The National Anthem is the patriotic song of T&T. It must be sung with dignity and majesty in keeping with the melody, words and atmosphere of such a song.
When we sing the National Anthem, we pay homage to our nation and to ourselves. It is thus most befitting that when we sing it we stand to attention as a mark of respect.
The National Anthem was written to celebrate T&T's independence from Great Britain on August 31, 1962. A nation-wide contest was held in search of the best anthem to accompany this momentous occasion. The winner of the contest was Patrick S. Castagne.
PATRICK S CASTAGNE
Patrick Stanisclaus Castagne was born in Guyana. He attended St Mary's College, PoS, from 1928-1935. He was a member of the College Cadet Corps, excelled in table tennis and was runner-up in one of the National Championship Tournaments.
Apart from composing our anthem, PSG wrote other songs as well, like "Kiss Me For Christmas", "The Iceman" - a popular Road March hit in 1960, "Nimble like Kimble" and "Hyarima - A Caribbean Rhapsody" which is really a collection of folksongs with one melodic line written entirely in the minor mode.
Castagne has held several posts in the government of Trinidad and Tobago. He is also the holder of a Chaconia medal and the British MBE.