National anthem
song that represents a country or sovereign state
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. Some countries that are devolved into multiple constituent states have their own official musical compositions for them (such as with the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union); their constituencies' songs are sometimes referred to as national anthems even though they are not sovereign states.
History
In the early modern period, some European monarchies adopted royal anthems, with several having survived into current use. "God Save the King/Queen", first performed in 1619, remains the royal anthem of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth realms. La Marcha Real was adopted as the royal anthem of the Spanish monarchy in 1770 and as the national anthem of Spain in 1939. Denmark has retained its royal anthem, Kong Christian stod ved højen mast (1780) alongside its national anthem (Der er et yndigt land, adopted in 1835).
In 1795, the French First Republic adopted La Marseillaise as its national anthem by decree, making France the first country in history to have an official national anthem. Some anthems are older in origin but were not officially adopted until the 19th or 20th century. For example, the lyrics of the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo, were taken from a Heian period (794–1185) poem, but were not set to music until 1880.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “National anthem” as song that represents a country or sovereign state. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as song that represents a country or sovereign state. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Object files, edition statements, performance records and contemporary criticism preserve different stages of the work’s history. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q23691. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1619, 1770, 1939 and 1780.
Later fame can flatten the distinction between original context, subsequent adaptation and institutional collecting history. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “National anthem”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow National anthem primary sources, National anthem archive and National research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “National anthem”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “National anthem” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.