- German:
- “Song of Germany”
Deutschlandlied
-
What is the Deutschlandlied?
The Deutschlandlied is Germany's national anthem. Joseph Haydn composed the tune in 1796, and it was first performed in 1797 with lyrics that began, "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, Unsern guten Kaiser Franz!" ("God save Francis the Emperor, Our good Emperor Francis!"). August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote a new set of lyrics in 1841. Although gaining popularity, it wasn't until August 11, 1922, that the Weimar Republic adopted the song and its first verse as the German national anthem.
Retained during the Nazi era, the lyrics acquired unfortunate connotations and were later banned after World War II. In 1951, West Germany restored it, officially using only the third verse. With German reunification in 1990, the third verse was declared the national anthem in 1991.
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Who wrote the lyrics and music for the Deutschlandlied?
The lyrics for Deutschlandlied, the German national anthem, were written in 1841 by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, a patriotic poet and university professor. The tune was composed in 1796 by Austrian Joseph Haydn. It was first performed in 1797 for the birthday of Holy Roman Emperor Francis II and was called "Kaiserhymne" ("Emperor's Hymn").
The song gained official status in 1922 when the Weimar Republic adopted it as the German national anthem. After World War II, only the third verse, "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit" ("Unity and Justice and Freedom"), was officially used. In 1991, it became the national anthem of reunified Germany.
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When was the Deutschlandlied adopted as Germany's national anthem?
The Deutschlandlied was adopted as Germany's national anthem on August 11, 1922, during the Weimar Republic. The tune was composed by Austrian Joseph Haydn in 1796 and was first performed in 1797 for the birthday of Holy Roman emperor Francis II and was called “Kaiserhymne” (“Emperor’s Hymn”). Nationalist poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the lyrics in 1841.
It was retained as the anthem of Nazi Germany, along with the party anthem, the Horst Wessel Song. It was banned for a while after World War II but was restored in 1951 by West Germany, using officially only the third verse. With the reunification of Germany in 1990, the third verse of the “Deutschlandlied” was declared the national anthem of the restored country in 1991.
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What do the words of the Deutschlandlied mean?
The Deutschlandlied, or "Song of Germany," was written in 1841 by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben with the intent to promote German unity. The first verse, which begins "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles," encourages Germans to prioritize a unified nation above regional differences.
However, during the Nazi era, the lyrics took on connotations of German expansionism and world dominance. After World War II, the song was briefly banned due to its association with the Nazi regime.
In 1951, West Germany restored the Deutschlandlied as its national anthem, but only the third verse is officially used. This verse emphasizes unity, justice, and freedom for the German fatherland: "Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit / für das deutsche Vaterland!"
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Why is only the third verse used as the current German national anthem?
The third verse of the Deutschlandlied, "Unity and rights and freedom / for the German fatherland," serves as the German national anthem due to historical context. The original lyrics, written in 1841 by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, were set to music by Joseph Haydn.
The first verse, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles," was adopted as the German national anthem in 1922 but became associated with Nazi expansionism because of its connotations during that era. After World War II, the song was banned for a time, but in 1951, West Germany restored it, officially using only the third verse. In 1991, reunified Germany declared the third verse as its national anthem.
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How has the meaning and use of the Deutschlandlied changed over time?
The Deutschlandlied originated as a poem by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben in 1841, set to music by Joseph Haydn's "Kaiserhymne" (1797). It gained popularity as a call for German unity. Adopted as the German national anthem in 1922, the song's first verse, "Deutschland, Deutschland über alles," was later associated with Nazi expansionism.
After World War II, the song was briefly banned. In 1951, West Germany restored it, but only the third verse was officially used. With German reunification in 1990, the third verse became the anthem of the restored country in 1991, symbolizing unity, rights, and freedom.
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Deutschlandlied, official national anthem of Germany from 1922 to 1945, of West Germany from 1950 to 1990, and of reunified Germany from 1990.
The tune of the German national anthem was composed in 1796 by Austrian Joseph Haydn and was first performed in 1797 for the birthday of Holy Roman emperor Francis II; it was called “Kaiserhymne” (“Emperor’s Hymn”). Its first lines were “Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser, Unsern guten Kaiser Franz!” (“God preserve Francis the Emperor, Our good Emperor Francis!”). Haydn further developed the theme in his string quartet known as the Emperor Quartet, Op. 76, No. 3. Although the lyrics changed with the names of the emperors, the tune remained in official use until Austria-Hungary collapsed in 1918.
Decades before that happened, however, the tune was adopted by nationalist poet and university professor August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben for use with a new set of lyrics that he wrote in August 1841, urging unity for the crazy quilt of German polities. Although Hoffmann’s song gained steadily in popularity, it did not gain official status until August 11, 1922, when the Weimar Republic adopted the song and its first verse as the German national anthem:
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Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
über alles in der Welt,
Wenn es stets zu Schutz und Trutze
brüderlich zusammen hält,
Von der Maas bis an die Memel,
von der Etsch bis an den [Little] Belt,
Deutschland, Deutschland über alles,
über alles in der Welt!
Germany, Germany above all,
above all else in the world,
When it steadfastly holds together,
offensively and defensively,
with brotherhood.
From the Maas to the Memel,
from the Etsch to the [Little] Belt,
Germany, Germany above all,
above all else in the world.
It was retained as the anthem of Nazi Germany, along with the party anthem, the Horst Wessel Song. However, during the Nazi era those lyrics took on unfortunate connotations. What was originally intended in 1848 as a call to place the concept of a unified nation above regional differences—with geographic borders marking the extent to which culturally German settlers had spread—became reinterpreted as a justification for German expansionism and misinterpreted by some as a claim to German world hegemony. For this reason, it was banned for a while after World War II, but it was restored in 1951 by West Germany, using officially only the third verse:
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
für das deutsche Vaterland!
Danach lasst uns alle streben
brüderlich mit Herz und Hand!
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
sind des Glückes Unterpfand.
Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes,
blühe deutsches Vaterland!
Unity and rights and freedom
for the German fatherland.
Let us strive for it together,
brotherly with heart and hand.
Unity and rights and freedom
are the basis of good fortune.
Flower in the light of this good fortune,
flower German fatherland.
The song nevertheless remained a matter of controversy. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the opening of the Berlin Wall, however, the reunification of Germany was effected in 1990, and in 1991 the third verse of the “Deutschlandlied” was declared the national anthem of the restored country.