The National Anthem of Hungary ’God Bless the Hungarians’, arranged for the Orchestre national d'Île-de-France. There are versions for Brass & Wind Quintet & String Orchestra in my store.

If you need an anthem not yet in my store, e-mail me and if possible I will arrange it for you FOC.

Kölcsey’s poem, written in 1823, is set in the 17th century when Hungary was torn into three parts: the independent Hungarian principality in Transsylvania, the Turkish occupied central Hungary and the remaining Austrian royal (Habsburg) areas in the north and the west. The subtitle of the poem is ‘A magyar nép zivataros századaiból’ meaning approximately ‘From the Stormy Centuries of the Hungarian People’.

The anthem was adopted in 1844, while Hungary was still a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The title of the Hungarian anthem is often (incorrectly) given as the first line of the anthem,”Isten, áldd meg a magyart”, but the title of the poem (“Himnusz”) is the official title of the anthem. While the poem has eight verses, it is almost always just the first verse that is performed, yet the entire poem remains the official anthem.

Also widely used in Hungary, but not an official national anthem, is the song “Szózat”, which can be described as the “national song” and is often sung in national celebrations. During the first years of Communist rule, it was debated by the legislators of the time to replace “Himnusz” with “Szózat, as Himnusz is a prayer and Hungary, under Communist rule, was officially atheist, but this was never done. Instead, it was often performed without the words.

Need an anthem fast? They are ALL in my store! All my anthem arrangements are also available for Orchestra, Recorders, Saxophones, Wind, Brass and Flexible band. If you need an anthem urgently for an instrumentation not in my store, let me know via e-mail, and I will arrange it for you FOC if possible! keithterrett@gmail.com

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