This post features the Uruguay National Anthem stamp of 1971. Of course, postage stamps are political documents. Indeed, this is something this blog points out on a regular basis. There is generally a reason that a government features a specific topic or person on a stamp and in the selection of symbols and images. Richard Scott Morel, Curator of British Library’s Philatelic Collection, wrote a really great blog about national symbolism on stamps that is worth checking out. For this reason, it is no surprise that many nations have issued postage stamps celebrating their national anthems. National anthems are a particularly popular type of stamp in Latin and South America. For example, I have postage stamps dedicated to the national anthems of Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, and today’s topic, Uruguay.
The Stamp
On May 19, 1971, Uruguay issued a postage stamp dedicated to the National Anthem or the Himno Nacional de Uruguay. The stamp was designed by A. Medina and features a few measures of the opening of the anthem as well as the coat-of-arms for the country. The design uses the colors from the Uruguayan flag.
The Anthem
The lyrics to the song are by the Uruguayan poet Francisco Esteban Acuña de Figueroa (September 3, 1791 – October 6, 1862) in 1833. Figueroa also wrote the lyrics to the national anthem of Paraguay. However, the music came more than a decade later. It was the result of a collaboration between Francisco José Debali (26 July 1791 – 13 January 1859) and Fernando Quijano (1805–1871). The first performance of their composition was on July 19th, 1845. Debali was a Hungarian born composer who immigrated to Uruguay in 1838, while Quijano was his student and collaborator.
As a fun fact, at 105 measures, the music written for the national anthem is the longest musical composition of any national anthem in the world. Only the first verse and refrain are regularly in use.
Spanish Lyrics
English Lyrics
