"Deșteaptă-te, române!" (Romanian National Anthem)
This is my instrumental recording of the National Anthem of Romania, played as a mandolin quartet (two mandolins, tenor guitar and mandocello). It is based on an arrangement for two mandolins and guitar published by P. Tesio in New York in 1916. It was originally published as a two-for-one deal with another Romanian song -- I have copied all three parts onto a single sheet (see attached).
The tune of the anthem is attributed to Anton Pann (1790s - 1854), originally with sentimental lyrics. New lyrics were written by Andrei Mureșanu during the 1848 revolution, and the song became a revolutionary anthem, Romania's answer to the Marseillaise. However, it became the national anthem only in 1989, more than seventy years after Tesio's version was published. The first tune I have recorded that has its own public holiday (July 29 is "National Anthem Day")!
Quite apart from its official status, it's a fun tune to play on mandolin -- energetic and rousing, as a revolutionary song should be.
1890s Umberto Ceccherini mandolin
Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin
Vintage Viaten tenor guitar
Suzuki MC-815 mandocello
Art by Nicolae Grigorescu.
Martin
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