Adopted 1822, 1873 and 1931 | Relinquished 1823, 1874 and 1939 | |
Lyrics Evaristo San Miguel, 1820 Music José Melchor Gomis, 1820 | ||
The Himno de Riego ("Anthem of Riego") is a song dating from the Liberal Triennium and named in honour of Colonel Rafael del Riego, composed by José Melchor Gomis. It was the national anthem of Spain during the Trienio Liberal (1820–1823) and the First (1873–1874) and Second Spanish Republics (1931–1939).
Contents
2003 Davis Cup controversy
At the Davis Cup tennis finals held in Australia in 2003, James Morrison performed El himno de Riego instead of Spain's current national anthem, the Marcha Real ("Royal march"). Australian officials claimed there was an error on the CD provided to the musician, but Spanish sport authorities still issued an official protest.
Satirical lyrics
This alternative version was extremely popular amongst Spaniards, particularly in Catalonia, during the Spanish Civil War. The rudeness of the lyrics reflects the dislike of Republican Spain for the church and the monarchy. After the war, these lyrics continued to be sung, by Franco's detractors and enemies. Such was the popularity of these lyrics that even today many people, particularly younger ones, think they are in fact the official ones.
Spanish Translation of Catalan Verse
¿La reina quiere una corona?
Corona le daremos
que venga a Barcelona