Longest National Anthems: GREECE – lyrics – has a total of 158 verses! URUGUAY – music – 105 bars of music(Source 2) Greece’s National Anthem which has 158 stanzas. The first two are: We knew thee of old, Oh, divinely restored, By the lights of thine eyes And the light of thy Sword. From the graves of our slain Shall thy valor prevail As we greet thee again- Hail, Liberty! Hail! (Source 1) The Greek Anthem is based on the “Hymn to the Freedom”, a large 158 verse poem written by Dionysios Solomos, a distinguished poet from Zakynthos Island. It was inspired by the Greek Revolution of 1821 against the Ottoman Empire. During 1828, the eminent musician from Kerkyra Island Nikolaos Mantzaros composed the music for Solomos’ hymn. Although King Othon (Otto) decorated both of them for their work (1845 and 1849), he did not replace the Royal Anthem of that time with the Solomos/Mantzaros hymn. The anthem was a musical derivative from the German one, with a text glorifying Othon and his dynasty.
Perhaps you thought that “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with its four verses, was difficult to memorize, and seemed the longest to you. But Francis Scott Key’s poem set to the music of a British drinking song would seem quite easy and short compared to the Greek National Anthem, ” Imnos pros tin Eleftherian,” or “The Hymn to Libert
But Francis Scott Key’s poem set to the music of a British drinking song would seem quite easy and short compared to the Greek National Anthem, ” Imnos pros tin Eleftherian,” or “The Hymn to Liberty,” which contains 158 verses! Then, again, you might be envious of the children of Qatar and Bahrain, for their National Anthems have no words at all! The longest national anthem to endure is the anthem of Burundi. This national hymn, set terribly for brass band, lasts six minutes. Next to Burundi’s anthem, Latvia’s seems like a short, to-the-point breath of fresh air. Oldest National Anthems: JAPAN – oldest words – dating from the 9th Century NETHERLANDS – oldest music – melody known before 1572 Shortest National Anthem: UGANDA – 9 bars of music Longest National Anthems: GREECE – lyrics – has a total of 158 verses! URUGUAY – music – 105 bars of music Shortest lived National Anthem: SOMALILAND – 5 days only – June 26 1960 to July 01 1960 The only nation without a National Anthem of her own: