Chile
"Himno Nacional de Chile" (National Anthem of Chile)

Words by: Eusebio Lillo Robles and Bernardo de Vera y Pintado
Music by: Ramón Carnicer y Battle
Adopted: 1828 (music), 1818 and 1847 (lyrics)

Chile's anthem is another example of a "Latin American epic anthem", this one having six verses, yet only the fifth verse and the chorus is deemed "official".

After the melody of Chile's original anthem was replaced in 1828, the original text, from 1818, was also in need of replacement to remove the anti-Spanish sentiments from the lyrics. The young poet Eusebio Lillo wrote a new text to Carnicer's melody, however he kept the chorus from the original anthem. Today, the chorus and fifth verse of Lillo's poem make up the official national anthem of Chile.

Following the coup d'etat by Augusto Pinochet in 1973, the military junta dictated that two verses would be used along with the chorus: the fifth verse was retained, and the third verse, which extolled Chile's army, was then added as the second official verse. It was a common act of protest by detractors to remain silent during the second verse. When democracy was restored in 1990, the government removed the military verse and restored the anthem as it was before the coup; today, supporters of the past military government still sing the third verse.

See also: Chile (1820-1847).