Anthem - Intellect

Signifying Europe
a continuous crescendo from the gentle beginning up to a full climax with timpani
and trumpets as the choir sings: ‘And all the people rejoic’d, and said: God save the
King, long live the King, may he live forever! Alleluia, Amen.’ 426 These words are then
repeated in shifting combinations with musical motifs.
Whereas Händel’s Zadok lasts for more than 5 minutes with a 90 seconds
instrumental introduction and a contrasting middle section, the UEFA anthem is 3
minutes long, with just 25 seconds introduction. Its final 1-minute chorus is played
before matches and television broadcasts. It is an adaptation made by Tony Britten
in 1992, as part of the symbol package mentioned in Chapter 6, commissioned by
TEAM. The music makes use of several elements from Handel’s original composition,
but reshuffles and transforms them to suit the new context. The UEFA anthem thus
differs in melodic detail from Zadok much more than the EU anthem diverges from
Beethoven’s original work. It was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields chorus, while a remixed version called
‘Victory’ has also been used, released by Polish trance/dance duo Kalwi & Remi in
2006. 427 Its choir sings simple, disjointed and heavily repeated phrases, alternating
in UEFA’s three official languages: French, German and English. This multilingual
montage exemplifies another way of dealing with heterogeneous situations than when
lyrics are constructed in several parallel translations. The words express the strength
of the teams and of the sports events: on the one hand ‘These are the best teams’,
‘The masters’, ‘The biggest teams’ and ‘The Champions’, on the other hand ‘The main
event’, ‘A big gathering’ and ‘A big sports event’. Together they designate the greatness
of the national sports teams that fill UEFA with specific competence, and of the pan-
European Champions League that is organised for them by UEFA. The climactic
moment is set to the exclamations ‘Die Meister! Die Besten! Les Grandes Équipes!
The Champions!’
It is no coincidence that the German words in the hymn include the word
‘Mannschaften’, which is the standard synonym of ‘teams’, belonging to the many words
that tend to link sports to a masculine sphere, mirrored by the persistent privileging
of male football also in this traditional context. Anthony King’s analysis of UEFA’s
visual and musical symbols hears the Zadok anthem reinforcing the required aura of
‘tradition and quality’.
The majestic music which rises to an impressive major key crescendo
signifies the installation of a new head of state. The baroque music of the
Zadok anthem associates the Champions League with the monarchies
of Ancien Regime Europe. The baroque music also interconnects with
the silver house colours, for the aristocratic connotations evoked by
the silver are reflected and affirmed in this noble music. 428
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