The San Lorenzo march is an Argentine military march, whose lyrics celebrate the role played by the

Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers The Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers ( es, Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo) is the name of two Argentine Army regiments of two different time periods: a historic regiment that operated from 1812 to 1826, and a modern cavalry unit that was organiz ...

commanded by

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

at the

Battle of San Lorenzo The Battle of San Lorenzo was fought on 3 February 1813 in San Lorenzo, Argentina, then part of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The royalist troops, were composed of militiamen recruited in Montevideo under the command of mil ...

during the

Argentine War of Independence The Argentine War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de Argentina, links=no) was a secessionist civil war fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín a ...

. Special mention receives the heroic sergeant

Juan Bautista Cabral Juan Bautista Cabral (24 June 1789 – 3 February 1813) was an Argentine soldier, of Zambo origin, of the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers who died in the Battle of San Lorenzo, while he was aiding then Colonel Don José de San Martín, whose hor ...

. The music was composed in 1901 by

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 ...

an musician

Cayetano Alberto Silva Cayetano Alberto Silva (August 7, 1868 — January 12, 1920) was an Uruguayan musician, naturalized Argentine, and author; his work includes the San Lorenzo march, the official march of the Argentine army. Early life Silva was born on August 17 ...

, and the lyrics in 1908 by Carlos Javier Benielli. It was later incorporated into the musical repertoires of other military bands around the world.

Creation

On July 8, 1901, at his home in

Venado Tuerto Venado Tuerto () (Spanish for ''One Eyed Deer'') is a city in the south-west of the , 322 km from the provincial capital. It has about 76,000 inhabitants (). History Venado Tuerto was founded on April 26, 1884 by Eduardo Casey, born in L ...

, Santa Fe, Cayetano Silva composed a march dedicated to

. He did so following a proposal from Representative Celestino Pera. He initially considered naming it "San Martín", but he changed his mind and named it "San Lorenzo" instead. The

is the only battle that San Martín fought within the territory of modern Argentina. The city of

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

, where the battle was fought, was the birthplace of

Pablo Ricchieri Pablo Riccheri (August 8, 1859 – July 29, 1936) was an Argentine army officer and minister of war during the second administration of president Julio Roca. Life and times Riccheri was born in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe to Catalina Ciufardi and Lazz ...

(the Argentine War Minister in 1901), and Silva dedicated the march to him. The march was publicly performed for the first time on October 30, 1902, at the opening ceremony for the monument to General San Martín in

Plaza San Martín (Rosario) Plaza San Martín (Spanish, San Martín Square) is a plaza (urban square) in Rosario, province of Santa Fe, Argentina. Its name is an homage to General José de San Martín, hero of the Argentine War of Independence. Plaza San Martín is located ...

, in the presence of President

Julio Argentino Roca Alejo Julio Argentino Roca Paz (July 17, 1843 – October 19, 1914) was an army general and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 1880 to 1886 and from 1898 to 1904. Roca is the most important representative of the Generation ...

and Ricchieri. His neighbor, Carlos Javier Benielli, added lyrics to the march in 1908, with a description of the battle and the role of Juan Bautista Cabral in it. The march became famous in other countries over time and, according to the Argentine British Community Council, is currently considered in Europe one of the best five military marches ever written. The military bands of Uruguay, Brazil and Poland, among others, include it in their musical repertoire. It was played during the coronations of

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

, in 1911 and 1953 respectively, with prior approval sought by the British government from Argentina. In addition, the march is played during the changing of the guard at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, although it was suspended during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. It was also exchanged with the German army for their

Alte Kameraden "" ("Old Comrades") is the title of a popular German military march. It is included in the ''Armeemarschsammlung'' as HM II, 150. History The march was written around 1889 in Ulm, Germany, by military music composer Carl Teike. Teike wrote many ...

march, before World War II, and it was played in Paris during the

German occupation of France during World War II The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

as a result. The Supreme Allied Commander, General

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, sought to redress this by having it played during the entrance of the Allied army that liberated Paris after the successful

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

Lyrics

References

External links

San Lorenzo official site
- San Lorenzo march interpreted by

Alejandro Lerner Alejandro Federico Lerner (born June 8, 1957) is an Argentine musician and singer-songwriter. He has written and sung countless songs including several hits, and his fame and recognition spread all over South America. Through his career, Lerner ...

and

María Elena Walsh María Elena Walsh (1 February 1930 – 10 January 2011) was an Argentine poet, novelist, musician, playwright, writer and composer, mainly known for her songs and books for children. Her work includes many of the most popular children's boo ...

{{Authority control Argentine military marches Cultural depictions of José de San Martín 1902 songs Articles containing video clips Songs about Argentina