Length: 139 words
Anthem lyrics (use the arrow on the left to collapse this section):
Gloria al bravo pueblo
que el yugo lanzó
la Ley respetando
la virtud y honor
¡Abajo cadenas!
gritaba el señor
y el pobre en su choza
Libertad pidió
a este santo nombre
tembló de pavor
el vil egoísmo
que otra vez triunfó.
Gloria al bravo pueblo
que el yugo lanzó
la Ley respetando
la virtud y honor
Gritemos con brío
¡Muera la opresión!
Compatriotas fieles,
la fuerza es la unión;
y desde el Empíreo
el Supremo Autor,
un sublime aliento
al pueblo infundió.
Gloria al bravo pueblo
que el yugo lanzó
la Ley respetando
la virtud y honor
Unida con lazos
que el cielo formó
la América toda
existe en nación;
y si el despotismo
levanta la voz,
seguid el ejemplo
que Caracas dio.
Gloria al bravo pueblo
que el yugo lanzó
la Ley respetando
la virtud y honor
Historical context:
The Venezuelan national anthem, “Gloria al bravo pueblo,” is one of the oldest anthems in the Americas in terms of when it was first written. Although officially adopted as the anthem in 1881, the song was popular almost immediately after its lyrics were penned in 1810, at the dawn of the independence movement in Spanish America. Since then, the music has undergone minor modifications; the current version was approved in 1947.The Venezuelan anthem is set to music similar to the French national anthem “La Marsellaise,” so much so that it was once informally referred to as “the Venezuelan Marsellaise” (“La Marsellasa Venezolana”). This is not surprising, given the popularity of La Marsellaise in inspiring republican revolutionary movements at that time.
Authorship of the song’s music and lyrics are attributed to Juan José Landaeta and Vicente Salias, respectively. In recent years, however, some have claimed that famous humanist and polymath Andrés Bello is the true author of the lyrics, and esteemed Venezuelan composer Lino Gallardo the true creator of the music.
Performance: