"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (Danish: [kʰʌŋ ˈkʰʁestjæn ˈstoðˀ ve̝ ˈhʌjˀn̩ mæst]; lit. 'King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast'), or simply "Kong Christian", is the unofficial royal anthem of Denmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together with "Der er et yndigt land".[1] However, it is almost exclusively used regarding the Danish royal house and the military. The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish and Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden (including the Torstenson War) in the 17th and 18th centuries.
| English: 'King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast' | |
|---|---|
 King Christian IV on the "Trinity" in the Battle of Colberger Heide, 1644 | |
National and royal anthem of Denmark | |
| Also known as | Kong Christian Kongesangen (English: 'The King's Anthem') |
| Lyrics | Johannes Ewald, 1778 |
| Music | unknown |
| Adopted | 1780 |
| Audio sample | |
Kong Christian stod ved højen mast (instrument) | |
On New Year's Eve, it is tradition to sing along as the Danmarks Radio Girl's Choir sings the song on television immediately after midnight following the other national anthem. Usually, only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.[2]
History
editHistory of the lyrics
editThe lyrics first appeared in May 1778[3] in Johannes Ewald's vaudeville play The Fishermen, which premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre in January 1780 on the birthday of King Christian VII. The play depicts the heroics of fishermen from the northern part of Zealand, who saved many sailors from drowning and then refused to pay for it.[4] For this reason, the play was seen as a tribute to the navy, particularly because of the King Christian song. In the original staging, however, only the final fourth verse was ever sung. The first three verses were omitted because of the animosity they showed towards Sweden, who at the time was an important ally against the United Kingdom as a member of the League of Armed Neutrality.[citation needed]
Theme
editThe theme of the song is the heroics of Danish-Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries. It specifically names the Danish-Norwegian naval heroes King Christian IV, Niels Juel and Peter Wessel Tordenskiold. The first verse refers to the 1644 Battle of Colberger Heide, where King Christian IV was hurt by shrapnel and thought to be dead but quickly got to his feet and incited his crew to continue the battle.
History of the music
editIt has long been debated who composed the song's music. Johann Hartmann, the composer who wrote the score for the original play Fiskerne, where the lyrics first appeared, was originally credited with composing the music.[5]
Another suggestion was that Johannes Ewald's friend, High Court judge Ditlev Ludvig Rogert, known to have played the violin, had been the original composer. This claim was backed up by several 19th-century intellectuals. In 1880, Vilhelm Carl Ravn presented his theory that the score significantly preceded Ewald's poem and had no one particular composer. This is the most commonly supported theory today.
However, even today, the score is often wrongly credited to Friedrich Kuhlau. Kuhlau made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his play Elverhøj,[6] which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (the later King Frederik VII) and Princess Vilhelmine in November 1828.
Lyrics
edit| Danish original | IPA transcription[a] | English translation[citation needed] (by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
|---|---|---|
Kong Christian stod ved højen mast |
[kʰɔŋ ˈkʰʁes.tjæn stoðˀ ʋeð ˈhɔ.jən mæst] |
King Christian stood by the lofty mast |
See also
edit- Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem – a musical piece by Tchaikovsky composed for the visit of the tsarevich to the Moscow Conservatoire accompanied by his new Danish wife. The piece is based on Kong Christian stod ved højen mast but also incorporates elements of the Russian national anthem.
References
edit- ^ Udenrigsministeriet (6 August 2001). "Instruks for Udenrigstjenesten". Retsinformation. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
- ^ "Not one but two national anthems". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ "Tekstens historie og den tidligste melodi". Royal Danish Library. Archived from the original on 10 April 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ Ove Malling: "Store og gode Handlinger af Danske, Norske og Holstenere", Copenhagen 1777 (Reprinted 1992), pp. 64–70
- ^ "Spørgsmålet om komponisten". Royal Danish Library. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- ^ "Kongesang". Royal Danish Library. Archived from the original on 15 April 2010. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
Notes
edit- ^ See Help:IPA/Danish.