Anthem

History

Anthems began as a type of church music in the Church of England, where church rules say they come after the third prayer at morning and evening services. Some anthems are also part of the British coronation ceremony. Their words come from the Bible or sometimes from the church service itself, and the music is usually more complex and varied than what you find in psalms or hymns. Because anthems are written for a trained choir, not the congregation, the Anglican version is like the motet used by Catholics and Lutherans, but it is a distinctly English style. Anthems can be called "verse," "full," or "full with verse," based on whether they are meant for solo singers, the whole choir, or both. Another way to think of an anthem is as music made to go with a specific text, which makes it hard to use the same melody for different words. The melody or time signature often changes several times within one piece, and it is sung all the way through without repeating the tune for each verse, though certain parts may be repeated if marked. An example with many time changes, fugues, and repeated sections is "Claremont," also known as "Vital Spark of Heav'nly Flame." Another well-known example is William Billings's "Easter Anthem," also called "The Lord Is Risen Indeed!" after its first line, which remains a popular piece in the Sacred Harp songbook. The anthem grew out of the Catholic "votive antiphon," which was often sung at the end of a church service in honor of the Virgin Mary or other saints.

Types

The term "anthem" broadly refers to any celebratory song or piece of music created for a specific group, such as a national anthem. Some songs are deliberately composed as anthems in style, regardless of their official use; examples include Marilyn Manson's "Irresponsible Hate Anthem," Silverchair's "Anthem for the Year 2000," and Toto's "Child's Anthem." A national anthem is a patriotic musical work that celebrates and honors a country's history, traditions, and struggles, recognized either officially by its government or through popular convention. Most national anthems are marches or hymns. Those from Latin America, Central Asia, and Europe tend to be more elaborate and operatic, while those from the Middle East, Oceania, Africa, and the Caribbean are simpler fanfares. In countries made up of multiple constituent parts, such as the United Kingdom, the Russian Federation, and the former Soviet Union, each part may have its own official song, sometimes called a national anthem even though the entity is not a sovereign state.

A flag anthem is a patriotic composition that praises a specific flag, often a country's, and is sometimes called a national flag anthem. It is typically sung or played during the raising or lowering of the flag at ceremonies. Most countries use their national anthem or another patriotic song for this purpose, but some, especially in South America, have a separate flag anthem. Not every country has one; some, like Iran, China, and South Africa, used flag anthems in the past but no longer do. Flag anthems may be officially written into law or recognized by custom. In some places, a flag anthem is just another song, while in others, like Taiwan, it functions as an official state symbol similar to a second national anthem.

Many pop songs serve as sports anthems, with notable examples including Queen's "We Are the Champions" and "We Will Rock You." Certain sporting events also have their own dedicated anthems, most famously the UEFA Champions League anthem.