The Argentine National Anthem () was first adopted as the sole official song of the new de facto state led by Buenos Aires on 11 May 1813—three years after the May Revolution. The Buenos Aires-born politician Vicente López y Planes wrote the lyrics and the Catalan musician Blas Parera wrote the music.
Since the year of the Revolution (1810), Buenos Aires poets and musicians created a number of patriotic or national songs. However, they were not generally adopted, and felt into oblivion. A song commissioned in 1813, instead, became popular through the Argentine territory and beyond. After several revisions, this piece became the Argentine National Anthem. Since the late 19th century, only the first and last verses and the chorus of the 1813 "Patriotic March" are sung, omitting the emotional text about the struggle for independence from Spain.
11 May is celebrated in Argentina as the Argentine National Anthem Day ().
Designation The third Buenos Aires national song was originally named "" (), later renamed "" (), and then "" (). The current designation, "Himno Nacional Argentino" (English: Argentine National Anthem) first appeared on a manuscript arrangement dated around 1848.
History
The earliest national song of Buenos Aires was a "Patriotic March", published on 15 November 1810 in the government newspaper, . Even though the publication is anonymous, it is generally believed that Esteban de Luca wrote the poem and Blas Parera (1776–1840) contributed the music. This original composition made no reference to the name of Argentina (the national entity led by Buenos Aires did not became a stable nation-state designated as "República Argentina" until 1861; the national song predated the country and much contributed to its establishment) or to any politically independent entity. The poem primarily addressed France's subjugation of Spain in the Peninsular War, the absolutist restoration begun by the Council of Regency, and the need to keep the republican freedoms achieved so far in the Americas: "Spain was victim / of the plotting Gaul / because to the tyrants / she bent her neck / If there treachery / has doomed a thousands cities / let sacred freedom and union reign here / Let the father to the sons / be able to say / enjoy rights / that I did not enjoy".
In mid-1812, the ruling triumvirate ordered the Buenos Aires Cabildo to commission a national anthem. Cayetano Rodríguez, a Franciscan friar, wrote a text that was approved on 4 August. The Catalan musician Blas Parera, music director of the local theater, set it to music, and conducted the premiere in the theater on 1 November.
Less than a year later the Assembly of Year XIII estimated that the song was not effective enough to serve as a national song. The recent triumphs of the Buenos Aires army rendered the 1812 text obsolete. On 6 March 1813, several poets were invited to submit lyrics. The poem by the lawyer Vicente López y Planes was unanimously considered the best. The words were designated as the "sole national march" ("") on 11 May 1813 and were published as a broadside three days later. Parera was asked to compose a new musical setting around the same date. He finished the piece in a few days. An unconfirmed oral tradition has it that the premiere took place on 14 May 1813, at the home of the patrician Mariquita Sánchez de Thompson.Galasso, p. 102. If this is true, then Parera wrote quickly and under no visible coercion. However, he possibly expressed his dislike of the new nation by quoting a negative gesture (in minor mode, and with dissonant chords) from an anti-Napoleonic war song Bernardo Illari, "¿Una nueva y gloriosa nación? Retórica y subjetividad en la Marcha patriótica rioplatense de 1813," Latin American Music Review, Volume 36, No. 1 (2015), pp. 1–39.. He again conducted the official premiere in the theater on 28 May, for which he received a handsome 200 pesos.Vega, El Himno Nacional Argentino, pp. 22–27.
The composition was then known as (National Patriotic Song), and later simply as (Patriotic Song), but Juan Pedro Esnaola's first arrangement, dated around 1848, used the title (although a republic of that name did not yet exist), and the name has been retained until today.Vega, El Himno Nacional Argentino, pp. 88–89. In the complete version of the Anthem of May (as was christened by López) it is noted that the political vision portrayed is not only Argentine, but Latin American. The lyrics are ardently pro-independence and anti-Spanish, as the territory was at that time fighting for its independence.
The song became popular immediately. Within ten years, documented performances occurred throughout Argentina, and also in Chile, Peru, and Colombia, where this patriotic song was in use until local anthems were created.Vega, El Himno Nacional Argentino, pp. 30–41. Widespread singing resulted in the emergence of diverse versions, which was an obstacle for mass singing; several successive reforms were then proposed. In 1860, the Buenos Aires composer, Juan Pedro Esnaola (1808–1878), was commissioned to produce an official, revised version. He took the task to heart, making many changes to the music, including a slower tempo, a fuller texture, alterations to the melody, and enrichment of the harmony. In 1927 a committee produced a revisionist version that undid several of Esnaola's changes, but introduced awkward skips in the vocal melody. After a heated public debate fueled by the newspaper , this version was rejected and, following the recommendations of a second committee, Esnaola's edition was reinstated. In 1944, this version was confirmed as the official state anthem.
Throughout the 19th century the anthem was sung in its entirety. However, once harsh feelings against Spain had dissipated, and the country had become home to many Spanish immigrants, President Julio Argentino Roca radically abridged the text by decree, on 30 March 1900:
Controversy The song includes a line that has given rise to controversy: . In the manuscript and an early printed song-sheet the word is used; a slightly later version of the song-sheet correcting obvious errors such as spelling mistakes was issued with the same date of 14 May 1813, but with changed to . The meaning reverses: "Buenos Aires opposes the front of the people of the union" to "Buenos Aires positions itself at the front ...". The original has been interpreted as advancing part of the centralist views in Buenos Aires, but has also been considered a "tragical misprint".The Patriotic March written by Vicente López: Depiction of a historical scene of tension. Analysis of the original Marcha Patriótica, in Spanish, with abstract in English. In several other places, the anthem goes beyond the Argentine theater of the Spanish American wars of independence and fleetingly references events in Mexico, Central America, Northern South America, and Charcas.Galasso, pp. 102–103. Blooming ideas of independence appear in lines such as "On the face of the earth rises / a new and glorious nation, / her head is crowned with laurel, / and a Lion lies defeated at her feet". The lion is an allegory that portrays not just Spanish absolutism, but Spain itself, as the enemy.Galasso, p. 103.
No anti-Spanish text is sung today.Buch, O juremos con gloria morir, pp. 87–92.
Usage Performance of the national anthem is mandatory during all official events, and Argentines in attendance are expected to stand up and sing it. Uniformed personnel must salute during the playing, while troops on parade must present arms. Radio broadcasters voluntarily perform the anthem at midnight, while TV channels do so before closing down their daily broadcast. On national holidays, it is mandatory to perform the national anthem at midnight.
The national anthem is ruled in Argentine law by Decree 10302/1944.
Rock musician Charly García broke legal regulations dealing with the reproduction of the song when he included an idiosyncratic cover version in his 1990 album , stirring much controversy.Buch, O juremos con gloria morir, pp. 147–156. In 1998 various Argentine artists reedited the anthem and other patriotic songs in the joint album . Other singers followed on their footsteps, recreating the piece in their own ways.
A line from the original version of the national anthem was used as the Argentine title of the 1928 film known in English as The Charge of the Gauchos.
The national anthem appears at the beginning of the 1985 film The Official Story, an Academy Award winner.
Short instrumental versions
Due to the excessive length of the official full-length version, which has a duration of around three to four minutes, during international sporting events such as professional soccer games, the Rugby World Cup, and the Olympics, only the instrumental introduction (which has a duration of around 1 minute) is played. Another variation is to play the instrumental introductory section followed by the last three lines (with the third line repeated). Since 2019, in professional soccer games, the final part of the anthem is played, which consists of the instrumental part before the chorus, the chorus, and the coda. The Olympic Games currently uses an abridged version of the anthem which consists of the entire modern version's lyrics, with the pre-chorus instrumental omitted. Although traditional, these arrangements are not recognized by Argentine law.
Lyrics Modern version The following is the modern version, adopted in 1924, omitting the long anti-Spanish middle section.
Spanish originalEnglish translationHarken, mortals, the sacred cry: "Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!" Hear the sound of broken chains See noble equality enthroned.
Their most worthy throne have now opened The United Provinces of the South. And the free people of the world reply: 𝄆 "To the great Argentine people,hail!" 𝄇 𝄆 And the free ones of the world reply: "To the great Argentine people, hail!" 𝄇
May the laurels be eternal 𝄆 that we were able to achieve 𝄇 Let us live crowned with glory Or let us swear with glory die! 𝄆 Or let us swear with glory die! 𝄇
Full lyrics Spanish originalEnglish translationI Oh, hear ye mortals, the sacred cry: Liberty, liberty, liberty! Hear the noise of chains broken, see noble Equality in its throne. On the face of the Earth rises a new and glorious Nation, its brow crowned with laurels, 𝄆 and a Lion defeated at its feet, 𝄇 𝄆 its brow crowned with laurels, and a Lion defeated at its feet. 𝄇
May eternal be the laurels, 𝄆 That we knew how to win 𝄇 Crowned in glory, let's live or let's swear with glory to die! 𝄆 Or let's swear with glory to die! 𝄇
II The faces of the new champions Mars himself seems to encourage Greatness makes its nest in their chests: at their march they make everything tremble. The tombs of the Inca are shaken, and the passion returns to their bones which begins to renew, for their children, 𝄆 their Fatherland's ancient splendour, 𝄇 𝄆 which begins to renew, for their children, their Fatherland's ancient splendour. 𝄇
III But mountains and walls are felt echoing with horrible noise: the whole country is disturbed by cries of revenge, of war and uproar. The envy within the fierce tyrants spat its pestiferous bile; their bloody standard they raise 𝄆 provoking the cruelest fight, 𝄇 𝄆 their bloody standard they raise provoking the cruelest fight. 𝄇
IV Don't you see them over Mexico and Quito lunge forth with stubborn rage and how cry, bathed in blood, Potosí, Cochabamba and La Paz? Don't you see them over sad Caracas sow grief and tears and death? Don't you see them devour like beasts 𝄆 every people that surrenders to them? 𝄇 𝄆 Don't you see them devour like beasts every people that surrenders to them? 𝄇
V It challenges you, Argentines, the pride of the vile invader; your fields he stomps on, counting all the glorious victories he left behind. But the brave men that swore, united, their merry liberty to uphold, these bloodthirsty tigers 𝄆 with strong chests they'll know to face, 𝄇