The original song was composed by Joaquim Lima, a musician and director of the Philharmonic Band of Rabo de Peixe, the Filarmónica Progresso do Norte, in the 1890s, when a movement for autonomy was growing within the archipelago. It was first played by the band on 3 February 1894 and was originally titled "Hino Popular da Autonomia dos Açores" ("The Popular Hymn of Autonomy for the Azores").
The "Hymn of the Azores" (Portuguese: Hino dos Açores) is the official regional anthem used during some ceremonies in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. For official purposes, the national anthem, "A Portuguesa", is always used during government events, in sporting venues, and during other civic ceremonies.
The Andorran National Anthem arranged for String Orchestra. "El gran Carlemany" (pronounced [əl ˈɣɾaŋ ˌkaɾləˈmaɲ]; "The Great Charlemagne") is the national anthem of the Principality of Andorra. Enric Marfany Bons composed the music, while the lyrics were authored by Joan Benlloch i Vivó, written in a first-person narrative from the point of view of Andorra. It was adopted as the national anthem on 8 September 1921, which is also the national day of Andorra. The lyrics make reference to several key aspects of Andorran culture and history, such as the heritage of the Carolingian Empire.
Austrian National Anthem ''Federal Hymn'' for Brass Quintet.
The national anthem of Austria (German: Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich), also known by its incipit "Land der Berge, Land am Strome"-"Land of the Mountains, Land by the River"), was adopted in 1946. The melody, originally attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was matched with a text by Paula von Preradović the following year.
The composer of the song remains disputed among various composers today and has been attributed to either Johann Holzer [de] or Paul Wranitzky.
Belgiun National Anthem for Brass Quintet
Bosnia & Herzogovina for Brass Quintet. The national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina was composed in 1998 by Dušan Šestić and was adopted provisionally in 1999, before being officialized in 2001. It has no official lyrics, though unofficial lyrics have been written for it.
"Der er et yndigt land" (Danish pronunciation: [tɛɐ̯ ˈɛɐ̯ e̝t ˈøntit ˈlænˀ, tɑ -]; lit. 'There is a lovely land') is one of the two national anthems of Denmark.
An arrangement of the Andorran National Anthem for Brass Quintet.
Austrian National Anthem ''Federal Hymn'' fo rString Orchestra
Belgiun National Anthem for String Orchestra.
"La Brabançonne" (French: [la bʁabɑ̃sɔn] (La Brabançonne); Dutch: "De Brabançonne"; German: "Das Lied von Brabant") is the national anthem of Belgium. The originally French title refers to the Duchy of Brabant; the name is usually untranslated in Belgium's other two official languages, Dutch and German.
- Western ode: The oldest type of anthem, originating in Europe and common to European monarchies and their former colonies, they are stately and smooth in music style. Examples include Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
- European march: Often used by non-monarchical European nations, and often by socialist nations, and/or nations born in revolution, these anthems are in a march style and often speak of war. Examples include France, USSR (1922-1944), and USSR (1944-1991).
Denmark is one of only two countries in the world — the other being New Zealand – with two official national anthems. Officially, "Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" is both a national and a royal anthem; it has equal status with "Der er et yndigt land", which is treated as the civil national anthem. On official and military occasions, "Kong Christian" is performed alone, or the two national anthems are played together.
Kong Christian stod ved højen mast is the unofficial royal anthem of Denmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together with Der er et yndigt land ("There is a Lovely Country"), though it is almost exclusively used in relation to the Danish royal house and the military. The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish and Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden (including the Torstenson War) in the 17th and 18th centuries.
On New Year's Eve, it is tradition to sing along as the Danmarks Radio Girl's Choir sing the song on television, immediately after midnight following the other national anthem. Usually, only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.
Estonia’s anthem shares the same melody as the anthem of Finland, with whom they share a similar culture, and was adopted in 1869, several decades before early twentieth century independence (and about 20 years after the anthem was adopted by Finland).
During the Soviet occupation period, it was illegal to sing “Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm”, however Estonians near enough to Finland to listen to broadcasts from that country were able to listen to the melody of the anthem that way, and thus the anthem stayed in the public consciousness.
There has been discussion about replacing the anthem with an original Estonian work, but generally the two nations have been content to share a melody.
"La Marseillaise"[a] is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin"[b] ("War Song for the Army of the Rhine").
It has long been debated who composed the music to the song. It was originally credited to Johann Hartmann, the same composer who wrote the score for the original play Fiskerne, where the lyrics had first appeared.
Another suggestion was that a friend of Johannes Ewald, High Court judge Ditlev Ludvig Rogert, who was known to have played the violin, had been the original composer – a claim that was backed up by several 19th-century intellectuals. In 1880, Vilhelm Carl Ravn presented his theory that the score significantly preceded Ewald's poem and had no one particular composer. This is the most commonly supported theory today.
However, even today the score is also often wrongly credited to Friedrich Kuhlau, who made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his play Elverhøj, which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (the later King Frederik VII) and Princess Vilhelmine in November 1828.
Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm ("My Fatherland, My Happiness and Joy") was adopted as the national anthem of the Republic of Estonia in 1920, and again in 1990. The lyrics were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and are set to a melody composed in 1848 by Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius. Sung at the first Estonian Song Festival in 1869.
It gained popularity during the growing national movement. In Finland, the tune first became popular only as a students' song , but soon it also became more widely accepted. When both Estonia and Finland became independent after the First World War, the identical melody with different words was recognized as the national anthem of both nations. Estonia officially adopted it in 1920, after the War of Independence. During the decades of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the melody was strictly forbidden and people were sent to Siberia for singing it. However, even during the worst years the familiar tune could be heard over Finnish radio; it was played every day at the beginning and end of the program. Thus, the melody could never be forgotten. With the restoration of Estonian independence, the national anthem has, of course, been restored too.
The French National Convention adopted it as the First Republic's anthem in 1795. The song acquired its nickname after being sung in Paris by volunteers from Marseille marching to the capital. The song is the first example of the "European march"[clarification needed] anthemic style. The anthem's evocative melody and lyrics have led to its widespread use as a song of revolution and its incorporation into many pieces of classical and popular music.