National anthems @RISM
Monday, June 16, 2014
How many national anthems do you know?
The songs of 32 countries are resounding at the World Cup at the moment.
The RISM online catalog offers numerous national anthems.
The majority of the over 700 sources are recorded anonymously. Four of them are digitally available. The series A/I Individual prints before 1800 shows a further 300 printed editions of national anthems.
Probalby the oldest one is the Dutch national anthem Willem (Wilhelmus Van Nassouwe) and dates from the years 1568 to 1572. It has functioned as a state song since 1932 for the Netherlands.
Image: Oldest publication of Dutch national anthem Wilhelmus with tune, in Nederlandtsche Gedenck-Clanck by Adriaen Valerius (1570c - 1625), Haarlem 1626 [RISM A/I: V 147, see also RISM B/I: 162614; copy from Gent, Rijksuniversiteit (B-Gu)]
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