| French: italic=no|La Dessalinienne | |
| English Title: | The Song of Dessalines |
| Prefix: | National |
| Country: | Haiti |
| Author: | Justin Lhérisson |
| Lyrics Date: | 1903 |
| Composer: | Nicolas Geffrard |
| Music Date: | 1903 |
| Sound: | Haiti National Anthem.ogg |
| Sound Title: | U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (one verse) |
"French: italic=no|La Dessalinienne" (in French pronounced as /la dɛs.salinjɛn/; Haitian; Haitian Creole: "Desalinyèn"; English: "The Dessalines Song") is the national anthem of Haiti. This march was written by Justin Lhérisson and composed by Nicolas Geffrard.[1] [2]
"La Dessalinienne" is named in honor of Haiti's revolutionary leader and first ruler Jean-Jacques Dessalines.[3] The title was suggested by historian Clément Lanier.[4]
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Haitian Revolution, a competition was held for a national anthem in 1903. The poetic words of Justin Lhérisson and martial composition of Nicolas Geffrard won over the judges,[5] who preferred it to "L'Artibonitienne" by Capois diplomat Louis Edouard Pouget.
The anthem was premiered at an October 1903 celebration of the Armée Indigène's entry into Port-au-Prince organised by the Association du Petit Théâtre. It was sung by Auguste de Pradines, also known as Kandjo.[6] The text and music were printed at Bernard's in Port-au-Prince and distributed throughout the country during the week. It was officially adopted as the national anthem in 1904.
As a one-verse rendition can be relatively short, a common way to lengthen a performance is to perform an abridged arrangement consisting of the first verse immediately followed by the last.
A Haitian Creole version was created by Raymond A. Moise, and Haitian singer Ansy Dérose (1934–1998) helped popularize it in 1980. Although it became widely accepted, it is not official.[9]