Wien Neêrlands Bloed

Wien Neêrlands bloed
English: Those in whom Dutch blood
Former national anthem of Netherlands
LyricsHendrik Tollens
MusicJohann Wilhelm Wilms
Adopted1815
Relinquished1932
Audio sample
Wien Neêrlands bloed (instrumental)
  • file
  • help

Wien Neêrlands bloed (Those in whom Dutch blood) was the national anthem of the Netherlands between 1815 and 1932.

History

At the foundation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815, it was decided that a national anthem was needed. The song "Het Wilhelmus" – which is the national anthem today – was already well known in the time of the Dutch Republic. At that time, however, it was more of a party or faction hymn than a national one, being associated with and glorifying the House of Orange – which in the politics of the 17th and 18th century Netherlands had enthusiastic supporters but also bitter foes. In particular, the Wilhelmus was unpopular with the anti-Orangist Patriot party, which dominated the country (under French tutelage) for a considerable time.

Following the fall of Napoleon, the new prince of the Netherlands, William Frederick of Orange, believed his family's factional song was no longer suitable for the times. William Frederick had also gained sovereignty over the Southern Netherlands in 1814, completing his family's three-century quest to unite the Low Countries. This was made official when the north was united with the south in 1815 to form the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, with William Frederick styling himself as King William I. The song expressed William the Silent's desire to be rewarded with a "realm" as a reward for having fought Philip II of Spain much like David had been rewarded with the throne of Israel for fighting against Saul. Having united the "realm" referenced in the song, William wanted a new hymn that would show his intent to stand above factions. A new anthem would also better appeal to his overwhelmingly Catholic southern subjects, while the Wilhelmus might be interpreted as expressing Calvinist sentiments.

A competition was accordingly organized by Admiral Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen which was won by the Dutch poet Hendrik Tollens (1780–1856) with his poem Wien Neerlandsch bloed ..., which, after some failed attempts by less gifted composers, was set to music by Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772–1847), a Dutch-German expatriate living in Amsterdam.

There were two versions: the original, and a changed version created for the reign of Queen Wilhelmina. The latter modernized the language, adapted the text to the fact there was now a queen instead of a king and also replaced the controversial second line van vreemde smetten vrij ("free from foreign taint"), which was increasingly seen as racist in the colonial era.

Despite the adoption of the new anthem, Het Wilhelmus remained popular and was played at Wilhelmina's inauguration in 1898.

Wien Neêrlands bloed was officially replaced by Het Wilhelmus on 10 May 1932, although it remained in use by the Royal Netherlands Navy and Army until 1939. The replacement came in time for the silver jubilee of Wilhelmina's inauguration; indeed, it was partly at the queen's suggestion. However, it also had much to do with growing dislike of the "new" 1815 anthem. By this time, it had become even more controversial than the Wilhelmus had been, with Socialists refusing to sing it.

Lyrics

Original version

The changed version

Official Versions

The national anthem had two official versions. The original version which was in use from 1815 to 1898 was written to honor a king. The second version which was in use from 1898 to 1932 was rewritten and used to honor Queen Wilhelmina.

Version used from 1815 to 1898

Version used from 1898 to 1932

References

  1. ^ H. Tollens, Cz. (1855). Gedichten – Eerste deel. Leeuwarden: G. T. N. Suringar. pp. 184–187.
  2. ^ Neêrlands Volkslied as modified by J. W. van Dalfsen. Website of DBNL.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.