being authorized by the courts.
Currently the song is considered a well-remembered classic in García's career, and is usually included on some FM radio stations (especially those dedicated to national/Argentine rock) as a musical closing of the day -or to indicate the beginning of the radio late night- at midnight (00 pm), instead of the official version of the Argentine Anthem.