"" ("The Hymn of Malta") is the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
. It is written in the form of a prayer to God. Officially adopted in 1964 upon independence
from the United Kingdom, it was composed by
Robert Samut, and the lyrics were written by
Dun Karm Psaila.
History
From the mid-19th century up to the early 1930s, Malta was passing through a national awakening. With the increased national awareness, it was felt by many thinkers that Malta should have its own national anthem. In 1850,
Ġan Anton Vassallo composed "Innu Lil Malta", which used to be played during many Maltese political manifestations and meetings. In 1922,
Robert Samut composed a short melody. A year later, A.V. Laferla, director of primary schools in Malta, obtained possession of this composition, as he wanted to have an anthem that could be sung by students in Malta's schools. Laferla asked
Dun Karm to write lyrics that would fit with Samut's short melody. The poems of Dun Karm Psaila are well known for their religious and patriotic currents, and so are the verses written for Samut's anthem. The hymn was already being sung in December 1922, mostly in governmental schools. The first time it was heard in public was on 27 December 1922 and again on 6 January 1923, during two concerts at the
Manoel Theatre. However, during its two first appearances, someone had changed some verses from the first stanza. This angered Dun Karm, who protested by writing an article in a local newspaper. Since then, the lyrics have remained unchanged. On 3 February 1923, another concert was held at the Manoel Theatre, performed by children from
Sliema, with Dun Karm's original verses. The hymn was played by the Duke of Edinburgh's Band, of Vittoriosa.
The Maltese government declared the anthem as the official Maltese anthem on 22 February 1941. In 1942, it was printed for ''Piano e canto'' with an English translation by
May Butcher. This publication helped spread its popularity. The 1964 Independence Constitution confirmed it as the National Anthem of Malta, which is today one of the symbols of Maltese identity.
On 25 March 1945, in the
Gżira Stadium, a football match was held between a Malta XI and
Hajduk Split
Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split () or simply Hajduk, is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 197 ...
, a team from Yugoslavia. At that time, Malta was still under
British rule, and the
British governor was present. Before the game, the band played the
anthem of
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
, and then it played
that of
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
, due to Malta's status as a colony. As the governor was about to sit, the attendees in the stadium stood up and sung the Maltese anthem. The governor, albeit embarrassed, stood up as well until the end of the anthem.
The anthem is played during all the official duties of the
President of Malta
The president of Malta ( mt, President ta' Malta) is the constitutional head of state of Malta. The President is indirect election, indirectly elected by the House of Representatives of Malta, which appoints the president for a five-year term a ...
, the
Prime Minister of Malta
The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...
and other important governmental personalities. It is played during all important national activities.
Lyrics
Notes
References
External links
The Maltese National Anthem website on the anthem hosted by the Malta Department of Information, featuring an instrumental version.
Anthem performanceby the Malta Youth Orchestra
- Features instrumental version in MP3 format + brief history in German.
Audio of the national anthem of Malta, with information and lyricsarchive link
- A page on the anthem at the Swiss site "Malta4You". Features instrumental versions in MIDI and MP3 format.
- A biography
- A vocal version of the Anthem, featured in the "Himnuszok" website.
{{Authority control
National symbols of Malta
European anthems
Maltese songs
National anthems
National anthem compositions in A-flat major
National anthem compositions in F major
Maltese-language songs