S'hymnu sardu nationale ("The Sardinian National Anthem"), also known as ''Cunservet Deus su Re'' ("God Save the King"), was the national anthem of the Kingdom of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

under Savoyard rule.Il primo inno d'Italia è sardo
Gian Nicola Spanu

History

Dating back to the 1830s, the anthem was written by the Sardinian priest Vittorio Angius, who became secular in 1842. The music was composed by a maestro from

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...

, Giovanni Gonella (1804- 1854), who was also the musician of the ''Brigata Regina''. The anthem was first performed at the Cagliari Civic Theater on February 20, 1844. The original score was found in the archives of the Music Auditorium in

Cagliari Cagliari (, also , , ; sc, Casteddu ; lat, Caralis) is an Italian municipality and the capital of the island of Sardinia, an autonomous region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name ''Casteddu'' means ''castle''. It has about 155,000 inhabitan ...

by the Prof.

Francesco Cesare Casula Francesco Cesare Casula (born 12 September 1933) is a Sardinian historian from Italy. Biography Born in Livorno, Casula lived there until 1949 when, because of his father's death caused by an Allied bombardment of the city, his entire family ...

, then head of Institute of History of Mediterranean Europe (ISEM) of Italy's

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

(CNR). According to Casula, the official hymn was held in high regard by the rulers from the Italian mainland in Piedmont. On the express wishes of

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

, it was officially performed for the last time in 1937, by the choir of the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel (; la, Sacellum Sixtinum; it, Cappella Sistina ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), the chapel takes its nam ...

, the Director of which being Lorenzo Perosi, when the

Golden Rose The Golden Rose is a gold ornament, which popes of the Catholic Church have traditionally blessed annually. It is occasionally conferred as a token of reverence or affection. Recipients have included churches and sanctuaries, royalty, military f ...

was conferred to Queen Elena by Pope

Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City from ...

. The anthem, written in

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Many Romance linguists consider it the language that is closest to Latin among all its genealogica ...

, was de facto replaced by the Italian Royal March of Ordinance (''

Marcia Reale The ''Marcia Reale d'Ordinanza'' (; "Royal March of Ordinance") or ''Fanfara Reale'' (; "Royal Fanfare") was the official national anthem of the Kingdom of Italy between 1861 and 1946. It was composed in 1831 by Giuseppe Gabetti to the order of ...

'') as early as 1861, but it would lose its formal status only in 1946, when the Monarchy was definitely abolished and the so-called '' Canto degli Italiani'' ("The Chant of the Italians") was chosen as the provisional national anthem of the newly proclaimed

Italian Republic Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In 1991, ''S'Hymnu sardu nationale'' was performed by the

Carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign poli ...

Music Band at the

Quirinale The Quirinal Palace ( it, Palazzo del Quirinale ) is a historic building in Rome, Italy, one of the three current official residences of the president of the Italian Republic, together with Villa Rosebery in Naples and the Tenuta di Castelporzian ...

on May 29, in accordance with the traditional way the foreign diplomatic corps was received. It was meant to pay homage to the Sardinian origin of

Francesco Cossiga Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (; sc, Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, ; 1928 – 2010)
. was an Italian pol ...

, then President of the Republic. It was played again when Cossiga resigned from such position on April 28, 1992. In 2001, the anthem was performed on the occasion of the funeral of Marie José of Belgium, the last queen of Italy.

Lyrics

The anthem is entirely written in

, and more specifically the

Logudorese dialect Logudorese Sardinian ( sc, sardu logudoresu, it, sardo logudorese) is one of the two written standards of the Sardinian language, which is often considered one of the most, if not the most conservative of all Romance languages. The orthography ...

.''S'innu de su Regnu de Sardigna, ammentos de una monarchia "sarda"'', Limba Sarda 2.0
/ref>

References

{{National anthems of Europe Music in Sardinia Historical national anthems 19th-century songs Italian anthems *

History

Lyrics

See also

References