National anthem of Austria facts for kids
| English: National Anthem of the Republic of Austria | |
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Sheet music of the Austrian national anthem from the late 1940s, citing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as the composer and utilizing the pre-2011 lyrics
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| National anthem of | Austria |
| Also known as | Land der Berge, Land am Strome English: Land of the mountains, land by the river |
| Lyrics | Paula von Preradović, 1947 (modified in 2012) |
| Music | Disputed (possibly Johann Holzer), 1791 |
| Adopted | 1946 (as instrumental) 1947 (with lyrics) |
The national anthem of Austria is called "Land of the Mountains, Land by the River" (Austrian German: Bundeshymne der Republik Österreich). It became Austria's official song in 1946. A year later, words were added by Paula von Preradović. The music was once thought to be by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. However, many now believe it was written by Johann Holzer.
Contents
The Anthem's Story
How the Music Began
In 1791, just before he died, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his last complete piece of music. This music included a song called "Let us with joined hands." The melody of this song is now used for the Austrian national anthem.
For a long time, people thought Mozart wrote the anthem's tune. But today, many experts believe the music was actually composed by Johann Holzer. Some even think Mozart and Holzer might have worked on it together.
Choosing a New Anthem
Before World War II, Austria had a different national anthem. It was called "Sei gesegnet ohne Ende." This song used the same tune as the German national anthem, "Deutschlandlied."
After the war, Austria wanted a new anthem. This was to avoid any links to the past. The old song was even banned for a while. So, a new national song was needed.
Writing the Words
The words for the new anthem were written by Paula von Preradović. She was one of the few women to write lyrics for a national anthem. On October 22, 1946, the song became Austria's official anthem. At first, it was just the music. The words were added in February 1947.
Making the Lyrics Fair for Everyone
Since the 1990s, people have tried to change the anthem's words. They wanted to use language that included both men and women. This is called gender-neutral language.
In 2005, a government minister suggested changes. She wanted to remove words like "sons" and "fraternal" (meaning brotherly). Her idea faced strong opposition and did not become law.
In 2010, Austrian pop singer Christina Stürmer sang a version of the anthem. She changed a line to "Thou art home to great sons and daughters." She was sued for copyright reasons, but the court said her version was just a "modernization."
On January 1, 2012, some words in the anthem were officially changed. This made the lyrics more inclusive. The new words were written into law.
Anthem Lyrics
Here are the words to the Austrian national anthem:
| German original | IPA transcription | Poetic English translation |
|---|---|---|
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1 |
I |
Before 2012, the first verse said "Home art thou to great sons." Now it says "Home thou art to prodigious kin" (meaning great daughters and sons). Also, the third verse used to say "fraternal choirs" (meaning choirs of brothers). It now says "jolly choirs."
The anthem is sung to the following melody: <score sound="1"> << \new Voice="melody" \relative c { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"choir aahs" \tempo 4 = 78 \autoBeamOff \override Score.BarNumber #'transparent = ##t %\voiceOne \language "deutsch" \key f \major \time 3/4 % \override FirstVoice.DynamicText.direction = #UP c2^\f b4 a2 b8 [( c )] d2 c4 c8 [( b )] b4 r b2 a4 g2 a8 [( b )] c2 b4 b8 [( a )] a4 r h2 c4 d2 e4 f ( d ) h c2 r4 g2^\p a4 c ( b ) g a2 d8 b a4 g r g2 a4 c ( b ) g a2 d8 [( b )] a4 g r b2^\f a4 d2 c4 c8 [ ( b ] a4 ) g a2 r4 d2^\ff c4 e2 f8 [( c )] c [ ( b ] a4 ) g f2 r4 } \new Lyrics \lyricsto "melody" { Land der Ber -- ge, Land am Stro -- me, Land der Ä -- cker, Land der Do -- me, Land der Häm -- mer, zu -- kunfts -- reich! Hei -- mat gro -- ßer \set ignoreMelismata = ##t Töch -- ter und Söh -- ne, \unset ignoreMelismata Volk, be -- gna -- det für das Schö -- ne: viel -- ge -- rühm -- tes Ös -- ter -- reich. Viel -- ge -- rühm -- tes Ös -- ter -- reich. } >> </score>
A Funny Version
The very night Paula von Preradović found out her words were chosen, her sons, Otto and Fritz Molden, made a funny, satirical version of the anthem.
Land der Erbsen, Land der Bohnen,
Land der vier Besatzungszonen,
Wir verkaufen dich im Schleich!
Und droben überm Hermannskogel
Flattert froh der Bundesvogel.
Vielgeliebtes Österreich!
Land of the peas, land of the beans,
Land of the four zones of occupation,
we sell thee on the black market!
And up there over the Hermannskogel
gladly the federal bird flutters.
Much beloved Austria!
A researcher named Peter Diem said that the first two lines of this funny version were very popular in Vienna schools in 1955.
See also
In Spanish: Bundeshymne para niños
