"O Land of Beauty!" 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 ...
of the
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain ...
. Written and composed by Kenrick Georges, it was officially adopted as the national anthem of the newly independent nation in 1983, when the federation received its independence from the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
History
In February 1983, the government of Saint Kitts and Nevis announced a competition to find a national anthem and requested submissions. The announcement appeared in ''The Democrat Newspaper'', and the deadline was 31 March 1983 at 4:00 pm.
Kenrick Georges (1955–2019
), a trumpeter and arranger for a popular brass band,
decided to compose a submission on the last day at 2:00 am. He completed the composition in four hours. An hour later, he took it to
Greenlands piano teacher Mrs. Gumbs to record a piano performance of it. After a cassette recording was made, Georges submitted it the same day.
On 3 June 1983, Chairperson of the National Anthem Sub-Committee Pamela Wall announced the winner of the competition. Out of 45 entries, Georges' entry had won, with the committee feeling that it would "stand the test of time." The three other members of the Sub-Committee were Stanley Amory, Lorna Edwards and Lilith Kelsick.
On Saint Kitts and Nevis's first independence day, 19 September 1983,
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Kennedy Simmonds awarded Georges for his contribution as composer and writer of the national anthem. Georges stated in a 2008 interview that he considered writing the anthem the high point of his musical career. He stated that the idea behind the lyrics was to call for citizens to see the country "for the best of what it was and maintain that as we go along." He described the overall concept as, "Let’s keep St. Kitts and Nevis as it is with respect to the best of what we have between us."
Lyrics
References
External links
Information, links and streaming audio for the St. Kitts and Nevis national anthemarchive link
National symbols of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis music
National anthems
North American anthems
Saint Kitts and Nevis songs
National anthem compositions in B-flat major
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