Mário Cruz / Lusa
“The Portuguese” is one of the best known musical compositions in our country, but in reality we only sing one third of the national anthem. We all know the heroes of the sea, but no one unfurs the unbeaten flag or greet the sun – which usually emerges in the country of Kimigayo.
National hymns are powerful symbols of national identity and pride, and many of them have interesting stories and peculiar characteristics.
This is the case of the national anthem of our country.
Composed in 1890, with lyrics by Henrique Lopes de Mendonça and music by Alfredo Keil, “The Portuguese”He was born as a song of patriotic in reaction to the British ultimatum that required the abandonment of Portuguese positions in Africa – and that plotted us the plane of the pink map.
In 1911, the composition would be consecrated as a symbol of Portugal, replacing the Hymn Give Cartaat the time the national anthem since May 1834.
Despite being one of the best known musical compositions and sung by the Portuguese, few know how to sing it correctly – and we are not.
There are those who jump either verse, there are those who stumble in the “church”… but this are details: in reality, We just usually sing a part of the national anthem.
In its original composition, “The Portuguese” has not only the stanza and the chorus we usually sing in official ceremonies (or when we feel like using the throat). We all know the heroes of the sea, but almost no one unfurses the unbeaten flag or greet the sunny sun.
Indeed, the complete national anthem consists of three partseach with a four -versed stanza and the well -known chorus that urges us to march against the cannons:
1ª stanza:
Heroes of the sea, noble people, brave and immortal nation,
Rise up today again, the splendor of Portugal!
Among the mists of memory, O country, the voice is felt
From your egregious grandparents, who will guide you to victory!
Chorus:
To weapons, the weapons!
On the earth, about the sea,
To weapons, the weapons! For the homeland to fight,
Against the cannons, march, march!
2nd stanza:
The unbeaten flag unfurled, in the living light of your sky!
Brade to Europe to the entire land: Portugal did not perish
Kiss the soil your jucundo, the ocean, to roar the love,
And your winning arm gave new worlds to the world!
(Chorus)
3rd stanza:
Greet the sun that is emerging on a fuss;
Be the echo of an affront, the sign of resurrected.
Rays of this strong dawn, are like kisses of mother,
That keep us, sustain us, against the injuries of luck.
(Chorus)
As Mark Twain would say, perhaps the news that almost no one sings the full hymn is manifestly an exaggeration – and you don’t even have to be in the navy to know how to do it. Here is a delicious interpretation From the integral version of “The Portuguese”, by the Children’s Children’s Choir of João de Deus School, in Leiria.
The most looongo (and oldest) anthem in the world
Despite having much more to sing than the best known stanza and chorus, “the Portuguese”, with its three stanzas, it is not exactly a very long anthem.
O Longer national anthem in the world It is that of Greece. Based on a poem written by Dionysios Solos in 1823, the “Anthem to Freedom” has 158 stanzas, but usually only two are sung on official occasions.
The Greeks do not bother much to see their anthem played in protocol ceremonies in the shorter version.
Already The same is not happened with the Uruguayanswhich are furious when the “National Himno of Uruguay”, with its Long 6 minutesis shortened at the beginning of games in international sports competitions – or in (fortunately rare) occasions when a Uruguayan climbs the podium to receive a gold medal.
On the other hand, the Shorter national anthem in the world, “Kimigayo“It is Japan’s: the sung version has Only 32 syllablesdistributed on five lines, which makes it notably brief compared to other national hymns:
Kimigayo:
Kimigayo is
To Chiyo to Yachiyo
The pebbles of
Iwao
Until the Koke no Musu
Which is like the one who says…
May the reign of your majesty
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until small stones
Become huge rocks
Covered with green moss.
A letter of the Japanese hymn, the oldest in the world, It originates from a Heian poem (794-1185), which celebrates the desire of longevity and prosperity of the emperor and the nation. The melody, in turn, was added in the late nineteenth century, and then adopted as the country’s national anthem.
O oldest anthem in the world Still in use is however “Wilhelmus”, the National Anthem of the Netherlands. It was composed between 1568 and 1572, during the eighty -year war, at a time when the Dutch fought against Spanish rule.
“Wilhelmus” was officially adopted as a national anthem of the Netherlands in 1932, but it was a popular song long before that. It has 15 stanzas, and like us, the Dutch just sing one.
Hymns of discord (and concord)
Rare are the national hymns that are only instrumental, having no letter accompanying the melody. This is the case of Hino Espanhol, “The Royal March”: Our brothers They never understood themselves in relation to the proposals presented, and the last attempt to provide him with a letter was in 1928.
Who also never understood about the letter to use with the hymn were the Bosnians and Herzegovines (and remaining ethnicities of the country): its “Državna Himna Bosne I Hercegovine” and the hymn of San Marino complete the panel of only instrumental hymns.
On the contrary, South Africans managed to understand themselveshaving created a hymn that incorporates parts of previous hymns into Five different languages: Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Africaner and English.
Also The Russians recycled their anthemwhich uses a melody of the time of the Soviet Union. But after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, the letter of the anthem was completely rewritten, and adopted as Russia’s official anthem in 2000.
There is still Who Share Resources. This is the case of the Bangladesh National Anthem, “Amar Shanar Bangla”, written in 1905 by Rabindranath Tagore. The renowned Indian poet and philosopher also wrote the national anthem of his country – which makes him only author of two different national hymns.
It is also the case of Liechtenstein National Anthem“Oben Am Jungen Rhein”, who uses the same melody as “God Save the Queen“The composition usually used as the UK anthem – a country that does not actually have an officially established national anthem.
Also, after 70 years as British anthem, “God Save the Queen” recently stopped being. With the death of Queen Isabell II in 2022, the English were forced to.
God Save The Kingnow the British say. Against the Britons, march march, we said.
