The Magyar Nemzeti Bank will issue an especially large silver collector coin named ‘Musical Setting to the Anthem’ in the Ferenc Erkel Memorial House in Gyula on 2 July 2019, on the 175th anniversary of the Anthem’s first public performance. By issuing a collector coin with a face value of HUF 20,000 and its non-ferrous version of HUF 3000, the Bank aims to commemorate the creation of our national song, depicting the poem and the musical composition together.
Ferenc Kölcsey wrote the greatest piece of his patriotic poetry in 1823, entitled ‘Hymnus, a’ Magyar nép Zivataros századaiból’ (Anthem from the stormy centuries of the Hungarian nation). in 1844, the National Theatre announced a public competition to write the musical setting to the romantic poem, with the first stanza repeated at the end in a modified form. Ferenc Erkel, who was the conductor of the Theatre at the time, won the competition. The key to the success of the application bearing the motto ‘Itt az írás, forgassátok/Érett ésszel, józanon’ (Here is the script, utilise it/Wisely and sensibly) was that the elevation of a hymn was nicely combined with a simple musical tone, and the Hungarian and European musical tradition was also integrated into the composition.
The Anthem was included in Hungary’s national symbols by the 1989 Constitution. Article 1 in the Foundation of the Fundamental Law, which entered into force on 1 January 2012, stipulates: ‘The national anthem of Hungary shall be the poem Himnusz by KÖLCSEY Ferenc set to music by ERKEL Ferenc.’
The Musical Setting to the Anthem commemorative coins are legal tender in Hungary, but they do not serve circulatory purposes. Primarily, they are a means to commemorate and raise awareness of the national values of Hungary. The silver and the non-ferrous metal versions have the same design, the only difference being their denominations.
The obverse of the Musical Setting to the Anthem collector coins
Silver collector coin Non-ferrous metal collector coin
On the obverse of the collector coins, a half-body portrait of Ferenc Kölcsey, the poet who wrote the Anthem, is featured. The portrait was inspired by Franz Eybl’s lithography and Anton Einsle’s oil painting. Behind the portrait, parts of the first stanza on the Anthem’s manuscript is shown as a relief in the background, with Kölcsey’s signature at the end.
The compulsory design elements of commemorative coins are placed on the obverse: the lettering ‘MAGYARORSZÁG’ and the denominations 20,000 and 3000 in the upper legend, under it, in the middle, the mint year 2019, and hidden in the composition the mint mark ‘BP.’ are shown.
The reverse side of the Musical Setting to the Anthem collector coins
Silver collector coin Non-ferrous metal collector coin
On the reverse of the collector coins, a half-body portrait of Ferenc Erkel, who composed the musical setting to the Anthem, is featured. The portrait was inspired by József Pataki’s portrait and Ágoston Canzi’s lithography of the composer. In the background of the portrait, to the left a part of the sheet music of the Anthem, including the words, is shown and to the right, Ferenc Erkel’s signature is placed. On the edge of the collector coin, in a legend positioned on the left the lettering ‘A HIMNUSZ MEGZENÉSÍTÉSE · 1844’ (MUSICAL SETTING TO THE ANTHEM, 1844) is shown referring to the year the musical piece was written, and the occasion of the issuance. The master mark of applied artist Gábor Kereszthury, the designer of the coin is placed in the portrait.
Both collector coins are 52.5 mm in diameter. Their edge is reeded. The coin with a face value of HUF 20,000 is struck in 925‰ silver and the non-ferrous metal coin with a face value of HUF 3,000 is made from an alloy of copper (75%) and nickel (25%). The silver coin weighing 77.76 grams is made in proof finish and the non-ferrous metal coin weighing 76.5 grams is made in BU finish. The commemorative coins are issued in limited quantities: 7000 pieces can be made of the silver and 5000 pieces of the non-ferrous metal version.
To promote the collector coins' value transferring and educational role as widely as possible the ‘Musical Setting to the Anthem’ silver commemorative coin can be purchased for three months, until stocks last, and the non-ferrous metal version for one year from the date of the issuance, at their face value, at the coin shop of Hungarian Mint Ltd., the producer and the distributor of the coins, (Budapest, distr. V, 7 Báthory street) and in the webshop on the company’s website (https://www.penzvero.hu/) from 2 July 2019.