Adopted 1848 | ||
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Lyrics Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, 1833 Music Francisco José Debali, 1845 | ||
The "National Anthem of Uruguay", also known by its first line "Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba", is the longest national anthem in terms of duration with 105 bars of music (about six minutes).
The anthem's lyrics are by Francisco Acuña de Figueroa, who was also author of the lyrics to Paraguay's national anthem; "Paraguayos, República o Muerte". The lyrics were officially declared the national anthem on July 8, 1833, while the current musical composition was declared as the official by law on July 25 and 26, in 1848 .
Music
The music was composed by Francisco José Debali with the collaboration of Fernando Quijano. It was first performed on July 19, 1845. The music was officially declared the national anthem on July 25, 1848. Ninety years later (May 20, 1938) a new decree incorporated modifications by Gerardo Grasso and Benone Calcavecchia. Only the first two verses are sung. The theme of the anthem is supposedly taken from the Prologue of Donizetti's opera Lucrezia Borgia, while the elaboration of this theme is Debali's.