Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser

English: God preserve Francis the Emperor
Autograph score of the original version
Imperial anthem of	Habsburg monarchy
Also known as	Kaiserhymne, Volkshymne English: Emperor's Hymn, People's Hymn Gott erhalte, Gott beschütze/Unsern Kaiser, unser Land! English: God preserve, God protect/Our Emperor, our country!
Lyrics	Lorenz Leopold Haschka (1797) Johann Gabriel Seidl (1854)
Music	Joseph Haydn, 1797
Adopted	1797

"Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" (which means "God save Francis the Emperor") was a special song written for Emperor Francis II. He was the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire and later the Austrian Empire.

The words were written by Lorenz Leopold Haschka, and the music was created by the famous composer Joseph Haydn. People sometimes called it the "Kaiserhymne" (Emperor's Hymn). Haydn's tune became very popular and has been used in many ways since then. You can hear it in other classical music, in Christian hymns, in school songs (called alma maters), and even as the tune for Germany's national anthem, the "Deutschlandlied".

Words and Music of the Emperor's Hymn

This song was a way to show loyalty and respect to the Emperor. The original German lyrics and their English translation are below.

<score sound> \new Staff << \clef treble \key g \major { \time 4/4 \partial 2 \relative g' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"clarinet" \repeat unfold 2 { g4. a8 | b4 a c b | a8 (fis) g4 e' d | c b a b8 (g) | d'2 \bar "|" \break } a4 b | a8 (fis) d4 c' b | a8 (fis) d4 d' c | b4. b8 cis4 cis8 (d) | d2 \bar "|" \break \repeat volta 2 { g4. fis8 | fis8 ([ e8 ]) d4 e4. d8 | d8 ([ c8 ]) b4 a4. b16 (c) | d8 ([e]) c ([a]) g4 \appoggiatura b8 a8 (g) | g2 } } } \new Lyrics \lyricmode { Gott4. er8 -- hal4 -- te Franz den Kai -- ser, Un -- sern gu -- ten Kai -- ser Franz!2 Lang4. -- e8 le4 -- be Franz der Kai -- ser, In des Glück -- es hell -- stem Glanz!2 Ihm4 er -- blü -- hen Lor -- beer -- rei -- ser, Wo er geht,4. zum8 Eh4 -- ren -- kranz!2 Gott4. er8 -- hal4 -- te Franz4. den8 Kai4 -- ser, Un4. -- sern8 gu4 -- ten Kai -- ser Franz!2 } >> \layout { indent = #0 } \midi { \tempo 4 = 90 } </score>

Here are the lyrics for the first part of the song:

History of the Song

This song was created in 1797 when Austria was facing a big threat from Revolutionary France. People in Austria felt very patriotic, meaning they loved their country deeply.

The idea for the song came from Joseph Haydn himself. When he visited England, he admired their national anthem, "God Save the King". He wished Austria had a similar song to show love and respect for its ruler.

Haydn shared this idea with a friend, Gottfried van Swieten. Van Swieten then talked to Franz Count von Saurau, a high-ranking official. They quickly decided to create a national song for Austria.

Count Saurau asked the poet Lorenz Haschka to write the words and then asked Haydn to compose the music. In January 1797, the song was ready. It was first performed on Emperor Francis's birthday, February 12, 1797. The song quickly became popular and was used unofficially as Austria's first national anthem.

How Haydn Composed It

Some people think Haydn might have used parts of old folk songs he knew when he wrote the tune. Others believe his tune was completely new and later became popular as a folk song.

Autograph sketch of "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser"

Haydn worked hard on the song, making many changes to get it just right. His early drafts show how he carefully chose each note to make the song powerful.

The first version of the song had a simple tune for a singer with basic piano music. This version was sent to theaters and opera houses across Austria. The first public performance was in Vienna on February 12, 1797, for the Emperor's 29th birthday.

Haydn later created three more versions of his song:

• He made a version for a full orchestra, which sounded much richer.
• He used the tune as a slow movement in one of his string quartets. This quartet, now called the "Emperor" quartet, is one of his most famous works. In it, each instrument in the quartet gets a turn playing the main melody.
• He also made a piano version of the quartet movement.

Haydn's Love for the Song

Joseph Haydn really loved this song. When he was old and sick, he would often go to his piano to play it. It brought him comfort. His servant, Johann Elssler, said it was the last music Haydn ever played. Just days before he died in 1809, Haydn played the "Kaiser Lied" three times with great feeling.

Other Composers Using the Tune

Many other famous composers have used Haydn's tune in their own music. When they did, it was like a special nod to Austria, Austrian patriotism, or the Austrian monarchy.

• Ludwig van Beethoven used the tune in a piece celebrating the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
• Carl Czerny wrote variations for piano and orchestra based on the tune in 1824.
• Philipp Jakob Riotte used the tune to show joy after Napoleon's defeat in a battle piece.
• Gioachino Rossini included the tune in his 1825 opera Il viaggio a Reims.
• Niccolò Paganini wrote a set of variations for violin and orchestra in 1828.
• Gaetano Donizetti used the tune in his opera Maria Stuarda in 1835.
• Clara Schumann used it for her piano piece "Souvenir de Vienne" in 1838.
• Bedřich Smetana used the tune in his Festive Symphony in 1853.
• Henryk Wieniawski wrote variations for solo violin in 1853.
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky arranged the work for orchestra in 1874.
• Anton Bruckner used it in an organ piece in 1890 for a royal wedding.
• Béla Bartók used the theme in his symphonic poem Kossuth in 1903. In this piece about a Hungarian revolution, the tune represented the Austrian enemy.

Uses in National Anthems, School Songs, and Hymns

Austria-Hungary

After Emperor Francis died in 1835, the song got new words to praise his successor, Emperor Ferdinand. When Ferdinand stepped down in 1848, the original words were used again because the new emperor, Francis Joseph, was also named Francis.

In 1854, new lyrics were chosen: "Gott erhalte, Gott beschütze / Unsern Kaiser, unser Land!" ("God preserve, God protect / Our Emperor, our country!"). This version became the official anthem of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. There were also versions of the hymn in many other languages spoken in the empire, like Czech, Hungarian, and Polish.

When World War I ended in 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire broke apart. Austria became a republic and no longer had an emperor. So, the tune stopped being used for official purposes.

Germany

Many years after Haydn died, his melody was used for a German poem called Das Lied der Deutschen (1841). The third part of this poem, which starts with "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" (Unity and Right and Freedom), is sung to Haydn's tune. This part is now the national anthem of Germany.

Hymns

Haydn's melody is also used as a tune for Christian hymns. It is sometimes called "Austria" or "Austrian Hymn." It has been set to different hymn words, such as "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" and "Praise the Lord, Ye Heavens Adore Him."

School Hymns

The tune is also used for the "alma mater" songs of some schools, which are special songs about the school. Examples include:

• "Stand, Columbia", the alma mater of Columbia University.
• The alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh.
• The alma mater of Western Reserve University (now part of Case Western Reserve University).

Lyrics

1797 original version

Here is the first part of the original lyrics from 1797:

1854 version

Here is the first part of the lyrics from the 1854 version:

See also

In Spanish: Himno nacional del Imperio austrohúngaro para niños

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