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Himno Nacional Mexicano

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   Front page of the sheet music to the Mexican anthem
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   Front page of the sheet music to the Mexican anthem

   The national anthem of Mexico (Spanish Himno Nacional Mexicano) is a
   musical composition that was officially adopted in 1943. The national
   anthem's lyrics, which allude to Mexican victories in the heat of
   battle and cries of defending the homeland, were composed by poet
   Francisco González Bocanegra in 1853, after his fiancée locked him in a
   room. In 1854, Jaime Nunó arranged the music which now accompanies
   González's poem. The anthem, consisting of ten stanzas and a chorus,
   entered into use on September 16, 1854. From 1854 until its official
   adoption, the lyrics underwent several modifications due to political
   changes in Mexico. Unofficially, the anthem is sometimes called
   "Mexicanos, al grito de guerra" (Spanish for "Mexicans, at the cry of
   war") which is also the first line of the chorus.

Composition

Lyrics competition

   Francisco González Bocanegra
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   Francisco González Bocanegra

   On November 12, 1853, President Antonio López de Santa Anna announced a
   competition to write a national anthem for Mexico. The competition
   offered a prize for the best poetic composition representing patriotic
   ideals. Francisco González Bocanegra, a talented poet, was not
   interested in participating in the competition. He argued that writing
   love poems involved very different skills from the ones required to
   write a national anthem. His fiancée, Guadalupe González del Pino (or
   Pili), had undaunted faith in her fiancé's poetic skills and was
   displeased with his constant refusal to participate in spite of her
   constant prodding and requests from their friends. Finally she decided
   to take matters into her own hands. Under false pretenses, she lured
   him to a secluded bedroom in her parents' house, locked him into the
   room, and refused to let him out until he produced an entry for the
   competition. Inside the room in which he was temporarily imprisoned
   were pictures depicting various events in Mexican history which helped
   to inspire his work. After four hours of fluent (albeit forced)
   inspiration, Francisco regained his freedom by slipping all ten verses
   of his creation under the door. After Francisco received approval from
   his fiancée and her father, he submitted the poem and won the
   competition by unanimous vote. González was announced the winner in the
   publication Official Journal of the Federation (DOF) on February 3,
   1854.

Music competition

   Jaime Nunó
   Enlarge
   Jaime Nunó

   At the same time the lyrics were chosen, a set of music was chosen. The
   winner was Juan Bottesini, but his entry was disliked due to
   aesthetics. This rejection caused a second national contest to find
   music for the lyrics. At the end of the second contest, the music that
   was chosen for González's lyrics was composed by Jaime Nunó, a
   Spanish-born band leader. At the time of the second anthem competition,
   Nunó was the leader of several Mexican military bands. He had been
   invited to direct these bands by President Santa Anna, whom he had met
   in Cuba. About the time that Nunó first came to Mexico to start
   performing with the bands, Santa Anna was making his announcement about
   creating a national anthem for Mexico. Out of the few musical
   compositions submitted, Nunó's music, titled "God and Freedom" (Dios y
   libertad), was chosen as the winner on August 12, 1854. The anthem was
   officially adopted on Independence Day, September 16 of that same year.
   The inaugural interpretation was directed by Juan Bottesini, sung by
   soprano Claudia Florenti and tenor Lorenzo Salvi at the Santa Anna
   Theatre (now known as the National Theatre of Mexico).

Lyrics

   Officially since 1943, the full national anthem consists of the chorus,
   1st stanza, 5th stanza, 6th stanza and 10th stanza. The modification of
   the lyrics was ordered by President Manuel Avila Camacho in a decree
   printed in the Diario Oficial de la Federación. When Mexican anthem is
   played at sporting events, such as the Olympic Games, the only parts of
   the anthem that are played are the chorus, 1st stanza and the chorus.
   When opening and closing television and or radio programming, stations
   have sometimes played a modified national anthem consisting of the
   chorus, 1st stanza, chorus, 10th stanza and chorus.

   Notes: The word "Patria" in the Spanish language is the feminine form
   of the English term for the homeland (Motherland/Fatherland).

   National Anthem of Mexico

   Coro

   Mexicanos, al grito de guerra
   el acero aprestad y el bridón.
   Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra,
   al sonoro rugir del cañón.
   ¡Y retiemble en sus centros la tierra,
   al sonoro rugir del cañón!

   Chorus

   Mexicans, at the cry of war,
   make ready the steel and the steed,
   and may the earth shake to its core
   at the resounding roar of the cannon.
   And may the earth shake to its core
   at the resounding roar of the cannon.

   Estrofa I

   Ciña ¡oh Patria! tus sienes de oliva
   de la paz el arcángel divino,
   que en el cielo tu eterno destino
   por el dedo de Dios se escribió.
   Mas si osare un extraño enemigo
   profanar con su planta tu suelo,
   piensa ¡oh Patria querida! que el cielo
   un soldado en cada hijo te dio.

   First Stanza

   Let gird, oh country, your brow with olive
   by the divine archangel of peace,
   for in heaven your eternal destiny
   was written by the finger of God.
   But if some enemy outlander should dare
   to profane your ground with his step,
   think, oh beloved country, that heaven
   has given you a soldier in every son.

   Estrofa V

   ¡Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intente
   De la patria manchar los blasones!
   ¡Guerra, guerra! Los patrios pendones
   En las olas de sangre empapad.
   ¡Guerra, guerra! En el monte, en el valle
   Los cañones horrísonos truenen,
   Y los ecos sonoros resuenen
   Con las voces de ¡Unión! ¡Libertad!

   Stanza V

   War, war without quarter to any who dare
   to tarnish the country's coat of arms!
   War, war! Let the national banners
   be soaked in waves of blood.
   War, war! In the mountain, in the valley,
   let the cannons thunder in horrid unison
   and may the sonorous echoes resound
   with cries of Union! Liberty!

   Estrofa VI

   Antes, patria, que inermes tus hijos
   Bajo el yugo su cuello dobleguen,
   Tus campiñas con sangre se rieguen,
   Sobre sangre se estampe su pie.
   Y tus templos, palacios y torres
   Se derrumben con hórrido estruendo,
   Y sus ruinas existan diciendo:
   De mil héroes la patria aquí fue.

   Stanza VI

   Oh country, ere your children, defenseless
   bend their neck beneath the yoke,
   may your fields be watered with blood,
   may they leave their footprints in blood.
   And may your temples, palaces and towers
   collapse with horrid clamor,
   and their ruins continue on, saying:
   Of a thousand heroes, this country was.

   Estrofa X

   ¡Patria! ¡Patria! Tus hijos te juran
   Exhalar en tus aras su aliento,
   Si el clarín con su bélico acento
   los convoca a lidiar con valor.
   ¡Para ti las guirnaldas de oliva!
   ¡Un recuerdo para ellos de gloria!
   ¡Un laurel para ti de victoria!
   ¡Un sepulcro para ellos de honour!

   Stanza X

   Oh, country, country, your children swear to you
   to breathe their last for your sake,
   if the bugle with its warlike accent
   should call them to fight with valor.
   For you the olive wreathes!
   A memory for them of glory!
   For you a laurel of victory!
   A tomb for them of honour!

Copyright status

   An urban legend about the copyright status of the Mexican anthem states
   that years after the first performance of the anthem, Nunó's family
   sold the anthem's musical rights to a German music publishing company
   named Wagner House. Originally, Nunó was supposed to have turned the
   music rights over to the state in exchange for a prize from the Mexican
   government. However, according to the myth, the copyright changed hands
   again, this time to Nunó himself and two Americans, Harry Henneman and
   Phil Hill.

   In reality, however, this is not entirely correct. It is true that
   Nuno, Henneman and Hill did register the music with the company BMI
   (BMI Work #568879), with the Edward B. Marks Music Company as the
   listed publisher of the anthem. This might be the version that some
   have suggested is copyrighted in the United States. However, United
   States Copyright Law declares the Mexican anthem to be in the public
   domain inside the United States, since both the lyrics and music were
   published before 1909. Furthermore, under Mexican copyright law,
   Article 155 states that the government holds moral rights, but not
   property rights, of the national symbols, including the anthem, coat of
   arms and the national flag.

National regulations

   In the second chapter of the Law regarding the National Arms, Flag, and
   Anthem (Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales),
   Mexico's national anthem is described in very brief terms. While
   Articles 2 and 3 discuss in detail the coat of arms and the flag,
   respectively, Article 4 mentions only that the national anthem will be
   designated by law. Article 4 also mentions that a copy of the lyrics
   and the musical notation will be kept at two locations, the General
   National Archive and at the National Library, located in the National
   Museum of History (Biblioteca Nacional en el Museo Nacional de
   Historia).

   Chapter 5 of the Law goes into more detail about how to honour, respect
   and properly perform the national anthem:

   Article 38 states that the singing, playing, reproduction and
   circulation of the national anthem are regulated by law and that any
   interpretation of the anthem must be performed in a "respectful way and
   in a scope that allows [one] to observe the due solemnity" of the
   anthem.

   Article 39 prohibits the anthem from being altered in any fashion,
   prohibits it from being sung for commercial or promotional purposes,
   and also disallows the singing or playing of national anthems from
   other nations, unless you have permission from the Secretary of the
   Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación) and the diplomatic official from
   the nation in question.

   The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Public Education
   (Secretaría de Educación Publica), in Article 40, must grant permission
   for all reproductions of the national anthem to be produced, unless the
   anthem is being played during official ceremonies carried on the radio
   or television.

   Article 41 states that the national anthem is required to be played at
   the beginning or end of radio and television programing. The extra
   requirement for television programing is that photos of the Mexican
   flag must be displayed at the same time the anthem is playing.

   Article 42 states that the anthem may only be used during the following
   occasions: solemn acts of official, civic, cultural, scholastic or
   sport character. The anthem can also be played to render honours to the
   Mexican flag and to the President of Mexico. If the national anthem is
   being used to honour the national flag or the President, the short
   version of the anthem is played.

   Article 43 says that special musical honours may be paid to the
   President and the flag, but no more than once during the same ceremony.

   Article 44 says that during solemn occasions, if a choir is singing the
   anthem, the military bands will keep silent.

   Article 45 says that those who are watching the national anthem
   performance must stand at attention (firmes) and remove any headgear.

   Article 46 states that the national anthem must be taught to children
   who are attending primary or secondary school; this article was amended
   in 2005 to add pre-school to the list. The article also states that
   each school in the National Education System (Sistema Educativo
   Nacional) will be asked to sing the national anthem each year.

   Article 47 states that during an official welcoming ceremony for a head
   of state, the guest's anthem will be played first, then the Mexican
   anthem.

   Article 48 states that at embassies and consulates of Mexico, the
   national anthem is played at ceremonies of a solemn nature that
   involves the Mexican people. If the anthem is played outside of Mexico,
   Article 48 requires that the Secretary of External Relations
   (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores), through proper channels, must
   grant permission for the national anthem to be played and will also
   ensure that the anthem is not sung for commercial purposes.

Cultural significance

   Upon the writing of the anthem, Mexico was still facing the effects of
   a defeat in a war with the United States. The country felt demoralized
   and also divided, due to the loss of more than half of the territory to
   the United States. According to historian Javier Garciadiego, who spoke
   at a ceremony commemorating the 150th anniversary of the anthem's
   adoption, said that the anthem disregards divisions and strife and
   encourages national unity. Also, during the celebration in 2004, Mexico
   City and other parts of the country stopped what they were doing and
   performed a nationwide singing of the anthem. Individuals from other
   nations participated, mostly at diplomatic offices or at locations
   where a high concentration of Mexican expatriates are found. The anthem
   has also been described as one of the symbols of the "Mexican
   identity."

   In the rare occasions when someone performs the anthem incorrectly, the
   federal government has been known to impose penalties to maintain the
   "dignity" of the national symbols. One example is when a performer
   forgot some of the lyrics at a soccer match in Guadalajara, she was
   fined 40 USD by the Interior Ministry and released an apology letter to
   the country through the Interior Ministry. In addition, the anthem is
   sometimes used as a tool against people who might not be "true
   Mexicans". In one case, minority groups, such as the Black Mexicans,
   have been stopped by police and forced to sing the anthem to prove
   their nationality. In a separate incident in Japan, police officers
   asked four men to sing the Mexican anthem after they were arrested in
   Tokyo on charges of breaking and entering. However, when the men could
   not sing the anthem, it was discovered that they were Colombian
   nationals holding forged Mexican passports. They were later charged
   with more counts on theft of merchandise and money.

Other languages

   While the official language of Mexico is Spanish, there are still
   people who only speak traditional languages. On December 8 of 2005,
   Article 39 of the national symbols law was adopted to allow for the
   translation of the lyrics into the native languages. The official
   translation is performed by the National Institute of Indigenous
   Languages (Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas). .

   Officially, the national anthem has been translated into the following
   native languages: Chinanteco, Hña Hñu, Mixteco, Maya, Nahuatl and
   Tenek. Other native groups have translated the anthem into their
   respective language, but it has not been sanctioned by the Government.

Recordings

     * Vocal —
          + Official Complete Version distributed by the SEGOB (Excecuted
            by the National Symphonic Orchestra).
     * Instrumental —
          + Official Instrumental Short Version distributed by the SEGOB
            (Excecuted by the National Symphonic Orchestra)
     * Problems playing the files? See media help.

Sheet music

        First page of music and lyrics

                                      Second page of music and lyrics

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Nacional_Mexicano"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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