El Gran Carlemany

"El Gran Carlemany" (Catalan pronunciation: [əl ˈɣɾaŋ kəɾləˈmaɲ]; "The Great Charlemagne") is the national anthem of the Principality of Andorra. Enric Marfany Bons composed the music, while the lyrics were authored by Joan Benlloch i Vivó, written in a first-person narrative. It was adopted as the national anthem on September 8, 1921, which is also the national day of Andorra. The lyrics make reference to several key aspects of Andorran culture and history, such as the heritage of the Carolingian Empire.

El Gran Carlemany
English: The Great Charlemagne
National anthem of  Andorra
LyricsJuan Benlloch i Vivó
MusicEnric Marfany Bons
AdoptedSeptember 8, 1921
Audio sample
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Lyrics
El Gran Carlemany
(Catalan)[1]		El Gran Carlomagno
(Spanish translation)		Le Grand Charlemagne
(French translation)		The Great Charlemagne
(English translation)[2]
First verse

El gran Carlemany, mon pare,
dels alarbs em deslliurà,
I del cel vida em donà,
de Meritxell, la gran Mare.

El gran Carlomagno, mi padre,
me liberó de los árabes,
Y del cielo vida me dio,
de Meritxell, la gran Madre,

Le Grand Charlemagne mon père
nous délivra des arabes
et du ciel me donna la vie,
de Meritxell la grande Mère.

The great Charlemagne, my father,
from the Saracens liberated me
And from heaven he gave me life,
of Meritxell, the great Mother.

Second verse

Princesa nasquí i Pubilla
entre dues nacions, neutral;
sols resto l'única filla,
de l'imperi Carlemany.

Princesa nací y heredera,
entre dos naciones, neutral
Soy la única hija que queda
del Imperio Carolingio.

Je suis née Princesse héritière,
neutre entre deux nations,
Je reste la seule fille
de l'empereur Charlemagne.

Princess, born Heiress
Into two nations, in neutrality;
I am the only remaining daughter,
of the Carolingian empire.

Third verse

Creient i lliure onze segles,
creient i lliure vull ser.
Siguin els furs mos tutors
i mos Prínceps defensors!

I mos Prínceps defensors!

Creyente y libre once siglos;
creyente y libre quiero ser.
¡Sean los fueros mis tutores
y mis Príncipes defensores!

¡Y mis Príncipes defensores!

Croyante et libre onze siècles,
croyante et libre je veux demeurer
Que les Fueros soient mes tuteurs
et mes Princes mes défenseurs!

Et mes Princes mes défenseurs!

Faithful and free for eleven centuries,
Faithful and free I will be.
The laws of the land be my tutors,
and my Princes[upper-alpha 1] defenders!

And my Princes defenders!

History

"El Gran Carlemany" was composed by Enric Marfany Bons (1871–1942),[3] who was a priest.[4] The lyrics to the song were penned by Juan Benlloch i Vivó (1864–1926), who served as the Bishop of Urgell from 1906 to 1919. This position also made him an ex officio Co–Prince of Andorra.[4][5] The song was officially designated as the country's national anthem on September 8, 1921,[6][7] when it was sung at the country's cathedral for the first time.[8] The day it was adopted – September 8[4] – is the National Day of Andorra. This coincides with the feast day of Our Lady of Meritxell, the country's patron saint who is mentioned in the lyrics.[6]

Context of lyrics

The lyrics of "El Gran Carlemany" give a short account of Andorra's history "in a first-person narrative".[6] It recounts the traditional Andorran legend that Charlemagne reconquered the region from the Moors between 788[9] and 790, after the Catalan people had guided his army through the rugged valleys, which Charlemagne compensated with granting Andorra its independence,[10] and its first borders were delineated that same year.[9] It formed part of the Marca Hispanica, a buffer zone formed by Charlemagne in order to protect his state (the Carolingian Empire).[11] According to legend, he was responsible for restructuring the country, reintroducing Christianity to its people and overseeing the construction of monasteries. Because of these accomplishments, he was given "a mythical aura" and is regarded as the founder of Andorra.[12] The hymn begins with "El gran Carlemany mon pare" ("Great Charlemagne my father"),[13] and memorializes this view and celebrates the country's status as "the only remaining daughter of the Carolingian empire,"[14] since it is the only remnant of the Marca Hispanica.[11]

Notes
  1. Augustin's Andorra book reference incorrectly translates "Prínceps" as "princess". It should instead be "princes", alluding to the Co-Princes of Andorra.

References
  1. "Andorra – El Gran Carlemany". NationalAnthems.me. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  2. Augustin, Byron (September 1, 2008). Andorra. Marshall Cavendish. p. 24. ISBN 9780761431220.
  3. Xavier Maugendre (1996). L'Europe des hymnes dans leur contexte historique et musical. Editions Mardaga. p. 145. ISBN 978-2-87009-632-1.
  4. Augustin (2008), p. 99.
  5. Lichfield, John (September 2, 2006). "The Not-so-Rough Guide to Andorra – The land that Europe forgot". The Independent. London. pp. 26–27. Retrieved May 7, 2014. (subscription required)
  6. "Andorra". The World Factbook. CIA. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  7. "Country's Profile – Andorra". Sochi2014.com. Sochi 2014 Olympics. Archived from the original on April 6, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  8. Principat D'Andorra, 1278–1978: È Centenari de la Signatura Dels Pareatges – Recull Oficial D'informació. Casa de la Vall. 1978.
  9. Geyer, Helen (November 2013). "Sprachpolitik und-praxis in Andorra" (PDF). Interlinguistische Informationen (in German). Diputació de Girona. 20: 68. ISSN 1432-3567. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  10. Principat D'Andorra, 1278–1978: È Centenari de la Signatura Dels Pareatges : Recull Oficial D'informació. Casa de la Vall. 1978.
  11. Shelley, Fred M. (April 23, 2013). Nation Shapes: The Story Behind the World's Borders. ABC–CLIO. p. 8. ISBN 9781610691062.
  12. Pineda, Enric Bassegoda (2010). "Carlemany No Va Conquerir Girona". Revista de Girona (in Catalan). Diputació de Girona. 261: 39. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
  13. Gale Group; Moshe Y. Sachs (1984). Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations. Gale Group. p. 9. ISBN 9780471886228.
  14. McDonogh, Gary (September 28, 2010). Iberian Worlds. Routledge. ISBN 9781135936969.


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