Hymn of the Nations
Commissioned by the U.S. Office of War Information, this short film features conductor Arturo Toscanini leading the NBC Symphony Orchestra, tenor Jan Peerce, and the Westminster Choir in Verdi’s Inno delle nazioni. Originally composed in the 1860s as a musical tribute to Europe, Toscanini expanded the score to include The Star-Spangled Banner and The Internationale in honor of the Allied struggle and Italian partisans. Filmed in NBC’s Studio 8H, the documentary interweaves performance with scenes of Toscanini at home, emphasizing his anti-fascist stance and celebrating the liberation of Italy. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2010.
From the archive
Hymn of the Nations, originally titled Arturo Toscanini: Hymn of the Nations, is a 1944 film directed by Alexander Hammid, which features the Inno delle nazioni, a patriotic work for tenor soloist, chorus, and orchestra, composed by Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi in the early-1860s.Documentary: Arturo Toscanini conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a radio broadcast of Verdi's overture to "Forza del Destino." The film discusses the contributions of Toscanini and other great Italians to democracy. Jan Peerce and the Westminster Choir accompany Toscanini as he conducts Verdi's "Hymn of the Nations."
Why this is free to watch
Hymn of the Nations (1944) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. No signup, no payment and no advertising interrupts playback. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Alexander Hammid
- Starring
- Arturo Toscanini, Jan Peerce, Burgess Meredith, Walfredo Toscanini, Knox Manning, The Westminister Choir
Player shortcuts
- Space Play / pause
- ← → Skip 10s
- ↑ ↓ Volume
- M Mute
- F Fullscreen
- 0–9 Jump to %
