The Anthem reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Anthem

For the novel by Ayn Rand, see: Anthem (novel)

An anthem is a song of praise or gladness, usually acting as a symbol for a certain group of people. Particularly well known are national anthems; see List of national anthems for a list of these.

In religious worship an anthem is a short composition based on scripture to be sung by a choir. It is part of Anglican services and developed from the motet. Originally written without solo parts by the likes of Thomas Tallis and William Byrd, composers such as Henry Purcell and John Blow developed the "verse anthem", which places material for solo voices between the choral passages.

The following is a list of articles on other anthems.

• Esperanto: La Espero
• Europe: European anthem
• Rock and roll anthems
• Biffeche anthem
• The Internationale (Communist anthem)
• "Hail to the Chief"

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