Gibraltar Anthem
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Territorial anthem of Gibraltar | |
| Lyrics | Peter Emberley, 1994 |
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| Music | Peter Emberley, 1994 |
| Adopted | 18 October 1994 |
The "Gibraltar Anthem" is the national song and local anthem of the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, adopted in 1994.[1][2] In common with the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and other British territories, the official national anthem of Gibraltar is "God Save the King".[2]
"Gibraltar Anthem" was chosen in a 1994 competition announced in The Times newspaper in the UK.[3][4] Both the lyrics and music were composed by Peter Emberley, a composer from Dorset who had never visited Gibraltar.[4][2] The song by Emberley was selected by a panel of British and Gibraltarian judges from among 200 entries.[4]
History
[edit]The 1994 song was pre-dated by the 1969 song "The Gibraltar Anthem (Our Rock, Our Home, Our Pride)", composed during the ongoing sovereignty dispute between Gibraltar and Spain.[5][6][7] Also known as "The Gibraltar Anthem 'Rock of Ages'", the older song was composed by BBC producer Brian Willey, who was married to a Gibraltarian, with lyrics by Ronnie Bridges.[7][5] Willey and Bridges, who had been jurors in the 1967 and 1968 Gibraltar Song Festivals, had submitted it to the 1969 festival under a pseudonym.[5][7] It was later recorded by Dorothy Squires and by the Gibraltar Cathedral Choir, and performed at St Clement Danes church in London in 2004.[5]
Starting in 1992, "The Gibraltar Anthem" was sung every 10 September by the general public at the Gibraltar National Day celebrations.[8] Balloons were released during the anthem, but this was stopped in favour of red and white ticker paper for environmental reasons.
See also
[edit]- Llévame Donde Nací
- Bardengesang auf Gibraltar: O Calpe! Dir donnert's am Fuße
- List of British anthems
References
[edit]- ^ Minahan, James (2010). The complete guide to national symbols and emblems. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Press. p. 411. ISBN 9780313344961.
- ^ a b c Central Intelligence Agency (ed.). The CIA World Factbook, 2020–2021. Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 1521–1522. ISBN 978-1-5107-5826-1.
- ^ Roberts, Alison (11 June 1994). "A Song for the Rock". The Times – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ a b c Bethell, Nicholas (5 October 1994). "Gibraltar turns to Dorset for anthem". The Times – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ a b c d Skues, Keith (16 December 2005). "Obituary: RONNIE BRIDGES ; Co-writer of 'Gibraltar Anthem'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 22 March 2026 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Brufal, Michael (25 June 1994). "A song for the Rock". The Times – via The Times Digital Archive.
- ^ a b c Mascarenhas, Alice (12 December 2025). "When the Gibraltar Song Festival became an international event". Gibraltar Chronicle. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
- ^ Watt, Jim (11 September 2024). "Red and white festivity on Gibraltar National Day 2024". Merco Press. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
External links
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