Guatemalan National Anthem for Brass Quintet

Written in response to an 1887 contest calling for a national anthem to be adopted, the winning entry was not proclaimed until 1896, the first ever performance of the anthem took place during a lyric-literary meeting taking place at the Colon Theater, the night of Sunday 14 March 1897, as one of the main events of the Central American Exposition, and the author of the music was decorated with a gold medal and honor diploma. (Ovalle had been known previously for setting to music “Himno Popular” (The People’s Anthem) by the poet Ramón P. Molina. It is unclear whether the music used for Ovalle’s work was the same as the music that was submitted for the national anthem competition.) The author of the lyrics, however, was submitted anonymously, it was not until 1911, when it was discovered that the author was the Cuban poet Jose Joaquin Palma, who on his deathbed was honored with a silver wreath placed on his head, while outside the public and the bands sang the Himno Nacional.