What is your favourite march or anthem?

When I was in university doing computer science (because that’s how old I am), I had a Dutch lecturer, Tobias Ruighaver (now retired). At the end of his course, I arranged the Dutch national anthem Wilhelmus for the instruments I had handy (violin, bassoon, me singing), and someone else presented him with some Heineken.

The Dutch national anthem is a beautiful, solemn, glorious thing, with masses of historical depth, and it’s stuck with me since. I posted on it extensively on my now defunct blog: Animadversions on the Dutch and the Greek National Anthems.

I’m William of Nassau,
My blood is Dutch.
I’m true to my country
beyond death’s reach.

A prince out of Orange,
free, unafraid:
my word is my bond to
the king of Spain.