A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a country's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. Patriotism is commonly defined as love of and/or devotion to one's country For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted Standards norms social norms or criteria, often taking the form of

Anthems rose to prominence in Europe during the nineteenth century; the oldest national anthem is "Het Wilhelmus", the Dutch national anthem, written between 1568 and 1572 during the Eighty Years War. Het Wilhelmus ( ( English Translation: The William) is the National anthem of the Netherlands and is the oldest national anthem in The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. The Dutch Revolt, Eighty Years' War or the Revolt of the Netherlands (1568—1648 was the revolt of the Seventeen Provinces in the Low Countries The Japanese anthem, "Kimi ga Yo", has its lyrics taken from a Kamakura period poem, yet it was not set to music until 1880. often translated as "May your reign last forever" is Japan's National anthem, and is also one of the world's shortest national anthems in current use The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura Shogun ^[1] "God Save the Queen", the national anthem of the United Kingdom, was first performed in 1745 under the title "God Save the King". "God Save the Queen", or "God Save the King", is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms It is the National The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Spain's national anthem, the "Marcha Real" (The Royal March), dates from 1770. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. es '''La Marcha Real''' ("The Royal March " is the National anthem of Spain. "La Marseillaise", the French anthem, was written in 1792 and adopted in 1795. " La Marseillaise " (la maʁsɛˡjɛz in English The Song of Marseille) is the National anthem of France.

During the rise of the nation-state in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, most remaining nations adopted an anthem upon attaining nationhood. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy Because of European colonial influence, many influenced in a similar way to adopt a national anthem, and thus several anthems outside Europe are in the European style. Only a handful of non-European countries have anthems rooted in including Pakistan India, China, Japan, Costa Rica, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. The Qaumī Tarāna ( Urdu:) is the National anthem of Pakistan. Jana Gana Mana (জন গণ মন Jôno Gôno Mono) is the National anthem of India. Historical Chinese Anthems are a number of Chinese official and unofficial National anthems composed during the early 20th century often translated as "May your reign last forever" is Japan's National anthem, and is also one of the world's shortest national anthems in current use "Himno Nacional de Costa Rica" ( Spanish language, Costa Rican National Anthem is the National anthem of Costa Rica. The National Anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran ( Persian: سرود ملی جمهوری اسلامی ایران, pronounced melije "Sri Lanka Matha" is the National anthem of Sri Lanka. Kaba Ma Kyei ("Till the End of the World Burma" is the National anthem of Burma.

An anthem can become a country's national anthem by a provision in the country's constitution, by a law enacted by its legislature or simply by tradition. The majority of national anthems are either marches or hymns in style. A march, as a Musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a Military A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities The countries of Latin America tend towards more operatic pieces, while a handful of countries use a simple fanfare. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto A fanfare is a short piece of Music played by Trumpets and other Brass instruments frequently accompanied by percussion, usually for

National anthems are usually in the most common language of the country, whether de facto or official. An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory India's anthem, Jana Gana Mana, is a highly Sanskritized version of Bengali. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Jana Gana Mana (জন গণ মন Jôno Gôno Mono) is the National anthem of India. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical On the other hand Pakistan's anthem is not in Urdu or English (the official languages) or in anyone of its 72 provincial or regional languages but rather in Farsi. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and This is due to Pakistan tradition that it represents the culmination of muslim states and empires in the region; the language of many of them was Farsi. States with more than one national language may offer several versions of their anthem: For instance, Switzerland's anthem has different lyrics for each of the country's four official languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh). Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Romansh or Romansch may refer to Romansh language Romansh people On the other hand, South Africa's national anthem is unique in that five of the eleven official languages are used in the same anthem (each language comprising a stanza). The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa In Poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger Poem. In modern poetry the term is often equivalent with Strophe; in popular vocal music a stanza is Another multilingual country, Spain, has no words in its anthem, La Marcha Real, although in 2007 a national competition to write words was launched^[2]. es '''La Marcha Real''' ("The Royal March " is the National anthem of Spain.

Usage

At the commencement of international sporting events, or occasionally (such as in the United States, here pictured) at domestic events, spectators customarily stand for the duration of the national anthem.

National anthems are used in a wide array of contexts. They are played on national holidays and festivals, and have also come to be closely connected with sporting events. During sporting competitions, such as the Olympic Games, the national anthem of the gold medal winner is played at each medal ceremony. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games National anthems are also played before games in many sports leagues, since being adopted in baseball during World War II. ^[3] The use of a national anthem outside of its country, however, is dependent on the international recognition of that country. For instance, Taiwan is not recognized by the Olympics as a separate nation and must compete as Chinese Taipei; its National Banner Song is used instead of its national anthem. REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The controversy regarding the political status of Taiwan hinges on whether Taiwan, including the Pescadores (Penghu should remain effectively independent as territory Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China (ROC, commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some International The "National Flag Anthem" (official Republic of China name also known as the National Banner Song unofficially ( of the Republic of China is " National Anthem of the Republic of China " is the current National anthem of the Republic of China (ROC ^[4]

In some countries, the national anthem is played to students each day at the start of school as an exercise in patriotism. In other countries the anthem may be played in a theatre before a play or in a cinema before a movie. Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue Many radio and television stations have adopted this and play the national anthem when they sign on in the morning and again when they sign off at night. A television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts both audio and Video to Television receivers in a particular area Sign-on (or startup) is the term used to describe the beginning of operations for a Television station. Sign-off (or in British/Irish/New Zealand English closedown) is the sequence of operations involved when a radio or Television station shuts down its

Nations in the cultural sense or subnational units may also have royal anthems, presidential anthems, state anthems, or anthems for officially recognized constitutive parts of federal or confederal states. A royal anthem is a patriotic song much like a National anthem but specifically praising or praying for a Monarch or royal dynasty A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's These may be better described as "regional anthems", as in the case of the regions of Belgium.

Multinational countries such as the United Kingdom and Denmark compete in sporting events with multiple teams, such as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football teams for the former and a distinct Faroe Island side in addition to the national team in the case of the latter. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse This poses problems with the tradition of pre-match anthems, since neither England nor mainland Denmark have regional anthems and use the national anthems, God Save the Queen and Der er et yndigt land respectively. "God Save the Queen", or "God Save the King", is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms It is the National "Der er et yndigt land" ("There is a Lovely Country" is the (civil National anthem of Denmark.

Larger entities also sometimes have anthems. There are a handful of multinational or international anthems. The Internationale is the anthem of the socialist movement, the world communist movement, the Comintern and for a time by the Soviet Union. The Internationale ( L'Internationale in French) is a famous socialist, communist, and Social-democratic Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The Comintern ( Com munist Intern ational also known as the Third International) was an international Communist organisation founded in Moscow The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The tune of the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 is the European anthem; the United Nations^[5] and the African Union^[6] also have unofficial anthems. " To Joy " ( An die Freude in German, in English often familiarly called the Ode to Joy) is an Ode written in The Symphony No 9 in D minor Op 125 "Choral" is the last complete Symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The African Union (abbreviated AU in English, and UA in its other working languages is a Confederation consisting of 53  African The Olympic Movement also has its own anthem. The Olympic Hymn ( Greek: Ολυμπιακός Ύμνος also known informally as the Olympic Anthem, is a musical piece Esperanto Speakers at meetings often use the song La Espero as its anthem. is by far the most widely spoken constructed International auxiliary language in the world "La Espero" ("The Hope" is a poem written by L Some islands also have anthems, like for example, Puerto Rico has "La Borinquena". Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} La Borinqueña is the national anthem of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Lyrics

A few anthems have been composed by Nobel prize winners. The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred India and Bangladesh adopted two songs written by the Nobel prize winner and noted poet/author Rabindranath Tagore as their national anthems, Jana Gana Mana and Amar Shonar Bangla, respectively. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred Jana Gana Mana (জন গণ মন Jôno Gôno Mono) is the National anthem of India. Amar Shonar Bangla (My Golden Bengal ( Bangla:আমার সোনার বাংলা is a 1906 song written and composed by the poet Rabindranath Nobel prize winner Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote the lyrics for the Norwegian national anthem Ja, vi elsker dette landet. Bjørnstjerne Martinus Bjørnson ( 8 December, 1832 – 26 April, 1910) was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional (or "Ja vi elsker" (In English: "Yes we love this country" is the National anthem of Norway.

Some national anthems have no official lyrics at all, including those of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Spain, and San Marino. ^[7]

See also

• List of anthems by country
• List of anthems

References

External links

• All national anthems (in MIDI format)
• Sheet music of all the national anthems of the world
• Music, lyrics and sheets of all countries anthems
• Recordings of countries' anthems around the world by the US Navy band
• A collection of national and territorial anthems in mp3 formats. MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression Vocal renditions are included.
• NationalAnthems.us, A forum on national anthems containing background information and links to downloadable anthems.