Nikolaos Halkiopoulos Mantzaros sets to music Dionysios Solomos' "Hymn to Freedom" for choir and piano

The musical composition adopted the style of the patriotic choral songs of the time. It was published in London (Clayton) in 1873. Lieutenant Colonel Margaritis Kastellis, former director of the Music Corps, arranged the "National Anthem" for a band. The military bands are performing this transcription (which lacks the brief introduction) to this day. The poem "Hymn to Freedom" consists of 158 four-verse stanzas; the first 24 stanzas became the Greek national anthem on August 4, 1865. The first two stanzas are always performed during the hoisting and the lowering of the Greek flag. They are sung at official holidays and ceremonies. As of November 18, 1966, it has also been established as the Republic of Cyprus's national anthem. King George I, responsible for confirming the "Hymn to Freedom" as the "Greek national anthem," heard it played by the Corfu Philharmonic when he visited the island in 1864.