To Portuguese

A Portuguesa is the name by which the national anthem of Portugal is known.

The lyrics were written by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça while the music was composed by Alfredo Keil. It was initially composed as a march, in response to the British ultimatum of 1890. Adopted as a republican anthem and eventually by the new Portuguese Republic in 1910 as the National Anthem, replacing O Hino da Carta, the last anthem of the constitutional monarchy in Portugal.

History

After the British ultimatum to Portugal, the popular reaction against the English and against the Portuguese government, which allowed this kind of humiliation, manifested itself in various ways. On January 31, 1891, in a failed coup attempt that sought to establish the republic in Portugal, A Portuguesa already appeared as the choice of the republicans for the national anthem, which actually happened, when, after the establishment of the Republic on October 5, 1910, the National Constituent Assembly consecrated it as a national symbol on June 19, 1911 (on that same date the national flag was also adopted).

In 1956, there were several versions of the hymn, not only in the melodic line, but also in the instrumental ones, especially for banda, so the government appointed a commission in charge of studying an official version of A Portuguesa. This commission prepared a version that would be approved by the Council of Ministers on July 16, 1957, and the anthem has remained unchanged since then. The widely publicized legend that the anthem in its original version referred to "against the Bretons" and not "against the guns" it has no foundation.

Structure and protocol

The music shows a small influence from the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, also a revolutionary symbol (of the French Revolution). The hymn is made up of three parts, each with two quatrains (four verse stanzas), followed by the chorus, a limerick (five verse stanza). It should be noted that, of the three parts of the hymn, only the first part is used in official ceremonies. A Portuguesa is officially executed in national, civil and military ceremonies, where it is interpreted in honor of the Homeland, the National Flag or the President of the Republic. In the same way, in official ceremonies in Portuguese territory for the reception of foreign heads of state, their performance is mandatory after listening to the anthem of the represented country. A Portuguesa was designated as one of the national symbols of Portugal in the 1976 constitution. Article 11 states that:

2. Or Hino Nacional é A Portuguesa.

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