Nicaraguan National Anthem for Brass Quintet

The melody of the anthem goes back to the 1700s as a liturgical anthem in Spain. It was brought to Nicaragua shortly before independence in 1821, and was declared as the country’s first official anthem sometime between 1835 and 1837. The wordless melody was used until 1876, when it was replaced with the song “Soldados, ciudadanos” (Soldiers, Citizens). (This anthem may have been wordless until 1889). It was replaced yet again in 1893 after General José Santos Zelaya took over the country; the anthem “Hermosa Soberana” (Beautiful Sovereign) was composed by Zelaya’s son-in-law Alejandro Cousin and was written by either Rubén Darío, Santiago Argüello or Manuel Maldonado. Despite being replaced in 1910 after Zelaya fled the country, the song remains a popular patriotic song in Nicaragua.