All anthems

Hungary National Anthem

Himnusz

Hymn

1823
1844
Ferenc Kölcsey
Ferenc Erkel
✝ God / Faith 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage 💪 Resilience ⚔ Battle / War 🌿 Nature |

Key Facts

  • 1. It is often regarded as sorrowful compared with other national anthems; a faster, 90-second version made in 2013 for the Hungarian Olympic Committee, closer to Erkel's original tempo, sounds much less somber
  • 2. The last line of the sung stanza says Hungarians have already atoned for the past and the future; the literary historian János Horváth called this "patriotic guilt", which sees God's just punishment in national misfortune
  • 3. January 22, the date on Kölcsey's manuscript, has been celebrated as the Day of Hungarian Culture since 1989
  • 4. For well over a century it was sung by custom alone, and it entered Hungarian law only in 1989: an amendment to the Constitution (Act XXXI of 1989), in force from 23 October 1989, named Kölcsey's poem with Erkel's music as the national anthem
  • 5. Under Communist rule, Mátyás Rákosi asked the poet Gyula Illyés and the composer Zoltán Kodály to create a new "socialist" anthem; both refused, and Kodály asked why a new one was needed when the old hymn was good
Hungary - Himnusz

Hungary National Anthem Lyrics

Only the first stanza is typically performed at official events
Isten, áldd meg a magyart Jó kedvvel, bőséggel, Nyújts feléje védő kart, Ha küzd ellenséggel; Bal sors akit régen tép, Hozz rá víg esztendőt, Megbűnhődte már e nép A múltat s jövendőt!

Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals

Analysis

Editorial

Written by Ferenc Kölcsey in 1823, the anthem is a prayer to God asking for blessings on the Hungarian people. The music was composed by Ferenc Erkel in 1844. It is often called 'Himnusz' and looks back on Hungary's historical suffering, pleading for divine protection and happier times.

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Sources & References

  1. Kölcsey Ferenc: Himnusz (a Himnusz jelenlegi szövege) . Magyarságkutató Intézet (mki.gov.hu)
  2. Himnusz: kézirat és szöveg . Országos Széchényi Könyvtár, Erkel-honlap
  3. Magyarország himnusza . hu.wikipedia.org

Source & Review

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