Ukrainian National Anthem for Symphony Orchestra (Gminor version)

The lyrics are a slightly modified version of the first verse and chorus of the patriotic song "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina", written in 1862 by Pavlo Chubynskyi, a prominent ethnographer from Kyiv. In 1863, Mykhailo Verbytskyi, a Ukrainian composer and Greek Catholic priest, composed music to accompany Chubynskyi's lyrics. The first choral public performance of the piece was in 1864 at the Ruska Besida Theatre in Lviv.

In the first half of the 20th century, during unsuccessful attempts to gain independence and create a state from the territories of the Russian Empire, Poland, and Austria-Hungary, the song was the national anthem of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the West Ukrainian People's Republic, and Carpatho-Ukraine. A competition was held for a national anthem following Ukraine's secession from the Soviet Union, with one of the songs being "Za Ukrainu" (lit. 'For Ukraine') by the Ukrainian writer and actor Mykola Voronyi. "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina" was officially adopted by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on 15 January 1992. The official lyrics were adopted on 6 March 2003 by the Law on the State anthem of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Закон «Про Державний гімн України»).