Sachsenlied

Various musical works are referred to as the Lied der Sachsen , Sachsenlied or Sachsenhymne , which are used on occasion as the unofficial national anthem of today's Free State of Saxony and its predecessor, the Kingdom of Saxony . According to historical research, there has never been an official state anthem in Saxony.

history

In the Electorate (and from 1806 the Kingdom of Saxony) a specific Saxon national feeling of some kind was only developed late, the state united under the Saxon crown rather different ethnic groups such as Vogtlanders, Thuringians, Franks, Sorbs, Ore Mountains or Upper Saxony. With the emergence of national thinking in the 19th century, at least a national bond aimed at the monarch set in, which was expressed in unofficial soldier and folk songs, but also court music in honor of the respective ruler. Neither in the Free State of Saxony during the Weimar Republic nor in the early GDR until the abolition of the federal states was - although the partially sovereign statehood of the German member states was generally much more pronounced than it is today - a state anthem was formally established.

After the re-establishment of the Free State of Saxony in the course of the reintroduction of the states in the GDR in 1990, only the historical coat of arms and flag were laid down in the constitution as state symbols ; after initial attempts by citizens' suggestions, the state government also decided not to specify an anthem. At that time, 102 musical works were collected and viewed as possible suggestions by the State Chancellery.

In 2013, the Junge Union caused a sensation in the district of Meißen with a decision to sing God bless Saxonyland as a hymn before every event. They received support from the CDU member of the state parliament at the time, Sebastian Fischer. Politicians from other parties saw in this a rather self-overestimating, unreal awareness of the problem among the young politicians and rejected the suggestion, in particular, pointing out that the song, whether its origin as a jubilee overture to the 50th anniversary of King Friedrich August I's throne , was a little too monarchical for a modern democracy .

Various works

God save the King - variants

The English folk song and national anthem of the United Kingdom, God Save the Queen (or King), was one of the first official anthems after the emergence of modern nation states. Due to its catchiness and solemnity, it represented the archetype of patriotic songs dedicated to monarchs, which is why other princely hymns were sung to this melody, such as the Russian tsar's hymn from 1816 to 1833 Molitwa Russkich or the Bavarian hymn Heil unserm König, Heil! , and still will, according to the Liechtenstein anthem Oben am young Rhine . The melody was also popular in Saxony and formed the basis for a large number of national and royal anthems of their own.

God bless the king

The text comes from Georg Karl Alexander von Richter (1760–1806) and was sung for the first time on June 5, 1815. As a soldier's song he was u. a. Published in 1883 in the pocket song book for the stuff and fireworks staff (war fireworks ) by the bookseller Ernst Röthke in Berlin. It corresponds to a transmission that is very close to the British original.

1st verse: God bless the king,; Whom he gave us for salvation, God bless him.; Fame and honor adorn him,; the flatterer's army fled him,; Wisdom stand for him,; God bless him!

2nd stanza: Give him long regiment,; the land of peace and quiet,; the guns victory.; He is just and good; in everything he does; every Saxon spares blood,; God bless him!

3rd stanza: He loves us like children; as the father of his people,; he our pleasure.; We should be happy.; To be loved by us; can only delight his heart; God bless him!

4th stanza: Up, honest Saxons, swear; loyal and pious to the king; and be good!; Unity is our bond; This swears hand in hand; Then the whole country sings:; God bless him!

God bless Saxonyland

Siegfried August Mahlmann created a variant that was completely detached from the British original and tailored to the popular Saxon monarch Friedrich August I on the occasion of his 50th throne jubilee in 1815. Later republican variants replaced the royal covers in the 2nd stanza with more general blessings.

1st verse: God bless Saxonyland,; where loyalty was firm; in storm and night!; Eternal justice; high above the sea of time; that prey on every storm,; protect us with might!

2nd stanza: Blossom, you diamond wreath; in beautiful days shine; joyously up!; Heil, Friedrich August , you,; healed, good king, you.; We praise you, father; loving in the choir!

version 1: Blossom, you diamond wreath; in beautiful days shine; joyously up!; Hail, pious father , to you,; healed, good mother , you.; We bless you, dear ones; loving in the choir!

Variant 2: Blossom, you diamond wreath; in beautiful days shine; joyously up!; Hail, father of the country , you,; Hail Mother of the Country , you,; We bless you both; loving in the choir!

3rd stanza: What faithful hearts plead,; rises to heaven's heights; from night to light.; Who saw our love; who saw our tears; he is helpful to us,; does not leave us.

4th stanza: God bless Saxonyland,; where loyalty was firm; in storm and night!; Eternal justice; high above the sea of time; that prey on every storm,; protect us with might!

Sachsenlied

A work known as the Sachsenlied developed from a cantata composed in 1841 by Ernst Julius Otto . The original text was written by the Dresden pastor Maximilian Hallbauer. It appeared in soldiers' songs for the Saxon Army in 1842 . As "The most beautiful country in Germany's Gauen" it quickly became popular as a home song and was eventually adopted by other countries and regions (Baden, Bavaria, Palatinate, Württemberg). The Baden local variant ( Badnerlied ) is still known regionally today .

Variant from 1842

The original version from 1842 is even more modest than the following versions and only emphasizes the role within the German states.

1st verse: God be with you my Sachsenland,; bloom freely and happily!; "A pious heart and a diligent hand!"; that is my password!; Your virtue shine brightly,; you noble pearl in the German wreath.; Luck up, luck up; Luck up, luck up; Good luck, good luck, my Sachsenland!

2nd stanza: You are not rich in treasures; are small and tightly defined.; But your strength is the light; the hut and throne shine.; Let the glory of your wisdom be heard; you pillar in the German sanctuary.; Luck up, luck up; Luck up, luck up; Good luck, good luck, my Sachsenland!

3rd stanza: In storms and hardships too,; the old sacred bond; the German sense of right and duty; wrapped around people and rulers.; Healthy be your trunk and crown; you strong tree in the German grove.; Luck up, luck up; Luck up, luck up; Good luck, good luck, my Sachsenland!

Variant from 1857

From a songbook from 1857 the following variant without texture lifter can be proven.

1st verse The most beautiful country in Germany's Gauen are you, my Sachsenland, blessed to be beautiful to look at, protected by God's hand. How does your crown shine You noble pearl in a German wreath, Good luck for! my Sachsenland.	2nd stanza The citizen and the farmer, the nobility, the soldier , they all stand there friendly and shake hands. They love you, my Sachsenland, You noble pearl in a German wreath, Good luck for! my Sachsenland.	3rd stanza Not just from old father Rhein many a glass is emptied, Wine becomes us also on the Elbe in Sachsenland. So I love you, my Sachsenland, You noble pearl in a German wreath, Good luck for! my Sachsenland.
4th stanza The wanderer who from far away also came to our corridors, thinks often and fondly at home to the heart of the German land, he loves you too, my Sachsenland, You noble pearl in a German wreath, Good luck for! my Sachsenland.	5th stanza God be with you, my Sachsenland, bloom freely and happily, a pious heart and a diligent hand, this is your password! Your virtue shines brightly, You noble pearl in a German wreath, Good luck for! my Sachsenland.	6th stanza You are not rich in treasures are small and narrow, but your power is the light the hut and throne shine. Let the glory of your wisdom be heard, You pillar in the German sanctuary! Good luck for! my Sachsenland.

Variant from 1887

The version of unknown origin from 1887 goes into the special characteristics of Saxony even more than the previous one and names typical landscape features of the state.

1st verse: The most beautiful country in Germany's Gau'n; This is my Sachsenland;; How wonderful it is to see; Shielded by God's hand!; So I love you, my Sachsenland,; You noble pearl in the German wreath,; Good luck for! Glückauf, my Sachsenland!

2nd stanza: Silver grows in Freiberg; In Meissen growing wine ,; There are beautiful girls in the mountains -; I want to be a Saxon!; So I love you, my Sachsenland,; You noble pearl in the German wreath,; Good luck for! Glückauf, my Sachsenland!

3rd stanza: The citizen and the farmer; They honor the soldier; They look at each other friendly; And shake hands.; So I love you, my Sachsenland,; You noble pearl in the German wreath,; Good luck for! Glückauf, my Sachsenland!

Sing mei Sachse sing

The Leipzig cabaret artist Jürgen Hart published a humorous "hymn" to the idiosyncratic region in the south of the GDR in 1979 - at a time when the state of Saxony had ceased to exist for 27 years . The melody for this was provided by the composer Arndt Bause from Leipzig . The song plays with the typically soft "Saxon" dialect and the supposed typical traits, which make the Saxons still distinguishable from others, especially within the GDR, even without a formally existing land, and constitute their own regional identity.

1st verse: The Saxon loves to travel very much. Nu no, no that in a bone;; That's why he likes to drive back and forth in his three weeks of vacation.; Until now ^down to Bulgarchen ^{Bulgaria, in the Eastern Bloc it was already a trip around} the world and snored the world.; And if de Goffer ^suitcases are so heavy, and if they are full, de Züche ^trains ,; and don't eat food far away: He calls it for consumption!

refrain: Sing, my Saxon, sing! It's a ^strange thing.; And ^also a very ^good luck with the magic of music.; Even the gleenste ^smallest song of the leech ^shall t himself off's ^on your mind.; And makes you instantly; - Satisfied,; - Calm; - And happy!

2nd stanza: The Saxon loves full Saund ^{Denglisch is the Saxon's strength} , the tone when geichen ^fiddle .; Whether the opera house or Untergraund: he shines, he has to hear that!; And the bow of the violin sobs, because he grudges wet ^eyes .; The Saxon melts away easily ^on the ^{wings of} the song .; But before the tear drops his chin, he'll know how to ^curb himself !; The Saxon don't cry, the Saxon agrees!

refrain: Sing, my Saxon, sing. . . .

3rd stanza: The Saxon is known to the world as a good Erdenbircher ^{earth citizen} ,; and if he drives all around the country, then he does ^n't cause any ^trouble .; Then he needs his rest and worn, ^worn shoes.; But gommt ^is the axis to Berlin begrudge there ^can 'se ^they like him nich.