The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #7307   Message #756971
Posted By: Wilfried Schaum
30-Jul-02 - 12:06 PM
Thread Name: HYMNS and Folk Tunes?
Subject: RE: HYMNS and Folk Tunes?
The National Anthem of Germany is the 3. stanza of the "Lied der Deutschen" (= song of the Germans) and starts: Unity, justice and liberty for the German fatherland. Let us all work for it as brethren with heart and hand ...
The text was written on British territory, the island of Heligoland, now German (exchanged for Sansibar). The starting lines "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles" were misunderstood by many neighbouring peoples; the poet put "Deutschland" as an ethnic entity against the more than 30 particular states of his time and called, as so many others since 1806, for a unity. Unfortunately it came 1871 with the bloody Prussians reigning.
The melody was written by Joseph Haydn and is theme of his "Emperor's quartet". It isn't Austria's anthem anymore, since the text was "God save Francis, the Emperor ..." As I know, but I may err, the Austrians now have for their anthem a chorus of Mozart's Magic Flute: "Brethren give your hands for a Federation ..."
There are two tunes for the "Ode to Joy", one by Beethoven, one a folk tune (link above). I never - NEVER! - heard it sung to the tune of the "Song of the Germans" in the 59 years of my life, and I have travelled a lot through my native country.

Wilfried