Das Lied der Deutschen ("The Song of the Germans") or Das Deutschlandlied ("The Song of Germany") has been the national anthem of Germany since 1922, though the current German anthem is restricted to the third verse. The National Anthem is the name of a song by the band Radiohead. ... The Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is one of the worlds leading industrialised countries, located in the heart of Europe. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The music was written by Joseph Haydn in 1797, the words by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841 at Heligoland, then British. Franz Joseph Haydn, (March 31 or April 1, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. He used his second name, spelled in German Josef. He was the brother of Michael Haydn, himself a... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August Heinrich Hoffmann, who used Hoffmann von Fallersleben as his pen name, was a German poet. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Heligoland during World War I. Heligoland (in German, Helgoland and in North Frisian, Lun, Hålilönj) is a small, German, triangular-shaped island approximately 2 km long, though a smaller island east of it is usually also included. ...

Audio Sample

German national anthem (5KB, MIDI) ("Das Lied der Deutschen")

History

Earlier German national anthems

At the beginning of the 19th century, Germany was not a unified country, and the various smaller nation states considered to be German each had their own anthem. The first pan-German anthem prior to 1866 was Was ist des Deutschen Vaterland ("What is the German's fatherland?"), with lyrics composed in 1813 by Ernst Moritz Arndt (1769-1860) and set to music by Gustav Reichardt (1797-1884) in 1825. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Ernst Moritz Arndt ( December 26, 1769 - January 29, 1860), German poet and patriot, was born at Schoritz in the island of Rügen, which at that time belonged to Sweden. ... Events Baron Wolfgang von Kempelen exhibits the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing machine May 14 - Charles III of Spain sends Spanish missionaries, who found California missions in San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Monterey and begin the settlement of California. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1797 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Events January 4 - King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies dies and is succeeded by his son Francis I of the Two Sicilies. ...

Following the unification of Germany in 1871, the Prussian anthem Heil dir im Siegerkranz — sung to the tune of the British anthem God Save the King — became the national anthem of Germany. Furthermore the anthem "Die Wacht am Rhein" ("The watch on the Rhine") was very popular as an inoffical national anthem in that time. 1871 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Heil dir im Siegerkranz (Hail to the Crown) was from 1871 to 1918 the national anthem of the German Empire. ... This article is on the British patriotic anthem. ... Die Wacht am Rhein (in English, The Watch on the Rhine) is a German patriotic anthem which was particularly popular during the First World War. ...

Tune

The tune of "Das Lied der Deutschen" was written by Haydn, but not as a national anthem; Haydn wrote it because he had been requested to provide music to the poem "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" ("God preserve Francis the Emperor"), an anthem to Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Germany, and Archduke of Austria. After the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, "Gott erhalte..." came to be considered the unofficial national anthem of Austria. Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God Save Emperor Francis) is an anthem to the Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria, written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749-1827) and set to a tune written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. ... Francis II Francis I Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, who may also be referred to as Francis von Habsburg or Emperor Franz I of Austria (February 12, 1768 - March 2, 1835) was the last Holy Roman Emperor, ruling from 1792 until August 6, 1806, when the Empire was disbanded. ...

For additional details on the tune and how it was composed, see "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser." Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser (God Save Emperor Francis) is an anthem to the Emperor Francis II of the Holy Roman Empire and later of Austria, written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1749-1827) and set to a tune written by Joseph Haydn in 1797. ...

Text

Fallersleben evidently intended "Das Lied der Deutschen" to be sung to Haydn's tune, as the first publication of the poem included the music. It seems that the idea of using one country's national anthem to provide the tune for a patriotic song of a different country did not strike nineteenth century authors as strange, as other countries likewise borrowed tunes at the time for their patriotic songs, particularly the tune from Britain's God Save the King (it should be noted, however, that while America's My Country, 'Tis of Thee is based on God Save the Queen, this was entirely accidental, as the lyricist was unfamiliar with the British anthem and simply chose a tune he liked from a collection of sheet music). This article is on the British patriotic anthem. ... My Country, Tis of Thee (also known as America) is an American patriotic song, sung to the tune of God Save the Queen, the British national anthem and royal anthem of British Commonwealth countries. ...

The poem was written at a time when Germany was still a motley collection of quarreling kingdoms and principalities. Fallersleben wanted to express his desire for a united, strong Germany. His poem is in three stanzas, of which the first begins Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, 'Germany, Germany above all'. The anthem is still known in most of the English-speaking world by its first line, even though only the third stanza constitutes the official anthem for reasons that are explained below. For related meanings see also Monarch (disambiguation) A monarchy, (from the Greek monos, one, and archein, to rule) is a form of government that has a monarch as Head of State. ... Prince Albert of Monaco on the left represents a principality where he wields adminisitrative authority. ...

In its historical context, the line "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, über alles in der Welt" ("Germany, Germany above all, above anything in the world") can be understood as an appeal to the German sovereigns to put aside all other projects and concentrate their efforts on creating a united Germany. In Fallersleben's time, this text also had a distinctly revolutionary, liberal connotation, since the demand for a united Germany was most often uttered in connection with demands for freedom of press and other liberal rights (see The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states). After these rights had been introduced after World War I, President Friedrich Ebert made all three stanzas the German national anthem on August 11, 1922. The adjective sovereign is used to refer to a state of sovereignty. ... In politics, the term liberal refers to: an adherent of the ideology of liberalism or a state or quality of this ideology. ... Preliminaries Germany at the time of the Revolutions of 1848 was a collection of over 30 states loosely bound together in the German Confederation after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... This is not the same Friedrich Ebert who was briefly the GDRs head of state, but rather his father. ... August 11 is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In the light of German military aggression and nationalist furor during World War II, it was easy to infer a sinister intent behind the exhortation to a "Deutschland über Alles", and the words were so exploited in Allied propaganda. The song still rings with menace today in the ears of some. Many would agree that, however valid the propagandists' interpretation may have been in regard to the Nazis, it does not reflect Fallersleben's original intentions. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

In 1921, Albert Matthai wrote a fourth stanza, which was popular at that time, but not part of the official anthem. The text is also given below with an approximate translation. Today this stanza is largely forgotten. 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1945, at the end of World War II, "Das Lied der Deutschen" was banned by the victors, and for a time West Germany simply did not have an official national anthem. Though the colours of the Bundesflagge (black-red-gold) were taken into Article 21 of the basic law, the national anthem is not part of the basic law. On April 29, 1952, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked President Theodor Heuss to accept Das Lied der Deutschen as the national anthem, with only the third stanza sung on official occasions. President Heuss agreed to this on May 2, 1952, but the decision was never formalized. Thus, West Germany officially continued to have no national anthem, but used the third stanza at occasions where a national anthem was needed. The first two stanzas are not actually forbidden, but they are never sung on official occasions. Singing or using the first stanza may be perceived as an expression of right-wing political views. East Germany adopted its own national anthem, Auferstanden aus Ruinen, which was written to fit the same melody, but later got its own. West Germany was the informal but almost universally used name for the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 until 1990, during which years the Federal Republic did not yet include East Germany. ... April 29 is the 119th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (120th in leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Konrad Adenauer (January 5, 1876–April 19, 1967) was a German statesman. ... Theodor Heuss (January 31, 1884 - December 12, 1963) was a German politician and first Federal President of West Germany. ... May 2 is the 122nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (123rd in leap years). ... 1952 - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR), German Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR), was a Communist state that existed from 1949 to 1990 in the former Soviet occupation zone of Germany. ... Auferstanden aus Ruinen (Risen from the Ruins) was the national anthem of East Germany (German Democratic Republic, German: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, DDR). ...

Following reunification, the constitutional court in March 1990 declared only the third stanza of Fallersleben's poem to be protected by criminal law. In November 1991, president Richard von Weizsäcker and chancellor Helmut Kohl agreed in an exchange of letters to declare the third stanza alone (still with Haydn's music) the national anthem of the reunited republic. However, this has not been formally ratified as a law yet. German reunification (Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) refers to the reunification of Germany from its constituent parts of East Germany and West Germany under a single government on October 3, 1990. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Freiherr (Baron) Dr. Richard von Weizsäcker (  listen?, born April 15, 1920) is a German politician ( CDU). ... Dr. Helmut Kohl (full name Helmut Josef Michael Kohl) was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998. ...

Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit ("unity and justice and freedom") from the third stanza is also the state's motto and is engraved into the rim of former 5-mark and current 2-euro coins minted in Germany. A 10 Deutsche Mark banknote from Germany 1993 showing Carl Friedrich Gauss (http://www. ... The euro (€; ISO 4217 code EUR) is the currency of twelve European Union member states: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. ...

Geography

Besides the degree of nationalism, which is nowadays considered inappropriate in Germany, but is not uncommon among national anthems, the geography in the first stanza is now outdated and open to major criticism and misuse.

In the early 1840s, when the text was written, there was no single German state and it was uncertain if there would ever be. Fallersleben outlines the Deutscher Bund or großdeutsche Lösung (greater Germany) including Austria (without Hungary), which more or less only existed from 1937 to 1945. Thus the southern border is the Adige (South Tyrol), nowadays Italy. To the north there's not as much difference to later real boundaries, but the Little Belt between Jutland and Funen is Danish territory now (see first and second war of Schleswig). In the north-west he names the Meuse, thus implying Dutch Limburg, Luxembourg and the eastern part of Belgium to be a part of Germany. Both Dutch Limburg and Luxembourg were members of the German Confederation. Further south he doesn't name the Rhine explicitly, avoiding a statement about Alsace. In the east East Prussia expanded far into the Baltic region with its border on the Neman, now in Lithuania. The Meuse(Maas) at Maastricht Length 925 km Elevation of the source 409 m Average discharge 230 m³/s Area watershed 36 000 km² Origin France Mouth Hollands Diep Basin countries France - Belgium - Netherlands The Meuse (Dutch Maas) is a large European river rising in France, flowing through Belgium and... External links Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to: Neman Categories: Belarus-related stubs | Rivers of Belarus | Rivers of Lithuania | Russian rivers ... Adige (Italian; Etsch in German) is a river with its source in the region of South Tyrol / Alto Adige. ... Categories: Straits of Europe | Stub ... Events and Trends First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi New Zealand. ... The German Confederation (German Deutscher Bund) was a loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to organize the surviving states of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been abolished in 1806. ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... South Tyrol ( German Autonome Provinz Bozen-Südtirol, Italian Provincia autonoma di Bolzano-Alto Adige, Ladin Provinzia autonóma de Bulsan-Südtirol) is an autonomous province of Italy. ... Jutland Peninsula Jutland (Danish: Jylland, German: Jütland) is a peninsula in northern Europe that forms the continental part of Denmark and a northern part of Germany, dividing the North Sea from the Baltic Sea. ... Funen (Danish: Fyn) is the third largest island of Denmark. ... The First war of Schleswig in 1848–1850 was a military conflict in southern Denmark. ... Second war of Schleswig also known as Danish war or Danish-Prussian war in 1864 was fought between Denmark and Prussia. ... Limburg is the southern-most of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands, located in the south-east of the country. ... The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a small landlocked state in the north-west of the continental European Union, bordered by France, Germany and Belgium. ... The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België, French: Royaume de Belgique, German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in Western Europe, bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea. ... The German Confederation (German Deutscher Bund) was a loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to organize the surviving states of the Holy Roman Empire, which had been abolished in 1806. ... Capital Strasbourg Area 8,280 km² Regional President Adrien Zeller Population  - 2004 estimate  - 1999 census  - Density 1,793,000 1,734,145 209/km² Arrondissements 13 Cantons 75 Communes 903 Départements Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Alsace ( French: Alsace; Alsatian/ German: Elsaß) is a région of France. ... East Prussia (German: Ostpreu en; Polish: Prusy Wschodnie; Russian: Восточная Пруссия — Vostochnaya Prussiya) was a province of Kingdom of Prussia, situated on the territory of former Ducal Prussia. ... The Baltic Sea The Baltic region (sometimes briefly The Baltics) is an ambiguous term used to denominate an arbitrary region connected to the Baltic Sea (also called The Baltics). ... The Republic of Lithuania (in Lithuanian, Lietuva) is a republic in Northeastern Europe. ...

Lyrics and translation

External links

• Sound files and history (in German) from the German federal government (http://www.bundesregierung.de/Regierung/-,8394/Nationalhymne.htm)
• Site with lyrics and MP3s (http://www.geocities.com/liedderdeutschen/)
• MIDI sound file (http://ingeb.org/Lieder/deutsch2.mid)
• Sheet music (http://ingeb.org/images/deutschl.GIF)