The Hino da Umbanda has lyrics by the Portuguese composer José Manoel Alves. It was adopted as the anthem at the 2nd Umbanda Congress in 1961, in Rio de Janeiro [C44, D1, D2]. Before that, it was sung in terreiros as a common sung chant (ponto cantado), with the name "Refletiu a luz divina". The music is credited to maestro Dalmo da Trindade Reis [C44, C45].
Who wrote the Hino da Umbanda
The lyrics are by José Manoel Alves, who signed as J. M. Alves. He was born in Monção, in northern Portugal, and was a band musician. The melody is credited, in Umbanda sources, to maestro Dalmo da Trindade Reis, from the Rio Military Police band [C44, C45].
Original title: Refletiu a luz divina | Lyrics: José Manoel Alves | Music: credited to Dalmo da Trindade Reis | Adopted as anthem: 1961 | Recorded: 1962 | Form: four stanzas of four lines
The anthem was recorded on disc in 1962, with the singer Araripe Barbosa, according to a newspaper from the time cited by the Umbanda historian Diamantino Trindade. A UFF dissertation credits the chant (cantiga) as "by J. M. Alves, 1962".
From sung chant to official anthem: the 1961 congress
The anthem became an anthem by decision of a congress. The 2nd Brazilian Umbanda Congress, in 1961, was held at the Maracanãzinho, in Rio, and gathered Umbanda practitioners from various states. It was there that "Refletiu a luz divina" gained the title of Hino da Umbanda [C44, D1].
The first congress had taken place twenty years earlier, in October 1941, also in Rio. According to the dissertation by Marcelo Bichara, from UFRRJ, the 1961 congress admitted the African origins of the cult, and the anthem is from that same year. Bichara calls the anthem the "most widely accepted ponto cantado (sung sacred song) in Umbanda practice."
Later, in the 1970s, the National Deliberative Council of Umbanda (CONDU) also recognized it as the official anthem. Sources diverge on the year: one says 1971, another says 1976 [C44, D5].
The author was a clarinetist from Monção
The author's biography has a source from outside the religious circle: the Cravo Albin Dictionary of Brazilian Popular Music. According to the entry, J. M. Alves was born on August 5, 1907. From age 12 to 22, he played the clarinet in the Tangilense Band, in his hometown.
In 1929 he came to Brazil. He lived in the interior of São Paulo and, in the same year, joined the Public Force Band of the capital, where he retired as a captain. His greatest success was the dobrado "Quarto centenário", made with Mário Zan. He also composed other Umbanda chants (pontos), recorded by various performers in the early 1960s.
The UFF dissertation calls him a "Portuguese erudite musician, settled in Brazil". It is a different portrait than what many people imagine: the author of the anthem was a military band musician, with a career in popular music.
The story of the blind composer
It is said that the author was blind and sought the Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas in search of a cure. In the most repeated version, he did not recover his sight, became an Umbanda practitioner and offered the lyrics to the Caboclo, who supposedly baptized it as the Anthem of Umbanda. The story even appears in an academic dissertation, in a note without a source.
But the historian Diamantino Trindade is direct: "To this day, no one has proven this story", and the existing photos of the author do not show that he was blind. In 1972, a newspaper in Paraná even wrote that the anthem "has no known author". The anthem became more famous than the person who wrote it.
What the lyrics of the Anthem of Umbanda say
The lyrics open like this, in the verses of José Manoel Alves:
“Reflected the divine light / with all its splendor" (José Manoel Alves, Hino da Umbanda) [C44, D1]
The hymn speaks of a light that comes “from the kingdom of Oxalá (Obatala)” and spreads across the world [C47, D6]. It ends with the image of carrying the flag of Oxalá to the entire world [D5, D6]. There are four stanzas of four lines of seven syllables, the redondilha maior of popular poetry.
Why only one excerpt here? The lyrics are still protected by copyright. Under Law 9.610, rights last 70 years after the author's death, and J. M. Alves was alive in 1978 [C46, C45]. The same law allows quoting excerpts for study, with the author's name. Singing the hymn in the gira is one thing. Publishing the full lyrics is another.
Why every house sings in a different way
The same music arrives with small differences from one house to another. The sources record these variations:
| Excerpt | One version | Another version |
|---|---|---|
| verse 2 | ”with all its splendor" | in all its splendor |
| verse 3 | Comes from the kingdom of Oxalá | It is from the kingdom of Oxalá |
| verse 8 | To illuminate everything | To illuminate us |
The versions come from houses in Rio and from academic works done in Rio, Niterói, and Sobral, in Ceará [C44, C47, D1, D2, D6]. There are houses that repeat the final verses two or three times.
There are also those who ask for the lyrics without any changes. Diamantino Trindade says that the author asked that not "even a comma" be changed and only asked that they keep his name. No version is wrong: it is the same faith sung with the accent of each house.
When and how the Hino da Umbanda is sung
At the opening of the gira. There are houses that put the hymn as the first chant of the ritual work. In a center in Rio, it opens the folha de pontos, before the calling of the caboclos. The order of the chants in the gira is in curimba na umbanda.
Standing and with the hand on the chest. In 1972, at the closing of the 1st Umbanda Congress of Paraná, the public sang "standing". Diamantino Trindade advises singing with the right hand over the heart, a request he attributes to the author himself. It is a custom of many houses, not a written rule for all.
On Umbanda Day. On November 15, the hymn enters the festivals of the houses and in public sessions. In the Chamber of Niterói, in 2021, the solemn session had a washing of the staircase, smoke cleansing (defumação), and the hymn. The date, the law, and the way to celebrate are in Dia da Umbanda.
In your house, is the hymn sung in white, with a lit candle on the congá? If you need to replace the white candle or the gira clothing before the 15th, Joia Mística will check with you via WhatsApp.
Hymn and ponto (sacred chant): what is the difference
The hymn was born as a ponto, a sacred chant. The difference is one of function. The ponto calls, sustains, or dismisses a line, and each house has its own. The hymn does not call a spirit: it is a song of praise for all of Umbanda, adopted by a congress, with an author with a first and last name [C44, D1, D2]. The types of ponto are in sung pontos in Umbanda.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Hymn of Umbanda?
The lyrics are by José Manoel Alves, J. M. Alves, a Portuguese composer born in Monção and a musician of the Banda da Força Pública de São Paulo. The melody is credited, in Umbanda sources, to maestro Dalmo da Trindade Reis, from the Rio de Janeiro Military Police band.
When did the Hymn of Umbanda become official?
In 1961, at the 2nd Umbanda Congress, at Maracanãzinho, Rio de Janeiro. Until then, the music was sung as a ponto (sacred song), with the name Refletiu a luz divina. The hymn was recorded on disc in 1962 and, in the 1970s, was also recognized by the National Deliberative Council of Umbanda.
Was the author of the Hymn of Umbanda blind?
It is said that yes, and that he sought a cure with the Caboclo das Sete Encruzilhadas. But it was never proven. The Umbanda historian Diamantino Trindade states that no one has proven the story and that the author's photos do not show a blind man.
Do you need to sing the Hymn of Umbanda standing up?
There is no written rule that applies to all houses. There is a record of the hymn sung standing up in 1972, in Paraná, and Diamantino Trindade advises placing the right hand over the heart. Follow the custom of your house and the guidance of your leader.
References
- SANTOS, Rafael Sant’Anna. Dissertation, UFF, 2022. Firma ponto, bambeia com fé
- BICHARA, Marcelo Raphael Rocha. Dissertation, UFRRJ, 2015. Luz que veio de Aruanda
- Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira. J. M. Alves
- FERNANDES, Stéfani Martins; HENN, Leonardo Guedes. Religare (UFPB), 2018. The turns of religion
- TRINDADE, Diamantino Fernandes. Rádio Caminhos, 2017. José Manoel Alves and the Umbanda Hymn
- TRINDADE, Diamantino. Rádio Caminhos, 2018. Let us sing the Umbanda Hymn correctly
- Confraria dos Pretos Velhos de Umbanda. Umbanda Hymn
- Presidência da República. Law No. 9,610, of 1998, copyrights
