- Heil dir im Siegerkranz
"Heil dir im Siegerkranz" (German: "Hail to Thee in Victor's Crown") was from 1871 to 1918 the unofficial
national anthem of theGerman Empire . Previously it had been the anthem ofPrussia , but the melody of the hymn is actually the same as the British anthem, "God Save the King " and My Country Tis Of Thee from U.S.A . For both reasons, the song failed to become popular within some circles in Germany. Not only did it fail to win the support of most German nationalists, but it was never recognized by the southern German states (e.g.Bavaria ,Württemberg ). After theFirst World War , the German Empire came to an end and "Das Lied der Deutschen " became the national anthem of theWeimar Republic ."Die Wacht am Rhein" (The Watch on the Rhine) was a second hymn that was used during the German Empire and could also be observed as a national anthem from that period.
Lyrics
The lyrics were written by
Heinrich Harries in 1790 in honour of KingChristian VII of Denmark . The original text was later adapted for use by the German Empire, e.g. the line "heil, Kaiser, dir" originally read "heil, Christian, dir".These lyrics were used for the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia.
External links
* External link to Liedertafel [http://sporenl.110mb.com/liedertafel/Heil_Dir.htm]
*IMSLP2|id=Heil_dir_im_Siegerkranz_%28Carey%2C_Henry%29|cname=Heil dir im Siegerkranzee also
*"
My Country, 'Tis of Thee "
*"Oben am jungen Rhein " (national anthem ofLiechtenstein , also sung to the melody of God Save the King)
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