The "Szózat" (in English: "Appeal" or "Summons") is a Hungarian patriotic song. It is considered as a second national anthem of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, beside the

Himnusz "" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844, ...

. Usually only its first two stanzas are sung at national celebrations. The official anthem is sung at the beginning of ceremonies, and ''Szózat'' is sung at the end. It was written in 1836 by

Mihály Vörösmarty Mihály Vörösmarty (archaically English: Michael Vorosmarthy 1 December 180019 November 1855) was an important Hungarian poet and dramatist. Biography He was born at Puszta-Nyék (now Kápolnásnyék), of a noble Roman Catholic family. H ...

, and was set to music in 1840 by

Béni Egressy Béni Egressy (; born Galambos Benjámin; 21 April 1814 – 17 July 1851 in Sajókazinc) was a Hungarian composer, librettist, translator and actor. He created a number of popular melodic compositions, including the one to Mihály Vörösmarty ...

for the award of András Bartay, head of the national theatre. It was first performed at 10 May 1843, in the National Theatre. There was a long debate in that era whether ''Szózat'' or ''Himnusz'' would be chosen as the national anthem.

Comparison to ''Himnusz''

The title of Vörösmarty's work defines the situation: it is a speech, oration of a raconteur (the poet) to the Hungarian people. Although the Szózat of Vörösmarty touches similar thoughts as the poems of Ferenc Kölcsey, even as continuing his train of thought, its intonation is entirely different. Himnusz (Hymn) is a prayer, but Szózat acts rather like a speech, addressing the listener/reader by the narrator in the role of an orator. Furthermore, as a prayer, Himnusz becomes almost a begging for the last verse, while Szózat is much more uplifting, unfaltering, inspiring for patriotism and loyalty. However, it also reckons with the concerns of Himnusz, sees the death of the nation as a possibility: 'Or it will come, if it must come, The glorious death'. At the same time it finds possible the coming of a better era: 'There yet shall come … that better, fairer day'. The poem deals with the past in three, with the future in six verses.

Lyrics

It was translated to English by

Watson Kirkconnell Watson Kirkconnell, (16 May 1895 – 26 February 1977) was a Canadian scholar, university administrator and translator. He is well known in Iceland, Eastern and Central Europe and among Canadians of different origins for his translations of ...

, a Canadian writer and academic.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Szozat Culture of Hungary Hungarian patriotic songs 1836 songs 1840 compositions Compositions in E-flat major