A national anthem is a song that identifies a country.
The concept of hymn , which comes from the Latin hymnus (in turn derived from the Greek hýmnos ), has several uses. It may be a poetic work dedicated to praising certain heroes or divinities.
These compositions can also serve to glorify an individual or to celebrate a certain event, such as a military victory. It also allows you to express happiness or joy.
The "Hymn to Aton" is one of the oldest known hymns. It was composed several centuries before Christ in honor of Aten , an Egyptian deity. In Western culture , the "Homeric Hymns" , attributed to Homer , are believed to be among the oldest.
The national anthem
The most common use of the notion of anthem today refers to a song that identifies a country, a nation or a community . It is a musical composition that is used as a representation of the community in question.
National anthems exalt patriotic sentiment and promote the unity of the inhabitants. They may be compositions made specifically for this purpose or works that were adopted as official anthems over time.
Some examples
"God Save The Queen" ("God save the queen") está entre los himnos nacionales más famosos del world. Fue adoptado en 1745 como himno del United Kingdom.
«La Marseillaise» ("The Marseillaise") es otro himno nacional muy conocido. Esta composición de Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle que representa a France fue oficializada en 1795, aunque sufrió varias prohibiciones a lo largo de la history.
It should be noted that there are national anthems that were created by recognized authors. That is the case of "Amar Sonar Bangla" ( "My Golden Bengal" ), the national anthem of Bangladesh written and composed by the poet and musician Rabindranath Tagore , winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 .
In religion, a hymn is a song sung at a celebration.
Hymns in religion
Since the origin of the Christian Era , that is, since the birth of Jesus of Nazareth , psalms and hymns with music began to appear within the framework of religious ceremonies. This custom of singing such compositions, which in the case of hymns is known as hymnody , was promoted by Saint Ambrose , one of the most prolific creators of this type of melodies.
The character of these hymns and psalms sung in religious celebrations was very energetic as well as sublime and full of devotion. Over time, many people continued to add music to religious works and create hymns, until this format was officially included among the fundamental elements of divine services. One of the most prominent names in this regard was Saint Benedict , who in turn promoted a monastic movement.
Authors of religious songs
Some of the most sublime hymns of the Christian religion in history are attributed to Popes Saint Gregory , Clement VII and Innocent III . The latter, for example, is the author of the Stabat Mater , notable among the large number of hymns used by the Catholic Church, and also of the Veni Sancte Spiritus . On the other hand we have Tomás Celano , who bequeathed us the Dies irae , and Saint Bernard , from whose creative work the Ave maris stella emerged.
Many agree that the most august, sublime and majestic hymns of all are those attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas for the festival of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Sacrament , such as the Pange lingua . With respect to the music itself, it is important to note that the first hymns had an exclusively melodic composition, while later plainchant appeared (a single melodic line, even without accompanying music) and only in the 13th century did they emerge. the first polyphonic works. Among the latter, the Hymni totius anni , by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, stands out.