The NATO Hymn explained

Hymne de l'OTAN
English Title:The NATO Hymn
Prefix:Organizational
Country:the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Composer:André Reichling
Music Date:1989
Adopted:3 January 2018

"The NATO Hymn" is the organizational anthem of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is an instrumental piece, composed in 1989 by André Reichling, a Luxembourgish military officer and a member of its military band. It was used unofficially for many years before being formally adopted in January 2018.

History

Initial proposals for adopting an organizational anthem for NATO date back to 1958, its tenth anniversary. A "NATO Song" was publicly performed, but not adopted and a “NATO ceremonial march” was written to be performed during visits of dignitaries to NATO headquarters. In 1960, British Royal Air Force marshal Edward Chilton proposed combining members states' national anthems into a single composition as the organizational anthem.[1]

In 1989, to commemorate NATO's 40th anniversary, Luxembourgish military band officer André Reichling composed an instrumental musical piece titled "The NATO Hymn" and it was performed at an anniversary gala that year.[2] Used as an unofficial anthem at many NATO events in subsequent years, it was formally adopted on 3 January 2018.[3]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A NATO hymn?. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Brussels.
  2. Web site: Ceremonies to mark the 40th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Brussels. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO Archives Online. March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315115911/http://archives.nato.int/ceremonies-to-mark-40th-anniversary-of-north-atlantic-treaty-organization-brussels-celebration-du-40eme-anniversaire-de-lorganisation-du-traite-de-latlantique-nord-bruxelles;isad. March 15, 2017.
  3. Web site: NATO adopts official hymn. North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Brussels.