Kong Kristian stod ved højen mast
Encyclopedia
"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (King Christian stood by the lofty mast), is the Danish royal anthem. It has equal status of national anthem
together with Der er et yndigt land
, though it is almost exclusively used in relation to the Danish royal house
and the Danish Military
. On New Year's Eve it is tradition to sing along as the Denmark's Radio Girl's Choir sing the song on television, immediately after midnight following the other national anthem, Der er et yndigt land
. Usually only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.
'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 a lot of sailors from drowning and then refused to take pay for it. For this reason the play was seen as a tribute to the navy, in particular because of the King Christian song. In the original staging of the play however, only the final 4th verse was ever sung. The first three verses were omitted because of the animosity they showed towards Sweden
, who at the time were an important ally against the United Kingdom
as members of the League of Armed Neutrality
.
, Niels Juel
and Peter Wessel Tordenskiold.
The first verse refers to the Battle of Colberger Heide
where King Christian IV is hurt by shrapnel and thought to be dead, but quickly gets to his feet and incites his crew to continue the battle.
, the same composer who wrote the score for the original play "Fiskerne", where the lyrics had first appeared, however his original romantic score for the vaudeville
was entirely different from the score commonly used today. Following the dismissal of the possibility that Hartmann could have composed the score, it was suggested that a friend of Johannes Ewald, High Court judge Ditlev Ludvig Rogert
, who was known to have played the violin, had been the original composer – a claim that 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 also often wrongfully accredited to Friedrich Kuhlau
, who made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his play Elverhøj, which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (The later King Frederik VII
) and Princess Vilhelmine
in November of 1828.
- 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.
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
together with Der er et yndigt land
Der er et yndigt land
Der er et yndigt land is the national anthem of Denmark. On royal occasions, the royal anthem Kong Christian stod ved højen mast is performed together with Der er et yndigt land....
, though it is almost exclusively used in relation to the Danish royal house
Monarchy of Denmark
The monarchy in Denmark is the constitutional monarchy of the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is limited to non-partisan, ceremonial functions...
and the Danish Military
Military of Denmark
The armed forces of the Kingdom of Denmark, known as the Danish Defence is charged with the defence of the Kingdom of Denmark.The Chief of Defence is the head of the Danish Armed Forces, and is head of the Defence Command which is managed by the Ministry of Defence. Constitutionally, the...
. On New Year's Eve it is tradition to sing along as the Denmark's Radio Girl's Choir sing the song on television, immediately after midnight following the other national anthem, Der er et yndigt land
Der er et yndigt land
Der er et yndigt land is the national anthem of Denmark. On royal occasions, the royal anthem Kong Christian stod ved højen mast is performed together with Der er et yndigt land....
. Usually only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.
History of the lyrics
The lyrics first appeared in May 1778, in Johannes EwaldJohannes Ewald
Johannes Ewald was a Danish national dramatist and poet.-Biography:Ewald, normally regarded as the most important Danish poet of the 2nd half of the 18th Century, led a short and troubled life, marked by alcoholism and poor health...
's vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
play, The Fishermen, which premiered at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
in January 1780 on the birthday of King Christian VII
Christian VII of Denmark
Christian VII was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Schleswig and Holstein from 1766 until his death. He was the son of Danish King Frederick V and his first consort Louisa, daughter of King George II of Great Britain....
. The play depicts the heroics of fishermen from the northern part of Zealand, who saved a lot of sailors from drowning and then refused to take pay for it. For this reason the play was seen as a tribute to the navy, in particular because of the King Christian song. In the original staging of the play however, only the final 4th verse was ever sung. The first three verses were omitted because of the animosity they showed towards Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, who at the time were an important ally against the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as members of the League of Armed Neutrality
First League of Armed Neutrality
The first League of Armed Neutrality was an alliance of European naval powers between 1780 and 1783 which was intended to protect neutral shipping against the British Royal Navy's wartime policy of unlimited search of neutral shipping for French contraband...
.
Theme
The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries. It specifically names the Danish naval heroes King Christian IVChristian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
, Niels Juel
Niels Juel
Niels Juel was a Dano–Norwegian admiral. He was the brother of the diplomat Jens Juel.-Biography:Niels Juel was born the son of Erik Juel and Sophie Clausdatter Sehested, both were descendant of Danish nobility, who lived in Jutland where the father had a career as a local functionary and judge...
and Peter Wessel Tordenskiold.
The first verse refers to the Battle of Colberger Heide
Battle of Colberger Heide
The naval Battle of Colberger Heide took place on 1 July 1644 during the Danish-Swedish War , off northern Germany...
where King Christian IV is hurt by shrapnel and thought to be dead, but quickly gets to his feet and incites his crew to continue the battle.
History of the music
It has long been debated who composed the music to the song. It was originally accredited to Johann HartmannJohan Peter Emilius Hartmann
Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann was a Danish composer.-Biography:Hartmann came from a musical family of German descent. Although he received his music lessons initially from his father, he taught himself as much as possible...
, the same composer who wrote the score for the original play "Fiskerne", where the lyrics had first appeared, however his original romantic score for the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
was entirely different from the score commonly used today. Following the dismissal of the possibility that Hartmann could have composed the score, it was suggested that a friend of Johannes Ewald, High Court judge Ditlev Ludvig Rogert
Ditlev Ludvig Rogert
Ditlev Ludvig Rogert was a Danish songwriter who is credited with composing the music for Denmark's royal anthem "Kong Kristian stod ved højen mast". He was also a High Court judge and violinist....
, who was known to have played the violin, had been the original composer – a claim that 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 also often wrongfully accredited to Friedrich Kuhlau
Friedrich Kuhlau
Friedrich Daniel Rudolf Kuhlau was a German-Danish composer during the Classical and Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age....
, who made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his play Elverhøj, which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (The later King Frederik VII
Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
) and Princess Vilhelmine
Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark and Norway was the youngest daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and his wife and first cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel...
in November of 1828.
Lyrics
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| English translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline... |
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See also
Festival Overture on the Danish National AnthemFestival Overture on the Danish National Anthem
During his time at the Moscow Conservatoire, around September 1866 the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish...
- 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.