Who Has The Best National Anthem?

[Rina RUS]

This would be a better anthem for many Hungarian people. This is a rock opera about my first king: Stephen, the king ...

Tomorrow, 20. August: Feast of St. Stephen the state founder king! Our state is more than 1000 years old. We will celebrate!!!

Do celebrate !!!!!!!!!

I've watched these three songs.

They are good, but... I don't think you would choose one of these 3 as an anthem ?

The opera as an anthem? An hour and a half?
That would be a nice joke!

apostle of christianity + communist regime + rock opera ... :clapper:
Yes, we were doing the same. The same style.

Do celebrate !

 

[Rina RUS]

I would like to add some more about the late great Roger Doucet...
He also wrote the new words to the Soviet anthem
http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2010/04/how-roger-doucet-wrote-soviet-national.html

"he could not speak or read Russian"
and "Wrote the Soviet National Anthem"

A great man!

I am sorry, but I don't think, that this is a fact.
I can't even listen, what words did Doucet sing...
I saw the first version of the anthem.
Anyway, Stalin was mentioned only once. In the middle of a line, so it wasn't a big problem. But there also were the words about fighting with enemies. In the new variant they were replaced with "going to the victory of communism".
Mikhalkov, who has written the 1st Soviet anthem (together with one more author), was alive. Mikhalkov was alive even later, he has written the Russian anthem. So... it is said, that Mikhalkov is the author of the 2nd variant of the Soviet anthem.
Is it possible, that some changes were suggested by the University of Montreal? Maybe. I don't know.

The articles also say, that sometimes the Soviet anthem was performed with the old text during those years, when usually it was played with no words. (at international tournaments)

 

[dorispulaski]

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/21/obituaries/roger-doucet.html

Doucet died in 1981 at the age of 62 of a brain tumor. His wife Geraldine substituted for him singing anthems for some time. As my husband was a serious Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, we heard the Canadian anthem at least twice a week all hockey season.

In 1997, my husband and I, who had spent most of our adult lives in northern Vermont, were having dinner at a restaurant on the north shore of Oahu. We got in a conversation with the waitress who, as it turned out, was originally from Montreal. When you are that far from home, someone from Montreal seems almost like a next door neighbor...

The chat went on a while, and finally got around to the subject of nation anthems...we knew the Canadian anthem in the Roger Doucet bi-lingual version and she said she couldn't believe we remembered him. My husband said, he not only remembered Roger, he remembered when Geraldine sang the anthems...turned out the waitress was Geradine's daughter in law, and the whole family owned the restaurant, and Geraldine was in the kitchen! We ended up meeting all of them.

It was a great time.

So my favorite anthem is Roger's version of the Canadian anthem, because of the good memories.

 

[TontoK]

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/21/obituaries/roger-doucet.html

Doucet died in 1981 at the age of 62 of a brain tumor. His wife Geraldine substituted for him singing anthems for some time. As my husband was a serious Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, we heard the Canadian anthem at least twice a week all hockey season.

In 1997, my husband and I, who had spent most of our adult lives in northern Vermont, were having dinner at a restaurant on the north shore of Oahu. We got in a conversation with the waitress who, as it turned out, was originally from Montreal. When you are that far from home, someone from Montreal seems almost like a next door neighbor...

The chat went on a while, and finally got around to the subject of nation anthems...we knew the Canadian anthem in the Roger Doucet bi-lingual version and she said she couldn't believe we remembered him. My husband said, he not only remembered Roger, he remembered when Geraldine sang the anthems...turned out the waitress was Geradine's daughter in law, and the whole family owned the restaurant, and Geraldine was in the kitchen! We ended up meeting all of them.

It was a great time.

So my favorite anthem is Roger's version of the Canadian anthem, because of the good memories.

I love "small world" stories like those, Doris.

Once, I was in a bar in Hong Kong throwing back a few with buddies, and I ran into a friend from my college days... 20 years after graduation on the other side of the globe.

 

[el henry]

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/21/obituaries/roger-doucet.html

Doucet died in 1981 at the age of 62 of a brain tumor. His wife Geraldine substituted for him singing anthems for some time. As my husband was a serious Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, we heard the Canadian anthem at least twice a week all hockey season.

In 1997, my husband and I, who had spent most of our adult lives in northern Vermont, were having dinner at a restaurant on the north shore of Oahu. We got in a conversation with the waitress who, as it turned out, was originally from Montreal. When you are that far from home, someone from Montreal seems almost like a next door neighbor...

The chat went on a while, and finally got around to the subject of nation anthems...we knew the Canadian anthem in the Roger Doucet bi-lingual version and she said she couldn't believe we remembered him. My husband said, he not only remembered Roger, he remembered when Geraldine sang the anthems...turned out the waitress was Geradine's daughter in law, and the whole family owned the restaurant, and Geraldine was in the kitchen! We ended up meeting all of them.

It was a great time.

So my favorite anthem is Roger's version of the Canadian anthem, because of the good memories.

Doris, thank you so much for adding these stories, and so glad to see another Roger Doucet fan!

I did not know about his wife continuing to sing probably because the Flyers just continued to use his recording.

And the Hawaii story is priceless, although to totally generalize and based only on my own experience, one of the best ways to meet Quebecois is on a warm beach somewhere They're no fools....

 

[Sophie-Anna]

Of course "my" Czech anthem is the most beautiful one

From others I really like French and Italian.

 

[RABID]

No contest..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo_-KoBiBG0
Ok, on a serious note, Oh, Canada, the French "La Marseillaise", Russian and South African
... and England's unofficial anthem, Jerusalem Hymn

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

They are all so beautiful to hear but hearing Kenya's National Anthem tonight during the closing ceremonies for gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge who won the Olympic Marathon gave me the feels.

Must feel pretty cool to have your medal ceremony during the big closing ceremony.

 

[cathlen]

No contest..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo_-KoBiBG0

Ode to joy is great :luv17:

 

[Fetinia]

Germany, Russia, Slovakia

 

[TheGrandSophy]

I've always loved the French anthem. I think watching this scene from Casablanca as a child had an irresistible effect! Oh, and my guilty pleasure of the cheesy Escape to Victory!

I also love the Welsh anthem when sung at the rugby.

I have to confess to not being keen on my own country's anthem 'God Save the Queen'. It is a bit dirge like in tune, for my taste. However, I adore the unofficial English anthem- Jerusalem - which is always one of the pieces sung at the end of The Last Night of the Proms.

I really like the way the South African anthem pieces together with the different languages too.

 

[solar]

They are all so beautiful to hear but hearing Kenya's National Anthem tonight during the closing ceremonies for gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge who won the Olympic Marathon gave me the feels.

Must feel pretty cool to have your medal ceremony during the big closing ceremony.

I was just going to say the same thing The Kenyan national anthem sure is beautiful. Most anthems mentioned in this thread have been European or American, since we are all probably used to hearing those the most, so hearing an anthem like that played during the closing ceremony is awesome

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

On reflection, I probably should have included "O Canada" in my previous post.

And I completely forgot about the Chinese National Anthem (here it is at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics). Love it! Especially the trumpet call at the start.

I always thought I was good at anthems, but you guys have come up with some nice ones that I had never heard before!

Thank you!

I've always loved the French anthem. I think watching this scene from Casablanca as a child had an irresistible effect! Oh, and my guilty pleasure of the cheesy Escape to Victory!

I also love the Welsh anthem when sung at the rugby.

I have to confess to not being keen on my own country's anthem 'God Save the Queen'. It is a bit dirge like in tune, for my taste. However, I adore the unofficial English anthem- Jerusalem - which is always one of the pieces sung at the end of The Last Night of the Proms.

I really like the way the South African anthem pieces together with the different languages too.

You know, when so many people on here were saying they liked "God Save The Queen", I was starting to think I was odd for thinking it was dreary and depressing. So, it is a relief to hear somebody else say it too!

I absolutely love "Jerusalem" too. And I see you even used the same link as I did! Great minds think alike, eh?! :agree:

That said, I'm not that fussed on "Land Of My Fathers". Any time I've heard it, there's either been too many people singing it (making it sound a mess) or else it has been Kathryn Jenkins (nice to look at, but I don't like female opera singing). Maybe I would like it more if I heard a Welsh Tenor singing it on his own, I don't know.

But, I love "O Flower Of Scotland"!

Anyway, I came across this National Anthem yesterday, and it is great. And I think you in particular will appreciate it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX428yPj1rE

(If you want to skip the 2m 23s intro, here is the direct link to where the singing starts)

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Alex D]

Ok hands down, I hate the German one, sorry Joseph.

I love and can sing the Russian, I love and can not sing the French, I love and can dance the one of Montenegro (especially the hook line at the end) and Brazil, I love and can salute the Canadian (oh Canada...), Ukraine is very nice too, Japan is fantastic great composition, maybe the best of all from a musical standpoint.

It´s always a special moment at the Olympics or football tournaments if the girls sing their anthems, great tradition.

 

[4everchan]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks for sharing this... i grew up on these!!!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/21/obituaries/roger-doucet.html

Doucet died in 1981 at the age of 62 of a brain tumor. His wife Geraldine substituted for him singing anthems for some time. As my husband was a serious Montreal Canadiens hockey fan, we heard the Canadian anthem at least twice a week all hockey season.

In 1997, my husband and I, who had spent most of our adult lives in northern Vermont, were having dinner at a restaurant on the north shore of Oahu. We got in a conversation with the waitress who, as it turned out, was originally from Montreal. When you are that far from home, someone from Montreal seems almost like a next door neighbor...

The chat went on a while, and finally got around to the subject of nation anthems...we knew the Canadian anthem in the Roger Doucet bi-lingual version and she said she couldn't believe we remembered him. My husband said, he not only remembered Roger, he remembered when Geraldine sang the anthems...turned out the waitress was Geradine's daughter in law, and the whole family owned the restaurant, and Geraldine was in the kitchen! We ended up meeting all of them.

It was a great time.

So my favorite anthem is Roger's version of the Canadian anthem, because of the good memories.