national anthem, hymn or song expressing patriotic sentiment and either governmentally authorized as an official national hymn or holding that position in popular feeling. The oldest national anthem is Great Britain’s “God Save the Queen,” which was described as a national anthem in 1825, although it had been popular as a patriotic song and used on occasions of royal ceremonial since the mid-18th century.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, most European countries followed Britain’s example, some national anthems being written especially for the purpose, others being adapted from existing tunes. The sentiments of national anthems vary, from prayers for the monarch to allusions to nationally important battles or uprisings (“The Star-Spangled Banner,” United States; “La Marseillaise,” France) to expressions of patriotic feeling (“O Canada”).
National anthems vary greatly in musical merit, and the verse or text, like the music, has not in every case been written by a national of the country concerned. Changes in politics or international relationships often cause the texts to be altered or a new anthem to be adopted. For example, the U.S.S.R. adopted “Gimn Sovetskogo Soyuza” (“Hymn of the Soviet Union”) as its national anthem in 1944, replacing the communist hymn “L’Internationale,” whose words and music were written in the late 19th century by two French workers.
Few national anthems have been written by poets or composers of renown, a notable exception being the first Austrian national anthem, “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser” (“God Save Emperor Francis”), composed by Joseph Haydn in 1797 and later (1929) sung to the text “Sei gesegnet ohne Ende” (“Be Blessed Forever”). Haydn’s melody was also used for the German national anthem “Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles” (“Germany, Germany Above All”), adopted in 1922. Beginning with its third verse, “Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit” (“Unity and rights and freedom”), it continues in use as the national anthem of Germany, retitled as “Deutschlandlied.” The German national anthem before 1922 had been “Heil dir im Siegerkranz” (“Hail to Thee in Victor’s Garlands”), sung to the melody of “God Save the Queen.” Some authors of national anthems, such as Italy’s Goffredo Mameli, gained renown only as a result of their composition’s national popularity. (See also “Advance Australia Fair”; “Deutschlandlied”; “God Save the Queen”; “L’Internationale”; “La Marseillaise”; “O Canada”; “The Star-Spangled Banner.”