| A Portuguesa |
Article Index for A |
Website Links For Portuguesa |
Information AboutA Portuguesa |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT A PORTUGUESA | |
| national anthems | |
| national symbols of portugal | |
| portuguese language songs | |
| portuguese songs | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
The title ''A Portuguesa'' means "the Portuguese (song)" — the Portuguese word for "song", canção, being feminine — just as '' La Marseillaise '', the national anthem of France , is "the song of Marseille " and the Belgian anthem, '' The Brabançonne '' is "the song of Brabant ." HISTORY In 1890 , the United Kingdom issued an Ultimatum demanding Portugal give up its intentions of occupying the land between the Africa n Colonies of Angola , on the western coast, and Mozambique , on the eastern coast, thus joining the two territories. Despite popular uproar, the government was forced to accept the British terms, a measure that contributed to the growing unpopularity of King Carlos and the Monarchy and gained supporters for the already boosting republican movement. Inspired by the common feeling of outrage among the people, writer Henrique Lopes de Mendonça composed a Poem urging his compatriots to "fight for the motherland" (Pela Pátria lutar) and praising the country's past as a Naval power, particularly in the 15th and 16th centuries. The words were set to a melody by composer Alfredo Keil and the song soon became popular among people unhappy with what they considered a submissive and humiliating attitude by the Portuguese authorities. On January 31 , 1891 , a republican revolution broke out in the northern city of Oporto and "A Portuguesa" was adopted by the rebels as their anthem. The revolution was crushed and the song banned. In 1910 , on October 5 , a new revolution succeeded in overthrowing the monarchy and establishing a republic in Portugal. In the following year, 1911 , a law officialized the status of "A Portuguesa" as Portugal 's national anthem. LYRICS The song consists of the first Stanza from Mendonça's poem followed by a Chorus . The second and third verses below were part of the poem, but are not included in the anthem. The fifth line of the chorus: "Contra os canhões marchar, marchar" (Against the cannons march, march!) is an alteration of the original "Contra os bretões marchar, marchar" (Against the Britons march, march!). AUDIO RECORDING EXTERNAL LINKS
|