The Anthem Philatelist

Davorin Jenko , Slovenian composer and conductor (November 9, 1835, Dvorje, Slovenia , -November 25, 1914, Ljubljana). After leaving the college in Trieste in 1858 he went to Vienna, where he studied law. In the meantime, with the help of Slovenian writer Valentin Arnica, he founded and headed the Slovenian Singing Society. In 1862, he became the church song leader and music teacher, at the request of Serbian municipalities in Pančevo Tjakaj. After several years of work, he became choirmaster, bandmaster and composer of the Serbian National Theater and the Belgrade singing society, where he worked intermittently until 1897 when he retired and moved to Ljubljana. He studied and wrote compositions in Vienna. He composed the music to the lyrics of Simon Jenko which became the Slovenian anthem, "Next Flag of Glory" (1860), now the official anthem of the Slovenian Armed Forces. During his stay in Belgrade, he wrote for theater and set the foundations of Serbian choral music. ...

Before Montenegro's union with Serbia in 1918, "Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori" (To our beautiful Montenegro) was used by the Kingdom of Montenegro as an anthem. The lyricist, Jovan Sundečić , was a priest and secretary to Prince Nicholas I. The music was written by Jovo Ivanišević (adapted by Anton Schulz). The anthem was in use from 1870 to 1918.   On July 12, 2004, while still in federation with Serbia, Montenegro adopted new national symbols. The new anthem " Oj svijetla majska zoro " (Oh, Bright Dawn of May) has a long history as a folk song in Montenegro, dating back to the early 1930s. The new arrangement was based on a harmonization by Zarko Mikovic and the lyrics were written by Sekula Drljević .   Sekula Drljević , (1884 – 1945) was a Montenegrin politician, lawyer, and author. His political views and ideological aims ranged wildly and changed frequently during his career in politics. Initially a fiery proponent of Serb unification, Drljević then became ...

Aegukka (The Patriotic Song) is the national anthem of North Korea. It is also known by the first phrase of the song Ach'imŭn pinnara or "Let Morning Shine." Before the founding of North Korea , the northern part of Korea initially had as its anthem the same song as South Korea , but North Korea adopted this newly-written piece in 1947. The words were written by Pak Seyŏng (1902–1989) and the music was composed by Kim Wŏn'gyun (1917–2002). 1. Let morning shine on the silver and gold of this land, Three thousand leagues packed with natural wealth. My beautiful fatherland. The glory of a wise people Brought up in a culture brilliant With a history five millennia long. Let us devote our bodies and minds To supporting this Korea for ever. 2. The firm will, bonded with truth, Nest for the spirit of labour, Embracing the atmosphere of Mount Paektu, Will go forth to all the world. The country established by the will of the people, Breasting the raging waves with soaring s...

Cyprus is a bi-national community of Greeks and Turks, where Greeks are the majority and the ruling government. When Cyprus was declared independent from Great Britian in 1960, other national symbols such as the flag were enshrined in the new nation's constitution, but there was no mention of an anthem. Much debates ensued, and neither community could agree on a national anthem; during foreign state visits, different instrumental marches were used. In the early 1970s, it was decided that the Greek anthem would be used by Cyprus as well. (The Turkish community does not recognize this and instead uses the Turkish anthem for their self-proclaimed nation.)   In 2004, as a requirement of joining the European Union, a peace plan was proposed by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, which included different national symbols, to make them more inclusive of both communities. This also included a wordless anthem that was agreed to by both Turkish and Greek members of the national symbols commi...

Sweden's de facto anthem"Du Gamla, Du Fria" (Thou Ancient, Thou Free) was written in 1844. The author of the lyrics, Richard Dybeck, chose a Swedish folk tune from the province of Västmanland to set his words to to create the anthem. The song was created at a time when a "pan-Scandinavian" movement was strong, which is why it is a "Song to the North" instead of just to Sweden. This has led to other verses being written that are more patriotic to Sweden, but these additional verses have never gained popularity and have never been considered part of the national anthem.   In the late 19th century the anthem started to be considered as Sweden's "national anthem", differentiating it from the royal anthem that was being used as both a royal and national anthem. The anthem has never been officially legislated as Sweden's national anthem, one attempt in the 1930s by a member of parliament brought forth claims of wanting state controlled p...

Brittany , a region of France, has a culture and language all its own (the language is more Celtic than French). Like other Celtic regions of the area, such as Cornwall, the anthem melody used is taken from the Welsh anthem, composed by James James (with some minor note changes). The lyrics were written by François Taldir-Jaffrennou in 1897 and the adaptation of the Welsh anthem was first published the following year, with the appropriate title "Henvelidigez" ("Adaptation"). It was adopted as the Breton national anthem (and a song of Welsh-Breton friendship) in 1903 at a meeting of the Union Régionaliste Bretonne, a Breton cultural and political organization. Francois-Joseph-Claude Jaffrennou (March 15, 1879 - March 26, 1956) was a Breton language writer and editor. He was a Breton nationalist and a neo-druid bard. He is also known as François Taldir-Jaffrennou, since he also used the Druidic name Taldir ("Wall of Steel"). He was one of the pioneers of t...

" La Espero " ("The Hope") is a poem written by L. L. Zamenhof (1859-1917), the initiator of the Esperanto language. The song is often used as the anthem of Esperanto, and is now usually sung to a triumphal march composed by Frenchman Félicien Menu de Ménil (although there is an earlier, less martial tune created in 1891 by Claes Adelsköld, as well as a number of others less well-known). It is sometimes referred to as the hymn of the Esperanto movement.   Some Esperantists object to the use of terms like "hymn" or "anthem" for La Espero, arguing that these terms have religious and nationalist overtones respectively. Probably the only language in the world with its own flag and anthem, the word "Esperanto" translates as "hope" or "hoping one" and also provides the title of the anthem of the language. The anthem speaks of the goal of the language, to bind the nations together with a common language in peace.   Abo...

I recently found these two vintage postcards from Monaco which shows the musical score of the Monaco anthem. One picture features the Monte Carlo Theater and the other a scene at a rose plantation.   The Grand Théâtre de Monte Carlo , is an opera and ballet house, and the headquarters of the Ballets de Monte Carlo. It is a part of a casino complex that is one of the most notable tourist attractions in Monaco. It is situated in the Monte Carlo quarter, and citizens of Monaco are forbidden to enter the gaming rooms.    It hosts the annual European Poker Tou r Grand Final. The casino is owned by the Société des Bains de Mer (a public company, in which the government holds a majority interest. This corporation also owns the principal hotels and clubs of the community that serve the tourist trade. The route of the Monaco Grand Prix (the Circuit de Monaco) runs past the casino. The Grand Prix is a Formula One race done annually in Monaco.   In the second postcard,...

The Belgium anthem had its genesis when Belgium gained its independence in 1830. The popular legend goes that it was written by some young people in a cafe on Fource St. in Brussels in September 1830. While the story may or may not be true, the anthem does date back to that time. In 1860, the anti-Dutch lyrics were softened and the version that is in use today was created. When Dechet (better known as "Jenneval") wrote his verses, he called the poem 'La Bruxelloise'. His publisher thought it better to broaden the scope from the city's to the area's name (Brabant) and renamed it " La Brabançonne " (Song of Brabant). The music was written in September of 1830 and the first public performance of the anthem occurred the following month. Finally, in 1921, it was decreed that only the fourth stanza of the 1860 lyrics are official in the French and Dutch versions. However, an official version of the "Brabançonne" does not actually exist. Differe...

While in use since the early 1880s as a national anthem on a de facto basis, and the words to the anthem are from the tenth century or earlier, making " Kimigayo " the oldest national anthem in that sense, the government only officially adopted the anthem in 1999.    The government presented its interpretation of the meaning of the anthem "Kimigayo" in the Diet during the deliberation of a bill to codify the country's national flag and anthem. At the plenary session of the House of Representatives of the Diet held on June 29, 1999, Prime Minister Obuchi explained as follows: "Kimi in 'Kimigayo', under the current Constitution of Japan, indicates the Emperor, who is the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people, deriving his position from the will of the people with whom resides sovereign power; 'Kimigayo' as a whole depicts the state of being of our country, which has the Emperor–deriving his position from the will of the people wi...

" Ma Normandie " is the semi-official anthem of the Bailiwick of Jersey, a British Crown dependency in the Channel Islands, and was written and composed by Frédéric Bérat , a French composer and songwriter. Jersey is historically part of the Duchy of Normandy, and French has been for centuries an official administrative language of Jersey, whose inhabitants have traditionally spoken a variety of Norman language.   Although "Ma Normandie" is used by Jersey at Commonwealth Games, Island Games and other international events where it is necessary for territories that otherwise use " God Save the Queen " to be distinguished, the fact that the song refers to France rather than to Jersey means that a body of opinion has campaigned for a change of anthem.   In 2007 the States of Jersey undertook to find a new, official, Anthem by mean s of an open competition. The final judging of the competition took place with a public performance of the short-listed pieces on...

Last July 26, 2010, the Philippine Postal Corporation issued two new stamps of President Benigno S. Aquino III . It is classified as a “Special” kind of issue with denominations of P 7.00 and P 40.00 and quantity of 350,000 pieces and 100,000 pieces, respectively. The said stamps relive the historical moments of President Aquino’s inaugural speech and oath-taking last June 30, 2010 at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park. These newly issued stamps are a nice addition to the Commemorative stamps and first day cover issued on the day of his inauguration last June 30, 2010. The technical description of the President Benigno S. Aquino III stamps are as follows: K ind of Issue: Special, Denomination and Quantity: Php7.00 / 350,000 pieces, Php 40.00/100,000 pieces, Date of Issue: July 26, 2010, Last date of Sale: July 25, 2011 (or as stocks allow), Size: 40 mm x 30 mm (Php 7.00), 30 mm x 40 mm (Php 40.00), Sheet Composition: 16 on (4 x 4), Kind of Printing: Litho offset, Paper: U...

When Rhodesia first declared its independence in 1965, it was a member of the British Commonwealth, and retained the Queen as the head of state, therefore "God Save the Queen" was the national anthem until Rhodesia became a republic in 1970, and ties were severed with the United Kingdom. Rhodesia then did not have a national anthem until a national competition was held and "Rise O Voices of Rhodesia" was declared as the anthem on 26th August 1974. Using Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" (which was also used at the time as the anthem of the European Union, and still is today) as the melody, the lyrics were composed by a South African born resident of Gwelo, Mary Bloom . The white majority rule was ended in 1979 (and the country was renamed Zimbabwe-Rhodesia), and the nation of Zimbabwe was created the following year. 1. Rise, O voices of Rhodesia, God may we thy bounty share, Give us strength to face all danger, And, where challenge is, to dare. Gu...

The mouth organ Sheng was designed in China about 3000 years ago. The pipes are stopped with the fingers. When the piped are not stopped, the air causes the free metal reeds to vibrate. In more modern instruments, the reeds are made of brass and tuned with wax. The sheng's elegant shape reminds of the mythical phoenix. It consists of a mouthpiece, which may vary in shape, a wind-chest, and pipes. In China, four of the seventeen pipes serve only as decoration; in Japan only two serve this purpose. In modern shengs, all pipes are functional, encompassing the chromatic octave a1-a2 and four higher diatonic notes. The sheng became popular in the 11th century B.C.. In Europe it attracted attention in the 18th century, when the free reed principle was used in a number of Western instruments, such as the harmonium and the accordion. In the East, the sheng is used as a solo instrument and in ensembles. The stamp was issued by Macao in 1986

Kulintang is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of the larger gong-chime culture of Southeast Asia , kulintang music ensembles have been playing for many centuries in regions of the Eastern Malay Archipelago — the Southern Philippines, Eastern Indonesia, Eastern Malaysia, Brunei and Timor, although this article has a focus on the Philippine Kulintang traditions of the Maranao and Maguindanao peoples in particular. Kulintang evolved from a simple native signaling tradition, and developed into its present form with the incorporation of knobbed gongs from Sunda . Its importance stems from its association with the indigenous cultures that inhabited these islands prior to the influences of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity or the West, making Kulintang the most developed tradition of Southeast Asian archaic gong-chime ensemble...

Dr. Manuel S. Enverga , founder: president of the Luzonian University which he converted into a foundation that now bears his name, the Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation in Lucena City, and Representative of the First District of Quezon from 1953 to 1968, spent the remaining years of his retirement from politics nurturing the growth of the higher education institution he founded to provide affordable, relevant, and quality education to his countrymen and to write about his vision for the country, foremost of which was to advance the nationalist cause . A staunch nationalist, Congressman Enverga authored the change of the celebration of Independence Day from July 4 to June 12 which President Diosdado Macapagal adopted and signed into an executive order. He also spearheaded the reexamination of Philippine foreign policy to open trade, scientific and economic cooperation with socialist countries to reduce dependence on the traditional American market, an advocacy that was clearly ah...

Hong Kong is one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Repu blic of China ; the other is Macau . Situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. With land mass of 1,104 km2 (426 sq mi) and a population of seven million people, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong's population is 95% ethnic Chinese and 5% from other groups. Hong Kong's Han majority originate mainly from Guangzhou and Taishan, both cities in neighbouring Guangdong province. Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong runs on economic and political systems different from those of mainland China. Hong Kong is one of the world's leading international financial centres, with a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation, free trade and minimum government intervention under the ethos of positi...

William Blake (28 November 1757–12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he lived in London his entire life except for three years spent in Felpham he produced a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself". Considered mad by contemporaries for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is held in high regard by later critics for his expressiveness and creativity, and for the philosophical and mystical undercurrents within his work. His p...

In late 2000, Russia's new president Vladimir Putin, made creation of a new anthem for Russia a top priority, since a common complaint was not having words to their current anthem. In early December 2000, Putin presented a bill in the national asssembly to have the melody of the old anthem from the Soviet Union adopted as the new national anthem. The measure passed by a wide margin on December 8, but it was not without controversy, both at the time and since. Many (including former President Yeltsin) did not feel a change was necessary, and the use of the old Soviet anthem could be seen as rejecting post-Communist reforms. Others have expressed concerns that the melody brings back memories of the past of hardships under the Communist regime, especially the crimes that took place under Stalin (who was Soviet leader when the anthem was first introduced). It was then needed to adopt lyrics for the anthem, as the Communist-era lyrics would be inappropriate. After reviewing thousands o...

" Os Pinos " (The Pine Trees) is the National anthem of Galicia. Galicia , which is in the northwest part of Spain,has roughly 2.78 million inhabitants as of 2008, with the largest concentration in two coastal areas, from Ferrol to A Coruña in the northwest from Vilagarcía to Vigo on the southwest. The capital is Santiago de Compostela, in the province of Coruña.   With its own culture, it also has its own anthem, flag and emblems. The Galician National Anthem was performed for the first time in 1907 in Havana, and in 1923 the Galician National Anthem was sung by regionalists and advocates of land reform at their meetings, and little by little became more and more accepted by many more.   The lyrics were written by Eduardo Ponda l and the music composed by Pasqual Veiga . Banned during Franco's fascist regime, in 1975, during a nationalist gathering in the Festival of the Apostle , the public began to stand up as the National Anthem was sung in a very heart-moving a...

In the 1960s, Cambodia became more and more involved into the Vietnam war; to avoid conflicts with the USA and with communist North Vietnam, Prince Sihanouk declared Cambodia a neutral state, but he allowed North Vietnam to transport military goods through Cambodian territory to supply the communist Vietcong guerilla in South Vietnam with weapons and equipment. On 18th March 1970, General Lon Nol lead a military coup against Sihanouk and formed a pro-American government, which gave the US Army permission to fight against the Vietnamese communists on Cambodian territory. General Lon Nol proclaimed Cambodia the "Khmer Republic", and the country got a new flag and national anthem, which remained in use until the communist Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975. It is unclear whether this anthem had words or not. A portion of what could be the anthems lyrics appears, translated into English, in Chanrithy Him's book "When Broken Glass Floats", yet information from the Khm...

As a country within the United Kingdom, the official anthem of England is that of the United Kingdom, namely " God Save the Queen ". However, like the other constituent countries in the UK, there is often a need for a unique English anthem with a separate identity from the anthem of the UK as a whole, one that is used in some situations, and currently enjoys the most popular support, is " Jerusalem ". First appearing as a poem by William Blake entitled "And did those feet in ancient time" in the early 19th century, it is based on a tale that Jesus visited what is now England as a youth. The "dark Satanic mills" phrase is a reference to the factories and mills of the Industrial Revolution then just beginning, forever changing the landscape and society. The poem did not garner much attention until the First World War over a century later, when it was included in a patriotic anthology of poems, and was seen as expressing what England was fighting f...

"God Save the Queen" (alternatively "God Save the King") is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms. It is the national anthem of the United Kingdom and its territories and dependencies, Norfolk Island , one of the two national anthems of the Cayman Islands and New Zealand (since 1977) and the royal anthem of Australia (since 1984), Canada (since 1980), Gibraltar, the Isle of Man , Jamaica, and Tuvalu . In countries not previously part of the British Empire, the tune of "God Save the Queen" has also been used as the basis for different patriotic songs, though still generally connected with royal ceremony. The authorship of the song is unknown, and beyond its first verse, which is consistent, it has many historic and extant versions: Since its first publication, different verses have been added and taken away and, even today, different publications include various selections of verses in various orders. In general only one, or sometimes two ve...

A postage stamp design error is a mistake made during the design phase of the postage stamp production process. Design errors most commonly occur as minor mistakes, such as a missing letter in the binomial name of an organism depicted on the stamp, but some have been major gaffes, such as a map appearing to lay claim to another country's territory, or the depiction of the wrong person on the stamp. A design error caught during the production process may disappear quietly, with copie s of the error only getting into the public's hands via unscrupulous employees (these are therefore not considered "real" stamps). Design errors are often caught during the distribution process, when large numbers of postal workers are scrutinizing the new stamp; although officials may elect to withdraw all the stamps at that point, it is very difficult to retrieve every one of them, and in these instances a few may end up being sold and used. The exact circumstance are important, because...

Druk tsendhen ("The Thunder Dragon Kingdom") is the national anthem of Bhutan. Adopted in 1953, the music is by Aku Tongmi and the words are by Dasho Gyaldun Thinley . Tongmi was educated in India and was recently appointed leader of the military brass band when the need for an anthem rose at the occasion of a state visit from prime minister Nehru of India. His original score was inspired by the Indian and British anthems, as well as the Bhutanese folk tune Thri nyampa med pa pemai thri ("The Unchanging Lotus Throne"). The melody has twice undergone changes by Mr Tongmi's successors as band leaders. The original lyrics were 12 lines, but was shortened to the present 6 lines version in 1964 by a secretary to the king. As the anthem is inspired by a folk tune, there is a choreography to it as well, originally directed by Mr. Tongmi. Above is the self-adhesive record stamp of Bhutan which plays the national anthem, issued in 1973.

In May 1834, the "Hymn to the Constitutional Charter" was established as the anthem of the Kingdom of Portugal , and it was the official anthem until the establishment of the Portugese Republic, replacing the monarchy, in 1910. It was written in 1822 by Crown Prince Pedro of Bragança (later Emperor Pedro I of Brazil) to celebrate the Portuguese Constitution imposed by the liberals in Portugal. It is believed that he wrote both the lyrics and music of the hymn, since he was considered a very skilled musician; he titled this work in 1822 as "Imperial and Constitution Hymn", and when he became King of Portugal in 1826 it was known as "Hymn to the Charter" and already very popular. Prince Pedro of Bragança, later Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (October 12, 1798 – September 24, 1834), was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil and also King of Portugal as Pedro IV, having reigned for 8 years and almost 2 months, respectively. His full name was Pedro d...

The Bulgarian anthem, "Republiko nasha, zdravey!" (Hail to the Republic!) in use between the abolition of the monarchy in 1944 and the establishment of a new anthem in 1950 after the communists firmly gained power, was composed by Georgi Dimitrov (the same as the co-composer of "Balgarijo Mila" , but not the same as the communist leader by that name of that period). The lyrics to the anthem was written by Bulgarian writer Krum Penev . 1. Yarema na robstvo surovo 1. . The collar of slavery hard I mraka na siva sadba A nd darkness of grey fate Niy srinakhme s ogan i slovo We crashed with fire and word V zhestoka neravna borba In cruel uneqal fight 1. Republiko nasha narodna 1. Our people’s republic, Republiko nasha zdravej Our republic- Hail! Zemiata ni dnes e svobodna Today our land is free, Svobodno dnes vseki zhivej Today everyone lives free! 2. Za nas svobodata ...

Aleksandër Stavre Drenova , best known under his pen name Asdreni (11 April 1872 - 1947), was one of the most well-known Albanian poets. One of his most recognizable poems is the Albanian National Anthem, Hymni i Flamurit . Born in the village of Drenovë, near Korçë, he studied at a Greek school in his village. His father died when he was just thirteen. In 1885, Drenova moved to Bucharest, Romania, where he rejoined his brothers. While there, he was exposed to other Albanian writers and nationalists. In 1904, Asdreni published his first collection of ninety-nine poems called Rreze dielli ("Sun Rays"), dedicated to Skanderbeg, the Albanian national hero. His second ninety-nine poem collection, Ëndrra e lotë ("Dreams and Tears") was published in 1912 and was dedicated to the British anthropologist Edith Durham. Asdreni's third collection, Psallme murgu ("Psalms of a Monk"), came in 1930. After a brief return to Albania in 1914, Aleksandër returned to Rom...