Seeking Music for the State: Anthems, Nations and Political Conflict

Official anthems formed a substantial part of the history of states in the modern era. As tools at the service of political parties and rulers seeking power and the reinforcement of their legitimacy, countless conflicts developed around them. Far from arousing consensus and cohesion among citizens, in many cases several options were opposed. There was often a succession of different formulas, and many took a long time to become official. Their formal adoption was not predetermined by the adequacy of melodies and lyrics to the spirit or essential characteristics of each nation but depended on various circumstances. From the struggle between monarchies and republics to the establishment of fascist or socialist regimes, passing through the determination of some governments or the nationalizing effects of wars. Through several examples, mainly European, the evolution of official anthems in successive stages (the long nineteenth century, the interwar period, post–World War II and more recent times) is shown and these convoluted trajectories are highlighted. Ultimately, these symbols were subject to the ups and downs of political life and uncertain processes of national construction. Although the nationalist logic eventually prevailed, the search for a state anthem was almost always a complicated task.