Italian choir mistakenly sings Franco-era national anthem to the King of Spain
It must quickly have become apparent to Italy why Spain’s national anthem has no lyrics.
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As the King of Spain Felipe VI and king emeritus Juan Carlos were heralded by a choir of Italian schoolchildren earlier this week, it quickly became apparent the kids were singing fascist-era lyrics.
Spain’s royals stood alongside Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Portugal President Mercelo Rebelo de Sousa at the Cotec Europe Forum in Naples as the countries’ national anthems were played, with Spain’s Marcha Real to start.
However, a youth orchestra and a children’s choir mistakenly sung lyrics written by fascist poet Jose Maria Peman before the Spanish Civil War.
“Long live Spain, raise your foreheads, children of the Spanish people which is resurrected again. Glory to the homeland which knew how to follow the course of the sun over the blue of the sea,” they sang, according to Catalonian publication El Nacional.
Mattarella then apologised, telling the royals: “It was a mistake by the event’s organisers.”
In fact, Spain’s Marcha Real is one of just four national anthems that has no lyrics.
It started as a military march for the Spanish Infantry in 1761 before it was adopted as the country’s national anthem in the 1770s.
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During the reign of General Francisco Franco, however, Peman added his fascist lyrics to the anthem, which were quickly dropped upon Franco’s death and Spain’s move to democracy.