2591) "L-Innu Malti" ("The Hymn of Malta - the National Anthem", Republic of Malta: Centenary of The First Performance of the Innu Malti in public (1922-2022): Gold & Silver Coins issued by the Central Bank of Malta to commemorate the occasion: Date/Year of Coins issue: 06.12.2022:
"L-Innu Malti": The Maltese National Anthem:
"L-Innu Malti" ("The Hymn of Malta") is the National Anthem of Malta.
It is written in the form of a prayer to God.
Officially adopted in 1964 upon independence from the United Kingdom, it was composed by Robert Samut, and the lyrics were written by Dun Karm Psaila.
From the mid-19th century up to the early 1930s, Malta was passing through a national awakening. With the increased national awareness, it was felt by many thinkers that Malta should have its own national anthem.
In 1850, Ġan Anton Vassallo composed "Innu Lil Malta", which used to be played during many Maltese political manifestations and meetings.
The ‘Innu Malti’, Malta’s national anthem, came into being shortly after that Malta, then a British colony, was granted a measure of self-government in 1921.
In 1922, Robert Samut composed a short melody.
A year later, A.V. Laferla, director of primary schools in Malta, obtained possession of this composition, as he wanted to have an anthem that could be sung by students in Malta's schools.
Laferla asked Dun Karm to write lyrics that would fit with Samut's short melody. The poems of Dun Karm Psaila are well known for their religious and patriotic currents, and so are the verses written for Samut's anthem.
The hymn was already being sung in December 1922, mostly in governmental schools.
The “Innu Malti” was first performed in public on 27.12.1922 and again on 06.01.1923, during two concerts held by the Elementary School Teachers’ Dramatic Club at the Manoel Theatre. The audience received it with great enthusiasm.
However, during its two first appearances, someone had changed some verses from the first stanza. This angered Dun Karm, who protested by writing an article in a local newspaper. Since then, the lyrics have remained unchanged.
On 03.02.1923, another concert was held at the Manoel Theatre, performed by children from Sliema, with Dun Karm's original verses. The hymn was played by the Duke of Edinburgh's Band, of Vittoriosa.
The Maltese government declared the anthem as the official Maltese anthem on 22.02.1941.
As a work the ‘Innu Malti’ combines the verses written by Dun Karm Psaila and the music of Robert Samut. However, it has always been more associated with Dun Karm than with Samut’s music.
It became very popular with the Maltese and in 1941 it was given official status by the local authorities. However, as Malta was a British colony, the ‘Innu Malti’ could not be referred to as the Maltese National Anthem, but as the ‘Hymn of Malta’.
In 1942, it was printed for "Piano e canto" with an English translation by May Butcher. This publication helped spread its popularity.
On 25.03.1945, in the Gżira Stadium, a football match was held between a Malta XI and Hajduk Split, a team from Yugoslavia. At that time, Malta was still under British rule, and the British governor was present.
Before the game, the band played the anthem of Yugoslavia, and then it played that of Great Britain, due to Malta's status as a colony.
As the governor was about to sit, the attendees in the stadium stood up and sung the Maltese anthem. The governor, albeit embarrassed, stood up as well until the end of the anthem.
It was only when Malta attained independence, in 1964, that the ‘Innu Malti’ was formally recognised as the National Anthem of Malta and was formally inscribed as such in the Maltese Constitution.
The 1964 Independence Constitution confirmed it as the National Anthem of Malta, which is today one of the symbols of Maltese identity.
The anthem is played during all the official duties of the President of Malta, the Prime Minister of Malta and other important governmental personalities. It is also played during all important national activities.
The Commemorative Coins:
On 06.12.2022, the Central Bank of Malta has issued two numismatic coins in Gold and Silver commemorating the "Centenary of the First Performance of the L-Innu Malti".
8) Ta' Hagrat Temples, Malta: "Maltese Pre-historic Temples Coin Series" depicting UNESCO World Heritage List featured Megalithic Temple Complexes in Malta: Fourth Coin in the Series: Date of issue: 22.07.2019
9) "Suez Canal": Central Bank of Malta issues a 150th Anniversary Silver commemorative Coin of 10 Euros (1869-2019), minted by the Royal Dutch Mint: Coin issue date: 18.11.2019
The "Knights of the Past" Silver Bullion Coin Series:
Santosh Khanna has commented:
ReplyDelete"Very interesting and informative post. Thanks for sharing."
Thank you so much, Khanna sahab.
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