Athem

The National Anthem of Spain is known as the "Grenadier March" or "Royal Spanish March". It does not have words, only music. Two versions exist: the complete version and the shortened one. Either of them may be played but always completely and only once.It is rather slow - about sixty paces a minute - and makes a solemn rather than a lively impression.

1761 It is first mention is in the Libro de Ordenanza de los toques militares de la Infantería Española — the Spanish Infantry Book of Military Bugle Calls — by Manuel de Espinosa. The tune was entitled La Marcha Granadera ("March of the Grenadiers"); however, no composer's name was given. There is an unsubstantiated story that it was composed by a German and that King Frederick the Great gave it as a gift for King Carlos III to Count Aranda who had come to Berlin to study the organisation of the Prussian army.

1770, King Carlos III declared the Marcha Granadera to be the official "Honour March". It was played at events attended by the royal family, and soon Spaniards came to look upon the Marcha Granadera as their national anthem and called it the "Marcha Real", or "Royal March".

1870. King Amadeo I (perhaps General Prim, sources differ) invited entrants for public competition for a new Spanish National Anthem., there were 447 entries but no acceptable winner was found and the "Marcha Real" remained as Spain's anthem.

1931. Under the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1939), El Himno de Riego replaced La Marcha Real as the national anthem.

1942, General Franco issued a decree restoring it as the National Anthem. under its old title of La Marcha Granadera.

1978 The current version, Francisco Grau (Colonel- Director of the Musical Unit of the Royal Guard) was commissioned to write a new adaptation after the approval of the 1978 constitution.

1997 a Royal Decree was promulgated regulating the official use of the Marcha Real as the national anthem of Spain.

(http://www.spain-flag.eu/spanish-national-anthem.htm)

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