Ons Gelderland is the anthem of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. ... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Clemens Cornielje Religion (1999) Protestant 31% Catholic 29% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   4. ...

There are two versions of the song. The first, 'Ons Gelderland' is sung the most, but the second, 'het Geldersch Volkslied', is considered by many to be the official anthem. Since Gelderland is a province, and not a country, the officiality of either one remains undecided. Nowadays, the provincial government of Gelderland displays 'Ons Gelderland' on their website. In the past they have stated 'het Geldersch Volkslied' to be the official anthem.

A remarkable detail to note is that each version can be sung to the same tune. Since the texts have already been put to different tunes, this is a surprisingly convienient coincidence for many songwriters in Gelderland.

Ons Gelderland

Text and music by C.J.C. Geerlings.

Waar der beuken breede kronen

Ons heur koele schaduw biên;

Waar we groene dennebosschen,

Paarse heidevelden zien;

Waar de blonde roggeakker

En het beekje ons oog bekoort,

Daar is onze Vale ouwe,

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Waar bij zomerzon de boomgaard

Kleurig ooft den wand'laar toont,

En de vruchtb're korenakker

Stagen arbeid rijk'lijk loont;

Waar het aorige rivierke

Rustig stroomt langs groenen boord,

Daar is onze rijke Betuw

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Waar kasteelen statig prijzen

Rond door park en bosch omringd,

Waar het voog'lenkoor zijn lied'ren

In het dichte loover zingt;

Waar het lief'lijk schoon na 't landschap

't Oog des schilders steeds bekoort,

Daar is onze "olde Graafschap",

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Kost'lijk deel van Gelre's oord.

Structure

Each couplet sings about one of the three part of Gelderland: first the Veluwe, then the Betuwe and lastly the Achterhoek or Graafschap (which litteraly means: County or Earldom). A forest on the Veluwe The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. ... Satellite image of the upper part of the Rhine-Meuse delta showing the Betuwe region (5). ... The Achterhoek is a region in the eastern part of the Netherlands. ... A county is generally a sub-unit of regional self-government within a sovereign jurisdiction. ... An Earl as a member of the British peerage ranks below a Marquess and above a Viscount. ...

The song is written in a dated form of the Dutch language, with some remarkable Brabantic influences, probably because Zuid-Gelders is one of the many dialects spoken in Gelderland. Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium. ... Brabantian is a dialect of the Dutch language spoken in Noord-Brabant and in the Belgian provinces of Antwerpen and Vlaams-Brabant. ... Zuid-Gelders (Kleverlands) is the dialect of the Dutch language, that is spoken in the Veluwezoom, around Nijmegen, in the Bommelerwaard, other areas of the Netherlands and traditionally parts of Germany including Duisburg and partly Wuppertal up to Wenden, which is the only Westphalian municipality. ...

Geldersch Volkslied

Text by Jan van Riemsdijk, music by Rombout van Riemsdijk

Gelders dreven zijn de mooiste

In ons dierbaar Nederland.

Vette klei- en heidegronden,

Beken, bosch en heuvelrand.

Ginds de Waal, daar weer de IJssel,

Dan de Maas en ook de Rijn

Geeft ons recht om heel ons leven

Geeft ons recht om heel ons leven

Trotsch op Gelderland te zijn.

Trotsch op Gelderland te zijn.

Waar ons vaderland bebouwd werd

Door den Saksischen Germaan,

Daar werd onze stam geboren,

Daar is Gelderland ontstaan.

En het graan, dat thans geoogst wordt,

Waar het woest en wild eens was

Geeft ons recht om trotsch te wezen,

Geeft ons recht om trotsch te wezen,

Op ons echt Gelders ras.

Op ons echt Gelders ras.

In de dorpen en de steden

Tusschen Brabant en de Zee,

Tussen Utrecht en Westfalen

Heerscht de welvaart en de vreê!

Met je kerken en kasteelen,

Met je huisjes aan den dijk,

Gelderland, jij bent de Parel

Gelderland, jij bent de Parel

Van ons Hollandsch koninkrijk.

Van ons Hollandsch koninkrijk.

Structure

The first couplet sings about the geography of Gelderland. The second sings about the history and the third couplet is more of a hymn to Gelderland, praising it as the Pearl of the Netherlands. A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a god or other religiously significant figure. ...

This anthem is again written in an ancient form of Dutch, albeit somewhat more modern in language then 'Ons Gelderland'.

Hollands vs. Nederlands

The last lines are disputed, and often sung differently. They talk about a kingdom of Holland, which essentially is nonexistent. Oftentimes, the phrase is sung "Van ons Neêrlands koninkrijk" which instead talks about the kingdom of the Netherlands, from which Gelderland is a province. Some people from the Netherlands living outside the provinces North Holland and South Holland strongly object against the use of Holland when denoting the entire Netherlands (see also: 'the Netherlands, naming conventions'). This is often also the case in Gelderland, hence the alterations. Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Clemens Cornielje Religion (1999) Protestant 31% Catholic 29% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   4. ... Province is a name for a subnational entity. ... Capital Haarlem Queens Commissioner Mr. ... South Holland (Dutch Zuid-Holland) is a province of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country on the North Sea coast. ... Holland is a region in the central-western part of the Netherlands. ... Motto: Je Maintiendrai (Dutch: Ik zal handhaven, English: I will uphold) Anthem(s): Wilhelmus van Nassouwe National animal: Lion Capital Amsterdam 1 Largest city Amsterdam Official language(s) Dutch 2 Government Parliamentary democracy Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Beatrix  - Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende Independence Eighty Years War   - Declared July 26, 1581... Capital Arnhem Queens Commissioner Clemens Cornielje Religion (1999) Protestant 31% Catholic 29% Area  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water   4. ...

Sources

• Ons Gelderland on the official website of the province of Gelderland (in Dutch)

Note that this source refers to 'Ons Gelderland' as the official anthem

• het Geldersch Volkslied on a website devoted to anthems of the Netherlands (in Dutch and English)

Note that this source refers to 'het Geldersch Volkslied' as the official anthem

• Audiofile 'Geldersch Volkslied'