The oldest surviving manuscript of "Gloria al Bravo Pueblo" has a peculiarity that has not been sufficiently highlighted. Each of the sections that make up this version, whose author, according to graphological analysis, is Atanasio Bello Montero, has on its reverse a work entitled "Patriotic Song No. 2." The researchers' presumption is that both works must have been performed on some special occasion in a public event, following the order in which they were titled ("National Song No. 1," and then "Patriotic Song No. 2").
The curious thing is that this work, which accompanies our future national anthem, is the national anthem of Chile. Its author, the Spanish musician Ramón Carnicer, was commissioned in 1827 to compose a new version to replace the one conceived in 1819 by Manuel Robles. The original lyrics were by Bernardo Vera y Pintado and were rewritten by Eusebio Lillo in 1847, maintaining the same chorus: “Sweet Fatherland, receive the vows with which Chile swore at your altars, that you will be either the tomb of the free or the refuge against oppression.” In the Caracas version, the second verse is replaced by “with which all of America swore.”
Chile and Venezuela share common elements in their history, the most prominent being the presence and contributions of Andrés Bello. Bolívar also expressed his admiration for Chile, writing in his Letter from Jamaica that “The Kingdom of Chile is destined, by the nature of its location, by the innocent and virtuous customs of its inhabitants, and by the example of its neighbors, the fierce republicans of Arauco, to enjoy the blessings bestowed by the just and gentle laws of a republic.” This aspiration was tragically cut short on September 11, 1973.
