A popular update for the Swiss anthem

The Swiss have chosen new lyrics for the national anthem, but the government gets the last word on the composition selected in a national competition. Werner Widmer, a health economist who also studied music theory, won for his contribution entitled, “White Cross on a Red Background”, which expresses the values of the Federal Constitution: freedom, independence, peace, openness and justice. The anthem’s melody, composed by Alberik Zwyssig 170 years ago, remains unchanged. The winning selection was announced on live television at the Swiss folk music festival in Aarau on Saturday night. The Swiss Youth Choir presented it with the so-called "Swiss verse", in which all four national languages – German, French, Italian and Romansh – appear alternately. "The winning entry was in media surveys, the jury and the public always first," said the president of the Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG), Jean-Daniel Gerber. "The fact that the population has chosen a version ...