God Bless Holy Columbia

God Bless Holy Columbia is the national anthem of Lower Columbia.

Lyrics
God bless, God bless holy Columbia For we always have been loyal to you. As our trees are fed on rain showers From highest heaven above We are led by our king's righteous powers And he is blest by your love. To our God and to our monarch We render our hearts and hands.

History
"God Bless Holy Columbia" is set to the tune of the Medieval hymn "Ave Verum Corpus" as arranged by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The lyrics are of obscure origin, but it is widely believed that they were written by either King Edward, the founder of Lower Columbia, or someone in his immediate family. The anthem was first set to its modern tune soon after scores of Mozart's arrangement first arrived in Lower Columbia, although it would remain an obscure song until the 19th century.*

The first public performance of the anthem was at the coronation ceremony of King John, the son of King Brandon I. It was performed by the choir of the National Cathedral, accompanied by the cathedral's pipe organ. Many in the audience were struck by the song's beauty, including several members of Parliament. Those members introduced a bill to the Federal Assembly the following week to make the song Lower Columbia's official national anthem. By the end of autumn 1835, both houses had passed the bill, and King John signed it into law on 15 December 1835.


 * In reality, the lyrics were written by NationStates user Zwangzug on 8 November 2009.

Performances
The anthem is performed at the beginning of all major sporting events, orchestral concerts and conventions in the kingdom, as well as all public gatherings on Proclamation Day (1 October). Because of the song's complicated choral arrangement, it is most commonly performed by choirs, although some popular Lower Columbian artists have sung it in duets at major sporting events.