This Thursday, like every May 11commemorates the Argentine National Anthem Day when remembering the date on which the Assembly of the year XIII sanctioned as “Hymn” the patriotic march that had lyrics by Vicente López y Planes and music by Blas Parera.
The play “El 25 de Mayo” by Luis Morante was the antecedent that led to the creation of our national song. The performance ended with a hymn written by Morante, with music by the Spaniard Blas Parera. As a spectator, Vicente López y Planes was inspired by that work and wrote the first stanza of a hymn that would replace the previous one.
On July 22, 1812, the First Triumvirate He suggested to the Cabildo of Buenos Aires the composition of a march of the homeland to be interpreted at the beginning of the theatrical performances and in the schools at the end of the daily classes, the public having to listen to it standing up and uncovered.
The following year, the General Constituent Assembly of the Year XIII he commissioned Vicente Lopez and Plans the lyrics of the hymn Blas Parera, the composition of a new music. On May 11, 1813, it was approved as the Patriotic March.
Changes from its original version to the current one
Throughout its history, the homeland song underwent several changes. It became a national patriotic song, a patriotic song until a copy -published in 1847- called it the Argentine National Anthem, a name it retains to this day.
The original lyrics were markedly pro-independence and anti-Spanish according to the spirit of the times. Some time later, the Assembly of the year XIII requests a “fix” in the letter with the idea of maintaining a political rapprochement with Spanish diplomats.
In 1860 Juan Pedro Esnaola made some changes to the music, based on the composer’s handwritten annotations, creating a richer orchestrated version from the harmonic point of view. The original version of him is 20 minutes long.
In 1900was regulated by decree of the Executive Power use a reduced version of the gait for official and public acts. In 1924, it was shortened to between 3 minutes 30 seconds and 3 minutes 53 seconds.
Some time later, thanks to the discovery of a score in the National Historical Museum, attributed to Blas Parera, they introduced fixes to Esnaola version and this premiered to the public at the Teatro Colón on May 25, 1927, receiving criticism.
By decree of the then president, Marcelo T. de Alvear, it was advised to make a version more similar to that of Juan Pedro Esnaola. By Decree No. 10,302, of April 24, 1944, the march was approved as an anthem.
Its current version corresponds to the transcription made by Luis Lareta which conforms to what was agreed on September 25, 1928 by the National Executive Power.
