There has been an assumption, world over, that the driving
force behind the composition of any country’s national anthem
is always the
pride of its people and their general patriotic zeal. However, you may be
surprised to realize that this is not the case for all the countries.Early in the 19th century, when Costa Rica’s rule had just been taken over by
the new revolutionary Junta, the country had invited some top diplomats from
the United States and Britain for a
meeting in its capital. It was just five days before the commencement of the
meeting, the red carpets having been laid, when, to their embarrassment, the
ruling regime realized that they had no
national anthem. To make matters worse,
the military band had no substantial music that could be played as the guests
arrived from the airport.
In a bid to put things under control, the
president summoned
Mr. Manuel Gutierrez, one of the best known musicians in the country at that
time, for a meeting in his palace. Once in the palace, the president shook the
hands of Gutierrez, called him a nice guy and informed him that he had been
appointed to compose the country’s national anthem, a task he had to establish
within the next five days.
Unluckily for poor Gutierrez, the man was just a musician;
not a composer. As widely expected, Mr. Gutierrez spiritedly protested,
explaining that he had just been playing by the ear and he had never written
down a single musical note. The president, at the peak of his frustration and
impatience, ordered an immediate arrest and jailing of the stubborn musician.
And so was a new prison life for poor Gutierrez.
After spending four days and nights of soul searching,
behind bars, Gutierrez managed to assemble some few marching tunes, which the
military band hurriedly practiced and was all ready to perform as the guests
began trooping in, one by one. Contrary to the expectations of the low spirited
members of the ruling regime, the performance was so lively that everyone
present was amazed and up to this day, that remained the national anthem of Costa Rica.
Well, how much do you understand the story behind your
national anthem?