The "" (), also known by its
incipit
The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...
"Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba" (), is the longest
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
in terms of duration with 105 bars of music. When performed in its entirety, the anthem lasts about four-and-a-half to six minutes, although nowadays only the first verse and chorus are sung on most occasions,
such as before sporting events.
Its
martial[ lyrics are by the Uruguayan poet ]Francisco Acuña de Figueroa
Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa (September 3, 1791 – October 6, 1862) was a Uruguayan poet and writer. He was born in Montevideo, on September 3, 1791 and died on October 6, 1862. He was the son of the Treasurer of the Royal Treasury, Jac ...
, who also wrote the lyrics for Paraguay's national anthem, " Paraguayos, República o Muerte". The lyrics were officially declared the national anthem in July 1833.[ Several proposed musical settings failed to gain public support.][ The Rossini-inspired] music that eventually became universally associated with the anthem was composed by the Hungarian-born composer Francisco José Debali, with the assistance of Fernando Quijano, a Uruguayan actor and musician.[ A few days after the first performance in July 1845, Debali's score was officially recognized as the music for the anthem.][ As with other South American national anthems, the music was inspired by the local popularity of Italian opera.] It includes several references to ''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
'' and other operas by Rossini, as well as a direct musical quotation from ''Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...
'' by Gaetano Donizetti.
The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns is sometimes erroneously credited with having composed the music: although he was requested to write a hymn to celebrate the national independence day, his composition never became the national anthem.
History
The Uruguayan poet Francisco Acuña de Figueroa
Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa (September 3, 1791 – October 6, 1862) was a Uruguayan poet and writer. He was born in Montevideo, on September 3, 1791 and died on October 6, 1862. He was the son of the Treasurer of the Royal Treasury, Jac ...
, who also wrote the lyrics for Paraguay's national anthem " Paraguayos, República o Muerte", was responsible for the martial lyrics. On 8 July 1833, ''Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba'' was officially recognized as Uruguay's national anthem.[History about the Anthem of Uruguay]
''Embassy of Uruguay in Argentina''
Several proposed musical settings of Figueroa's lyrics failed to gain public support.[ One of the discarded settings was by the Spanish-born composer Antonio Sáenz.] A proposed melody by the Italian composer Francesco Casale became the basis for the music of the Paraguay national anthem.
The Rossini-inspired music that eventually became universally associated with the anthem was composed by the Hungarian-born composer Francisco José Debali, with the assistance of Fernando Quijano, a Uruguayan actor and musician. The score was first performed on 19 July 1845, and it was officially recognized as the music for the anthem on 25 July 1848.
Music
As with every other South American national anthem, the music was inspired by the local popularity of Italian opera.
The full 105-bar version of the anthem evokes an operatic '' scena e aria'' for soloist and chorus (almost in '' solita forma'' manner, with a ''cabaletta
Cabaletta is a two-part musical form particularly favored for arias in 19th century Italian opera in the belcanto era until about the 1860s during which it was one of the era's most important elements. More properly, a cabaletta is a more animate ...
''-like conclusion). Debali had conducted in many productions of operas by Gioachino Rossini
Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards ...
and Gaetano Donizetti in Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, and during the course of the anthem he makes several musical references to Rossini's ''La Cenerentola
' ('' Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant'') is an operatic ''dramma giocoso'' in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. The libretto was written by Jacopo Ferretti, based on the libretti written by Charles-Guillaume Étienne for the opera ''Cendrillon'' ...
'', as well as to ''Largo al factotum
"" (Make way for the factotum) is an aria from ''The Barber of Seville'' by Gioachino Rossini, sung at the first entrance of the title character, Figaro. The repeated "Figaro"s before the final patter section are an icon in popular culture of oper ...
'' from ''The Barber of Seville
''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was based ...
'', and to a chorus from ''Semiramide
''Semiramide'' () is an opera in two acts by Gioachino Rossini.
The libretto by Gaetano Rossi is based on Voltaire's tragedy ''Semiramis'', which in turn was based on the legend of Semiramis of Assyria. The opera was first performed at La Feni ...
''. A further passage is clearly borrowed from the ending of the Prologue of Donizetti's ''Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia (; ca-valencia, Lucrècia Borja, links=no ; 18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Govern ...
''.
Of note, the music for the Uruguayan national anthem is sometimes erroneously attributed to Camille Saint-Saëns. It is true that during a visit to Uruguay in April 1916 Saint-Saëns was commissioned to write a hymn to celebrate the national independence day. However, circumstances prevented the work, ''Partido colorado'',[Ratner, Sabina Teller]
"Saint-Saëns, Camille: Life"
Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press. Retrieved 30 November 2022 from becoming the national anthem.
Lyrics
Notes
References
External links
*
Uruguay anthem streaming audio, lyrics and info
archive link
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Anthem Of Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
Spanish-language songs
Uruguayan music
National symbols of Uruguay
National anthems
National anthem compositions in C major
1845 songs