National Anthem of the Dominican Republic
The national anthem of the Dominican Republic was composed by José Rufino Reyes y Siancas (1835–1905), and its lyrics were authored by Emilio Prud'Homme (1856–1932).
English: National Anthem of the Dominican Republic | |
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National anthem of Dominican Republic | |
Lyrics | Emilio Prud’Homme, 1882 |
Music | José Rufino Reyes y Siancas, 1882 |
Adopted | May 30, 1934 |
Audio sample | |
Quisqueyanos valientes
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Overview
The first public performance of the national anthem took place on 17 August 1883. Though the music was an instant success, several objections were made to the lyrics for having various historical inaccuracies. In 1897, Prud’Homme submitted revised lyrics which stand to this day.
On 7 June 1897, the Congress of the Dominican Republic passed an act adopting "Himno Nacional" with the original music and revised lyrics as the country's official national anthem; however, then-President Ulises Heureaux (1846-1898) vetoed the act because the lyric's author, Prud’Homme, was an opponent of the president and his administration. In 1899, Heureaux was assassinated, and the political disorder that ensued prevented the national anthem's legal adoption until 30 May 1934 when "Himno Nacional" was officially adopted and signed into law.
The Spanish name of the Dominican Republic, "República Dominicana", is never used in the anthem's official Spanish lyrics nor is the demonym for Dominicans, "dominicanos". Rather, the indigenous word for the island of Hispaniola, "Quisqueya", is used twice and its derivative demonym, "quisqueyanos", is used once. However, research later shows that these words does not seem to derive from the original Arawak Taíno language.[1]
In public, the national anthem is usually performed through the end of the lyric's fourth paragraph.
Also note that, no official translation of the Spanish lyrics into any other language, including English, has been enacted into law.
Lyrics
Spanish lyrics | English translation |
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Quisqueyanos valientes, alcemos |
Brave Quisqueyans, |
References
- Anglería, Pedro Mártir de (1949). Décadas del Nuevo Mundo, Tercera Década, Libro VII (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Editorial Bajel.