Being considered one of the most beautiful national anthems in the world, the Brazilian National Anthem completes its first centenary surrounded by historical issues that refer to the consolidation process of our nation. As we well know, the formation of a national identity was a problem that always bothered the various intellectuals who were concerned with the formation or the simple existence of a feeling of unity among Brazilians.
In this sense, the National Anthem is part of this process of identity construction and has its origins dating back to the period of independence of our country. Soon after the proclamation in 1822, some Brazilians felt the need to legitimize the country's political autonomy through the most different manifestations. Among these demonstrators was the musician Francisco Manuel da Silva, who composed the musical part of the anthem as a way of delimiting a specific symbol of the nation.
The first name given to the composition was “Hino ao 7 de Abril”, in clear reverence to the day when Emperor Dom Pedro I made the political emancipation of the national territory official. Throughout the imperial period there were few attempts to include lyrics to music composed by Francisco Manuel. Certainly, it seemed to be quite complicated to create a type of poetry that, amidst the political turmoil of the time, could please a good part of the population.
In 1889, when the military carried out the coup that installed the republican regime in the country, our anthem faced a serious risk of extinction. At the moment when they ended the monarchic order, the new political characters that took over the country had a clear interest in developing new symbols that represented the new political situation of the parents. One of the best known examples of this change happened with our flag.
During the government of Deodoro Fonseca, a contest was held to choose a new song for the nation. However, through the popular manifestation and preference of the president himself, the republican government found it better to preserve the old anthem from the imperial period. In the meantime, Brazil was musically represented by a beautiful composition, but nothing was done so that a lyric could align with those sounds officially and popularly recognized.
The measure that transformed this situation of the “anthem without lyrics” was regularized with the proposal of federal deputy Coelho Neto. His suggestion was to open a new contest through which a lyric for the Brazilian National Anthem could be chosen. Already known in the literary and journalistic circles at the time, Osório Duque Estrada signed up and won the dispute with the poetry that today defines our anthem. Despite this, Duque Estrada's verses were not officially recognized by the State.
It was only in 1822, the year in which the celebrations for the centenary of Brazil's independence were organized, that the situation was really resolved. To adjust the beats between the lyrics and the music, the services of conductor Alberto Nepomuceno were used. At that time, the conductor Francisco Manoel had already passed away and, therefore, it was up to another professional colleague to put an end to the saga of the work that today integrates the symbols of our country.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil2/os-100-anos-hino-nacional-brasileiro.htm
