"" (, ) is the

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 Europea ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

. It was first performed in 1868, during the .

Perucho Figueredo Pedro Felipe Figueredo, (born 18 February 1818 – 17 August 1870), mostly known as Perucho, was a Cuban poet, musician, and freedom fighter of the 19th century. In the 1860s, he was active in the planning of the Cuban uprising against the S ...

, who took part in the battle, wrote and composed the song. The melody, also called "" (), was composed by Figueredo in 1867.

Overview

On October 20, 1868, the Cuban forces obtained the capitulation of the Spanish colonial authorities in

Bayamo Bayamo is the capital city of the Granma Province of Cuba and one of the largest cities in the Oriente region. Overview The community of Bayamo lies on a plain by the Bayamo River. It is affected by the violent Bayamo wind. One of the mos ...

, the jubilant people surrounded Figueredo and asked him to write an anthem with the melody they were humming. Right on the saddle of his horse, Figueredo wrote the lyrics of the anthem, which was longer than the current official version. Figueredo was captured and executed by the Spanish two years later. Just before the firing squad received the Fire command, Figueredo shouted the line from his song: "Morir por la Patria es vivir" (). Officially adopted by Cuba as its national anthem in 1902, upon the foundation of the

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

, it was retained even after the

revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

of 1959. The Cuban composer Antonio Rodriguez-Ferrer contributed the musical introductory notes to the Cuban national anthem. In addition to the "Himno de Bayamo", there are two other well-known Cuban songs called "La Bayamesa". The first Bayamesa was composed in 1851 by

Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Carlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo (18 April 1819, Bayamo, Spanish Cuba – 27 February 1874, San Lorenzo, Spanish Cuba) was a Cuban revolutionary hero and First President of Cuba in Arms in 1868. Cespedes, who was a plantation owner ...

and José Fornaris at the request of their friend Francisco Castillo Moreno, who is sometimes also credited with the lyrics. After 1868, during the Cuban war, a "

mambí The term mambises refers to the guerrilla Cuban independence soldiers who fought against Spain in the Ten Years' War (1868–78) and Cuban War of Independence (1895–98). The term is found applied in different history texts to any person who foug ...

" version of "La Bayamesa" became popular. It has the same melody but different lyrics. Many years later, in 1918, the composer and

trova ''Trova'' is a style of Cuban popular music originating in the 19th century. Trova was created by itinerant musicians known as ''trovadores'' who travelled around Cuba's Oriente province, especially Santiago de Cuba, and earned their living by ...

dor Sindo Garay, from

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains ...

, composed a song that he called "Mujer Bayamesa"; popular usage shortened the title to "La Bayamesa".

Lyrics

Originally, the song had three stanzas. The last two stanzas were excluded when the anthem was officially adopted in 1902, because the lyrics were seen to be excessively anti-Spanish and too long compared with the other stanzas.

References

Notes

External links

Cuba: ''La Bayamesa'' - Audio of the national anthem of Cuba, with information and lyricsarchive link

Cuban National Anthem Website
Cuban National Anthem interpreted by Cuban artists with music and voice.

Article in Spanish on the three songs named La Bayamesa {{DEFAULTSORT:Bayamesa Cuban songs North American anthems National symbols of Cuba Bayamo Spanish-language songs 1868 songs National anthems Songs about Cuba National anthem compositions in E-flat major