Many people know that the Spanish national anthem has no lyrics, but they don’t know much about the reason and history behind it. Why does the Spanish national anthem have no lyrics? And how does the lack of lyrics affect the Spanish society and culture?
The history of the Spanish national anthem The Spanish national anthem is known as the ‘Royal March (Marcha Real)’.
This song was composed by Manuel de Espinosa de los Monteros in 1761, and it was originally used as the march of the Spanish royal guard infantry. Considering that it is only 35 seconds long, one might doubt the sincerity of their march. But Carlos III (1716-1788), who was interested in building a national anthem, adopted this song as his own and ordered it to be played wherever he went. Carlos knew that Britain had ‘God Save the King’, but he did not add lyrics praising the king to his song. Maybe he thought that the music of the wind orchestra that played wherever he went was praise enough.
There have been several attempts to add lyrics to this song afterwards. The most famous one is the lyrics that were added during the Franco dictatorship, which sound like a health exercise song. Raise your arms, sons of Spain who are rising again.
But none of them were officially adopted, and there is no possibility of lyrics being added in the future.
Because of the opposition from the Basque, Catalonia, and other Spanish regions that want their own national anthem. Especially, the lyrics of the national anthem of Catalonia, ‘The Reapers’, are full of content that drives out the ‘arrogant and contemptuous’ Castilians. This song repeats the lyrics ‘Strike them with the scythe!’ with a descending majestic melody.
The meaning of the Spanish national anthem The Spanish national anthem has no lyrics, but that does not mean it has no meaning.
The Spanish flag and coat of arms contain various symbols that reflect the history and identity of Spain.
The Spanish flag consists of horizontal stripes of red and yellow.
Red represents the passion and blood that spilled in the battles of some Spaniards, and yellow represents the wealth obtained from the conquest. But the meaning of these colors was made up afterwards. In the 18th century, Carlos III of Spain held a contest to design a flag for the Spanish ships to make them more visible at sea. The chosen design was this colorful combination of red and yellow, and the result of the conquest of the invincible fleet was attributed to the colors of the flag.
The coat of arms is drawn inside the yellow stripe of the Spanish flag. The pillars, the cloth wrapped around the pillars, the crowns, and the shield all have their own meanings. The pillars represent the pillars that Hercules erected in the Strait of Gibraltar, which, according to Greek mythology, he did to indicate that it was the end of the world and that sailors should not go beyond it. The sea under the inscription of the pillars is the impassable Strait of Gibraltar. The cloth wrapped around the pillars has the motto of the Spanish national anthem, ‘PLUS ULTRA’, which means ‘further beyond’ or ‘to the farther world’. This motto was used to encourage the Spaniards to discover and conquer the horizon of the world. The largest crown represents the current Spanish royal family, and the crowns on the pillars represent the Holy Roman Empire on the left and the Spanish royal family on the right, indicating the past of Spain influenced by the Holy Roman Empire. The shield symbolizes the union of the Spanish kingdoms. Spain has had a continuous history of union and division, reunification and independence of various kingdoms within Spain, from the rule of the Holy Roman Empire to the rule of Islam and to the present. Therefore, the meaning of each symbol is as follows.
Pillars: They represent the pillars that Hercules erected in the Strait of Gibraltar, indicating the end of the world. Cloth: It is a cloth with the motto of the Spanish national anthem, ‘PLUS ULTRA’, which means ‘further beyond’ or ‘to the farther world’. It is a motto that encourages the Spaniards to discover and conquer the world. Crowns: The largest crown represents the current Spanish royal family, and the crowns on the pillars represent the Holy Roman Empire on the left and the Spanish royal family on the right, indicating the past and present of Spain. Shield: It symbolizes the union of the Spanish kingdoms. The shield contains the following symbols. Top left castle: It represents the Castile kingdom, which occupies the central part of Spain. Top right lion: It represents the Leon kingdom, which occupies the northwest part of Spain. Bottom left chain: It represents the Navarre kingdom, which occupies the north part of Spain. The chain commemorates the battle that freed the prisoners from Islam. Bottom right flower: It represents the Granada kingdom, which occupies the south part of Spain. The flower has the same meaning as the name of the city of Granada, which is pomegranate. Small shield in the center: It represents the Burgundy dynasty, which shows the bloodline of the Spanish royal family. The Burgundy dynasty originated from the Burgundy region of France.
The characteristics of the Spanish national anthem The Spanish national anthem has some characteristics besides having no lyrics.
First, the Spanish national anthem has no official title. The name ‘Royal March’ reflects the time when the Spanish national anthem was first used, not officially given.
Second, the composer of the Spanish national anthem is not certain. It is known that Manuel de Espinosa de los Monteros composed it, but there is also a claim that he plagiarized someone else’s work.
Third, the Spanish national anthem has no official playing time. The Spanish national anthem is only 35 seconds long, but the time can vary depending on the playing speed. Usually, it is played for about 52 seconds, but it is played slower on the national day of Spain or sports games. The reaction of the Spanish national anthem Because the Spanish national anthem has no lyrics, many Spaniards wonder how to react when the Spanish national anthem is played. Some people just close their mouths and stand when the Spanish national anthem is played, and some people sing the Spanish national anthem with lyrics.
For example, the players of the Spanish national soccer team sing ‘la la la la la’ when the Spanish national anthem is played. This is from the song ‘La La La’ that Spain won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968. Another example is Jose Mota, a famous Spanish comedian, who is famous for singing the Spanish national anthem with funny lyrics. His lyrics are sarcastic about the political, economic, and social problems of Spain. The meaning and value of the Spanish national anthem The Spanish national anthem is the oldest national anthem among the national anthems without lyrics. The Spanish national anthem contains various symbols that reflect the history and identity of Spain. The Spanish national anthem plays a role in arousing pride and patriotism among the Spaniards. Because the Spanish national anthem has no lyrics, the Spaniards can sing the Spanish national anthem with their own voice and emotion. The Spanish national anthem is a national anthem that shows the diversity and richness of Spain.
