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20 000 Forint Setting the Himnusz to music
| Issuer | Magyar Nemzeti Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 2019 |
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| Value | 20 000 Forint |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a three-quarter portrait bust of the Hungarian composer Ferenc Erkel in high relief, depicted in formal attire with a decorative waistcoat and cravat, turned slightly to the left. To the right of the figure, a portion of the original musical score manuscript of the Himnusz is engraved across the field, with staff lines, notes, and handwritten lyric fragments evoking the moment of the anthem's composition. Erkel's facsimile signature appears in the left field beside the portrait. The curved legend A HIMNUSZ MEGZENÉSÍTÉSE arcs along the upper rim, and the date 1844 is positioned to the upper right, commemorating the year Erkel set the Himnusz to music. The lower field carries the additional inscription ERKEL FERENC and the opening lyrical phrase Isten áld meg a magyart. |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Additional information |
Ferenc Kölcsey wrote the text of the Himnusz in 1823, but the poem sat without an official melody for over a decade. The National Conservatory held a composition competition in 1844, which Ferenc Erkel won — the same Erkel who would go on to found Hungarian opera. His setting was performed publicly that same year and adopted almost immediately as the national anthem, though Hungary would not formally enshrine it by law until 1989, during the transition away from communist rule.
The 2019 issue marks the 175th anniversary of Erkel's winning submission.