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| English: Anthem ofRiego | |
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National anthem of  Spanish Republic | |
| Lyrics | Evaristo Fernández de San Miguel, 1820 |
| Music | José Melchor Gomis, 1820 |
| Adopted | 1822, 1873 and 1931 |
| Relinquished | 1823, 1874 and 1939[1] |
| Audio sample | |
The "Himno de Riego" ("Anthem of Riego") is a song dating from theTrienio Liberal (1820–1823) ofSpain and named in honour of ColonelRafael del Riego, a figure in the respective uprising, which restored the liberalconstitution of 1812. The lyrics were written byEvaristo Fernández de San Miguel, while the music is typically attributed toJosé Melchor Gomis.
It was declared thenational anthem of Spain in 1822, remaining so untilthe overthrow of the liberal government the next year in 1823, and was also one of the popular anthems used in theFirst Spanish Republic (1873–1874) and, with much more prominence, theSecond Spanish Republic (1931–1939). It continued to be used by theSecond Republican government in exile until it was dissolved in 1977 upon the end of theFrancoist Spanish State in 1975.
The "Himno de Riego" was written between 31 January and 6 February 1820 in the town ofAlgeciras byEvaristo Fernández de San Miguel, lieutenant colonel of theflying column headed byRafael del Riego, who had previously rejected another text byAntonio Alcalá Galiano.[1]: 289
It was declared the official national anthem of Spain on 7 April 1822 when theCortes Generales approved the corresponding decree, which was signed by KingFernando VII inAranjuez two days later and finally published in theGaceta de Madrid on 14 April.[1]: 67 However, the liberal government was overthrown and the constitution repealed by Fernando VIIin October 1823, with theMarcha Real resuming its role as the national anthem.
In theFirst Republic of 1873 to 1874, part of the greater 1868–1874Sexenio Democrático achieved by the overthrow ofIsabella II in theGlorious Revolution, the anthem occupied a discreet position; the most popular anthems used at this time were "La Marseillaise" and the "Himno deGaribaldi". However, by the time of the Second Republic of 1931 to 1939, the anthem had once again gained popularity to the point of becoming the primary institutional representative of the government during this period.[1]: 104
Contrary to popular belief, the "Himno de Riego" was never declared the official anthem of the Second Republic. According to one opinion, it can be deduced that the republicans did not consider the 1822 declaration of the song as the national anthem superseded or repealed.[2]: 263
The following is the original version used during theTrienio Liberal (1820–1823).[1]: 289
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The following is the version used during theSecond Spanish Republic (1931–1939). It consisted of verses one, three and seven of the original version, with a few minor lyrical changes.[1]: 247
| Spanish[2]: 263 | English |
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The following version consists of the first and last verses of the original, with a few minor lyrical changes.[2]: 264
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This alternative version was extremely popular amongst Spaniards, particularly inCatalonia, during theSpanish Civil War. The rudeness of the lyrics reflects the dislike ofRepublican Spain for the church and the monarchy. After the war, these lyrics continued to be sung byFranco's detractors and enemies.
(Spanish)
Si los curas y frailes supieran,
la paliza que les van a dar,
subirían al coro cantando:
"¡Libertad, libertad, libertad!"
(Spanish)
Si los Reyes de España supieran
lo poco que van a durar,
a la calle saldrían gritando:
"¡Libertad, libertad, libertad!"
(Catalan)
La Reina vol corona?
Corona li darem...
que vingui a Barcelona
I el coll li tallarem!*
(Spanish)
Un hombre estaba cagando,
y no tenía papel,
pasó el ReyAlfonso XIII
¡Y se limpió el culo con él!
If priests and monks knew;
the beating they're going to receive,
they'd make a chorus and sing:
"Liberty, liberty, liberty!"
If the Kings of Spain knew
how little they're going to last,
they'd go out on the street and sing:
"Liberty, liberty, liberty!"
The queen wants a crown?
We'll give her a crown...
Let her come toBarcelona
And we'll cut her head off!
A man was pooping
But had no paper.
King Alfonso XIII came by
So he wiped his ass with him.
*Spanish translation of Catalan verse
¿La reina quiere corona?
Corona le daremos
que venga a Barcelona
¡Y el cuello le cortaremos!
Che Guevara claims that, when the famous bell of theCusco Cathedral inPeru was rededicated at the expense of theFrancoist Spanish government after a 1950 earthquake, the bell was made to play the Spanish national anthem, which then erroneously played the Himno de Riego, to the consternation of attending Spanish officials.[4]
On October 1, 1967, during the qualifying stage for the European championship in Prague, the "Himno de Riego" was performed by mistake instead of the then official anthem of Spain "Marcha Real".[5]
At the2003 Davis Cup finals held in Australia,James Morrison performed "Himno de Riego" instead ofSpain's current national anthem, the "Marcha Real" (Royal March). Australian tennis officials claimed there was an error on the CD provided to the musician, but Spanish sport authorities still issued an official protest.[6][7]
