"Se Canta" (; 'If It Sings'), also known as "Se Chanta" or "Aqueras Montanhas", is an

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

associated with

Occitania Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...

. It is also a very old popular song, known all over Occitania. According to legend, it was written by Gaston III Fébus (1331–1391), Count of

Foix Foix ( , ; ; ) is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the prefecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southwestern France ...

and

Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...

. Since 1993, it has an official status in

Aran Valley Aran (; ; ) (often known as the Aran Valley, or Val d'Aran in Aranese Occitan; in other forms of Occitan: ''Vath d'Aran'' or ''Vau d'Aran'', in Catalan: ''Vall d'Aran'', in Spanish: ''Valle de Arán'') is an autonomous administrative entity (form ...

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

) with the title ''Montanhes Araneses''. It has been the official anthem of

Toulouse FC Toulouse Football Club () is a French professional association football, football club based in Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the first division of Football in France, French football. Toulouse plays it ...

since August 6, 2010. It is also popular in the High Aragon (

) with the name of ''Aqueras montanyas'' or ''Aqueras montañas'', sung in Aragonese, with similar lyrics. It was compiled by the Aragonese group Biella Nuei and later sung, among others, by the singer-songwriter José Antonio Labordeta. ''Se Canta'' is often regarded as the unofficial anthem of all Occitania and most people living in that region know the words to the first verse and chorus even if they are not native Occitan speakers themselves. Notable occasions on which it has been sung include the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly constructed location or the start of an event.

of the

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics (), officially the XX Olympic Winter Games () and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February in Turin, Italy. This marked the second time Italy had hosted the Winter O ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

on 10 February 2006 (by L'Ange Gardien Chorus), and in the French

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

on 3 June 2003 (by

Jean Lassalle Jean Lassalle (; ; born 3 May 1955) is a French politician who represented the 4th constituency of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the National Assembly from 2002 to 2022. A former member of the Democratic Movement (MoDem), he was a ...

, in protest at a perceived slight on the Pyrenean village of Urdos by

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

). ''Se Canta'' was commercially covered by a number of singers and bands, among which are Lou Dalfin,

Patric Patric may refer to: * PATRIC, the Pathosystems Resource Integration Center, a bacterial infectious disease information system * Patric (singer) (born 1947), full name Patrick Martin, French singer * Patric (footballer, born 1987), full name Ande ...

, André Dassary, Charé Moulâ, Calabrun (from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

), Jean-Bernard Plantevin, Coriandre, Tòni de l'Ostal, Biella Nuei (Aragón), Crestian Almergue e lo Grop Tèst, Corrou de Berra and Dorothée.

Lyrics

The lyrics of the song are in the

Occitan language Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valleys, as well as Spain's Val d'Aran in Catalonia; collectively, ...

. The fourteen extant versions are all transcribed and translated in the following table. On 9 February 2002, the almond tree near the

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

fountain that is mentioned in several verses was replantedThe sign reads: ''Le Docte Collège des Consuls de Nîmes et la ville de Nîmes ont planté cet amandier pour que ''la Font de Nimes'' se perpétue le 9 février 2002.'

/ref> after its famous predecessor died. Although most texts are linked to the original Febusian poem, not all are: the shepherd and wedding versions, for instance, have different themes despite a common tune. Between brackets are the odd extra verses that can be heard but are not part of the regular lyrics. The lyrics are the second oldest for a national anthem, only the

Kimigayo is the national anthem of Japan. The lyrics are from a ' poem written by an unnamed author in the Heian period (794–1185), and the current melody was chosen in 1880, replacing an unpopular melody composed by John William Fenton in 1869. W ...

, the anthem of Japan, has older, the third oldest is that of the anthem of the Netherlands, Wilhelmus

References

External links

Video with translated lyrics

With translated lyrics
* & (

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

Score, MIDI file, and lyrics
{{Authority control Se Canto Regional songs Se Canto Se Canto Occitan music European anthems Medieval compositions Anthems of non-sovereign states