National Anthems?

Question

Who had the privelege of writing the lyrics to country's national anthems? Was it someone special, or just some everyday Joe, like you and me?

Answer 1

that's different from country to country. the german national anthem was written by the poet august hoffmann von fallersleben as a call for national unity and democracy and has been misinterpreted ever since, shame really. it was written in 1841 and first became national anthem in the weimar republic, germany's first democracy, in 1922. the nazis then reduced it to its first stanza (deutschland, deutschland ueber alles) and complemented it with their party anthem, and in postwar germany the third stanza became the de facto anthem thanks to a pragmatic decision by the german chancellor and president in 1952. in only became official in 1990, after reunification. the tune it's set to was originally a string quartet by the austrian composer josef haydn from 1797 that the austrians had already used for their anthem.

Answer 2

I know that the neither North American nation's national anthem was written as a national anthem. O Canada was concieved as a patriotic music piece by a Montreal composer (who's name I can't recall at the moment) in the late nineteenth century. The Star Spangled Banner was a poem written by an American PoW on board a British ship involved in the 1814 bombardment of Baltimore who was inspired by how the flag withstood all the Royal Navy's salvos. It was set to an old English drinking song tune and grew in popularlity until it deemed the "national anthem" in the 1930s. So I guess to answer your quesstion, in North America it was just ordinary Joes.

Answer 3

Everyone has the privelege of writing the national anthem. The way the national anthem was chosen is laid behind its historical liason with one nation's history.
I.e: When the British retreated from Washington during the war of 1812 they took prisoner a Dr William Beanes and held him aboard a warship in Chesapeake Bay. Francis Scott Key, an American lawyer, obtained permission to intercede for the release of his friend as the British fleet was preparing to bombard Fort McHenry, which protected Baltimore. The British agreed to release Beanes but held both Americans until the battle ended. So from the midst of the enemy, Key watched the British shelling his countrymen. The captives knew Fort McHenry had little defence, but as the smoke and haze of battle cleared they saw the American flag still flying. Key wrote down the words of a poem, 'The Star-spangled Banner'. Set to music it became the national anthem of the United States in 1931.
(http://www.4to40.com/qa/index.asp?counter=97&category=science)

Answer 4

It varies from country to country. Usually if the text hasn't changed over time, it's somebody that's not necessarily looking to create a national anthem, but more or less got lucky as theirs was selected. (Thinking of the US, France, UK ignoring the gender changes, and French version of O Canada.) If a country alters the lyrics for some reason, such as changing the government or updating archaic phrases or just being politically correct, then I assume that the government puts together a committee to hammer out the changes. (Thinking of Russia/Soviet Union, Germany after WW2, English version of O Canada.)

Answer 5

Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scot Key

Answer 6

i honestly dont know, good question. I know that the USA's anthem was played in 1931, and I am canadian! ha!