Swiss psalm

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Swiss psalm
country SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland
Usage period from 1961
text Leonhard Widmer
melody Alberich Zwyssig
Sheet of music Sheet music on Wikimedia Commons
Audio files
Score and German text

The Swiss psalm ( French Cantique suisse , Italian Salmo svizzero , Romansh Psalm svizzer ? / I ) is the current national anthem of the Swiss Confederation . Audio file / audio sample

The song was composed in 1841 by Alberich Zwyssig , a Cistercian monk of the Wettingen monastery , to a text by Leonhard Widmer from 1840, which he slightly changed . Zwyssig chose the fair singing Diligam te Domine (in German : “I want to love you Lord”), which he had composed in 1835 for a parish installation ceremony in the village church of Wettingen , and gave it the now known name Schweizerpsalm .

The hymn can be found in the hymn book of the Evangelical Reformed Churches in German-speaking Switzerland under number 519 and in the Catholic church hymn book under number 563.

text

The text is available in the four national languages ​​German, French, Italian and Romansh.

German:
Schweizerpsalm

First verse
Step forward in the dawn,
I see you in the sea ​​of rays,
you, you exalted, glorious!
When the alpine fur turns red,
pray, free Swiss, pray!
Your pious soul suspects
your pious soul suspects
God in the noble fatherland,
God the Lord in the noble fatherland.

Second verse
Comes in the evening glow,
I find you in the star army,
you, you philanthropist, lover!
In the bright rooms of the sky
I can dream happily and happily!
For the pious soul suspects,
For the pious soul suspects
God in the noble fatherland,
God the Lord in the noble fatherland.

Third verse
Move along in the fog,
I look for you in the sea of ​​clouds,
you, you unfathomable, eternal!
Out of the gray air,
the sun emerges clear and mild,
And the pious soul suspects
And the pious soul suspects
God in the noble fatherland,
God the Lord in the noble fatherland.

Fourth verse
Drive along in a wild storm,
Are you
yourselves our refuge and defense, You, omnipotent ruler, rescuer!
In thunderstorm night and horror
let us trust him childishly!
Yes, the pious soul suspects,
Yes, the pious soul suspects
God in the noble fatherland,
God the Lord in the noble fatherland.

French:
Cantique suisse

First stanza
Sur nos monts, quand le soleil
Annonce un brillant réveil,
Et prédit d'un plus beau jour le retour,
Les beautés de la patrie
Parlent à l'âme attendrie;
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Les accents d'un cœur pieux,
Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.

Second stanza
Lorsqu'un doux rayon du soir
Joue encore dans le bois noir,
Le cœur se sent plus heureux près de Dieu.
Loin des vains bruits de la plaine,
L'âme en paix est plus sereine,
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Au ciel montent plus joyeux
Les accents d'un cœur pieux,
Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux.

Third stanza
Lorsque dans la sombre nuit
La foudre éclate avec bruit,
Notre cœur pressent encore le Dieu continued;
In l'orage et la détresse
Il est notre forteresse;
Offrons-lui des cœurs pieux:
Offrons-lui des cœurs pieux:
Dieu nous bénira des cieux,
Dieu nous bénira du haut des cieux.

Fourth stanza
Des grands monts vient le secours;
Suisse, espère en Dieu toujours!
Garde la foi des aïeux, Vis comme eux!
Sur l'autel de la patrie
Mets tes biens, ton cœur, ta vie!
C'est le trésor précieux
C'est le trésor précieux
Que Dieu bénira des cieux,
Que Dieu bénira du haut des cieux.

Italian:
Salmo svizzero

First stanza
Quando bionda aurora il mattin c'indora
l'alma mia t'adora re del ciel!
Quando l'alpe già rosseggia
a pregare allor t'atteggia;
in favor del patrio suol,
in favor del patrio suoi,
cittadino Dio lo vuol,
cittadino Dio lo vuol.

Second stanza
Se di stelle è un giubilo la celeste sfera
Te ritrovo a sera o Signor!
Nella notte silenziosa
l'alma mia in Te riposa:
libertà, concordia, amor,
libertà, concordia, amor,
all'Elvezia serba ognor,
all'Elvezia serba ognor.

Third verse
Se di nubi un velo m'asconde il tuo cielo
pel tuo raggio anelo Dio d'amore!
Fuga o sole quei vapori
e mi rendi i tuoi favori:
di mia patria deh! Pietà,
di mia patria deh! Pietà,
brilla, sol di verità,
brilla, sol di verità.

Fourth stanza
Quando rugge e strepita impetuoso il nembo
m'è ostel tuo grembo o Signor!
In te fido Onnipossente
deh, proteggi nostra gente;
Libertà, concordia, amor,
Libertà, concordia, amor,
all'Elvezia serba ognor,
all'Elvezia serba ognor.

Romansh:
Psalm svizzer

First stanza
En l'aurora la damaun ta salida il carstgaun,
spiert etern dominatur, Tutpussent!
Cur ch'ils munts straglischan sura,
ura liber Svizzer, ura.
Mia olma senta ferm,
Mia olma senta ferm Dieu en tschiel,
il bab etern, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern.

Second stanza
Er la saira en splendur da las stailas en l'azur
tai chattain nus, creatur, Tutpussent!
Cur ch'il firmament sclerescha en noss cors
fidanza crescha.
Mia olma senta ferm,
Mia olma senta ferm Dieu en tschiel,
il bab etern, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern.

Third stanza
Ti a nus es er preschent en il stgir dal firmament,
ti inperscrutabel spiert, Tutpussent!
Tschiel e terra t'obedeschan
vents e nivels secundeschan.
Mia olma senta ferm,
Mia olma senta ferm Dieu en tschiel,
il bab etern, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern.

Fourth stanza
Cur la furia da l'orcan fa tremblar il cor uman
alur das ti a nus vigur, Tutpussent!
Ed en temporal sgarschaivel
stas ti franc a nus fidaivel.
Mia olma senta ferm,
Mia olma senta ferm Dieu en tschiel,
Il bab etern, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern.

History of the Swiss national anthem

Before 1961

Monument to Alberich Zwyssig in Bauen (UR)

As early as 1843 the song was included in the "Festheft der Zürcher Zofinger for the celebration of Zurich's admission to the Swiss Confederation in 1351 " and the melody enjoyed great popularity thanks to translations into the Romance languages ​​and was often sung at patriotic celebrations. Between 1894 and 1953 there were numerous attempts to make the song the officially valid national anthem, which the Federal Council refused. The reason for this was that a Swiss national anthem should not be introduced by an official decree, but should be chosen by the people. In addition to the Swiss psalm, there was the equally popular song Rufst du, mein Vaterland , which was sung to the melody of God Save the Queen . The text on Do you call, my fatherland was written by the Bernese poet Johann Rudolf Wyss . When, with the increase in international diplomatic contacts in the 20th century, the Swiss and British anthems were played one after the other, misunderstandings arose, which ultimately led to the desire for a new anthem.

Introduction of the Swiss Psalm

In 1961, the Federal Council decided that the Swiss psalm should be viewed as an unmistakable and purely Swiss creation and should therefore be regarded as a provisional national anthem. After a three-year probationary period, six cantons spoke out against and twelve in favor of the new anthem, while seven argued for an extended probationary period. In 1965, the Swiss psalm was provisionally recognized as the national anthem, and in the following period several counter-proposals were submitted due to the conflicting results, but they were also no more convincing than the Swiss psalm. On April 1, 1981, the Federal Council declared it the official national anthem of Switzerland, replacing Rufst du, my fatherland.

Discussion about changing the anthem

Various change efforts from 1998 to 2012

In recent times, various efforts have been made to replace the hymn, which is no longer considered up-to-date, with another because the text is too pompous, too religious or too patriotic. For example, the company Villiger & Söhne sponsored a new composition in 1998, and in 2004 the musician Roland Zoss and Härzland designed a poetic, modern hymn in Bernese dialect with refrains sung in the local languages. Also in 2004, Ulrike Pittner wrote a new version of the Swiss Psalm. In 2006 an “Action Committee for the Swiss National Anthem” was formed.

In 2004, the Bernese National Councilor Margret Kiener Nellen from the Social Democratic Party submitted a motion proposing that a new national anthem be drawn up in all national languages. In terms of content, the new anthem should be congruent with the basic values ​​and national goals of the new Federal Constitution of 1999. For this reason, new texts were presented in the Federal Palace on March 14, 2006, but Margret Kiener Nellen withdrew her motion. On March 30, 2006, the National Council's Commission for Science, Education and Culture also spoke out against entrusting the Federal Council with preparatory work for a new anthem.

Change effort by SGG since 2012

On August 1, 2012, the Swiss Charitable Society (SGG) announced a competition to replace the text of the Swiss Psalm that was, in their opinion, “linguistically cumbersome and aging in content” with a new one by 2015, while the previous melody was retained or basically recognizable should be. The basis of the new text should be the meaning and content of the preamble to the Federal Constitution, which the people clearly adopted in 1999. After the submission deadline in June 2014, the SGG had received 208 entries, of which a 30-member jury from music, journalism, literature and sports associations selected six entries for public comment. On September 12th, after several rounds of voting at the Federal Folk Music Festival in Aarau, a proposal that retained the hymn's previous melody was announced as the winner of the competition.

In online surveys by 20min.ch in March and June 2015, more than half of the participants were in favor of keeping the current anthem. A survey by Tagesanzeiger.ch came to the opposite conclusion . The interpellation “ National anthem Switzerland” submitted on September 24, 2014 by National Councilor Yvette Estermann was copied on September 30, 2016. The Federal Council , however, already in 2014 held fast to this, he would express itself only on how to proceed when a proposal would be submitted to it. The Federal Council took the same position in a response to a corresponding proposal submitted by National Councilor Peter Keller on December 13, 2013. A motion by the same politician on the same topic was rejected by the National Council on June 16, 2016 .

After several rounds of competition, the SGG presented the winning entry of the new stanza of the national anthem in autumn 2015. The text comes from the health economist Werner Widmer and its content is based on the values ​​of the preamble of the Federal Constitution. In 2016 and 2017, the SGG invited all around 2250 municipalities in Switzerland to intone the new text in addition to the Swiss psalm at their federal celebrations.

Arguments for keeping the Swiss Psalm as the national anthem

Since there is currently no official process for changing the anthem, there is also no official reason to defend the content. However, the Federal Council declared in 2014 that “today's national anthem does not need to shy away from comparison with contemporary creations and, thanks to its popularity, is a worthy national anthem.” In general, the text of the Swiss Psalm is viewed positively by large parts of the Swiss population. It is addressed, among other things, that the text combines various opposites of Switzerland in terms of its visual language and genesis, that the text does not propagate violence and love of arms, but emphasizes the love of God, homeland and fatherland and that the text is not only for Christians, but is also open to followers of other religions.

See also

literature

  • Hermann Schollenberger: Leonhard Widmer. The poet of the «Swiss Psalm». Sauerlander, Aarau 1906.
  • Fritz Hunziker: Leonhard Widmer, the poet of the Swiss Psalm. A poet from the people for the people. Ebner, Meilen 1958.
  • Swiss psalm. Modifications made by Bonifaz Kühne. Poetry after Leonhard Widmer. Composer: Alberich Zwyssig. [Score]; for 4-part mixed choir. 9th edition. Euphonia-Musikverlag, Hochdorf [1993]

Web links

Wiktionary: Schweizerpsalm  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wikisource: Schweizerpsalm  - Sources and full texts
Commons : Schweizerpsalm  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Association for the Publication of the Catholic Church Hymns of Switzerland, Zug 1998, ISBN 3-9521507-1-1
  2. ↑ Swiss national anthem (Swiss psalm). The federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation.
  3. ↑ National anthem (Cantique suisse). The federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation
  4. ^ Inno nazionale svizzero (Salmo svizzero). The federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation
  5. ↑ Imni Naziunal Svizzer (Ps Svizzer). The federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation
  6. ^ Coordination Commission for Switzerland's Presence Abroad: How a Hymn Became a National Anthem. Federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation, archived from the original on April 5, 2015 ; Retrieved August 26, 2009 .
  7. ↑ a b c René Zeller : Who will deliver us from the alpine glow? Neue Zürcher Zeitung , August 1, 2012
  8. ↑ Roland Zoss: Härzland: Background information on the 14 songs ( Memento from August 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Swiss national anthem, new version 2004 on schweizerpsalm-in-gerechter-sprache.ch
  10. ↑ 04.3046 - New National Anthem - Curia Vista - Business Database - The Federal Assembly - The Swiss Parliament. Swiss Parliament, accessed on August 26, 2009 .
  11. ^ Official Bulletin - Motion Kiener Nellen Margret. New national anthem. Swiss Parliament, March 22, 2006, accessed on August 26, 2009 (bilingual, German / French).
  12. ↑ Interview with Lukas Niederberger, managing director of SGG
  13. ^ SSG media release of March 30, 2015
  14. ↑ chymne.ch ( Memento of the original from October 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chymne.ch
  15. ↑ chymne.ch ( Memento of the original dated August 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chymne.ch
  16. ↑ aargauerzeitung.ch
  17. ↑ Online survey on SSG proposals, March 2015 , online survey June 2014
  18. ↑ Online survey by Tages-Anzeiger
  19. ↑ Interpellation: National Anthem of Switzerland , accessed on October 10, 2019.
  20. ↑ Interpellation: What is the Federal Council's position on the plans to abolish today's Swiss national anthem? , accessed October 18, 2019.
  21. ↑ Motion: Looking for a new national anthem as a stupid casting show. Parliament and / or the Swiss people should decide! , accessed October 18, 2019.
  22. ^ Swiss non-profit society: New verse of the national anthem
  23. ↑ Marc Tribelhorn: Swan song to the Swiss psalm: former federal councilors want new national anthem In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung from July 20, 2017
  24. ↑ Interpellation: What is the Federal Council's position on the plans to abolish today's Swiss national anthem?
  25. ^ Ueli Maurer : 50 Years of the Swiss Psalm . (PDF; 48 kB); Speech of November 12, 2011
  26. ↑ Seven reasons to sing happily . In: reformed . No. 8, July 27, 2012
  27. ↑ Amira Hafner-Al Jabaji: Islamic Hymn . religion.ch, June 29, 2008
  28. ↑ Tobias Grimbacher: Is the Swiss psalm (also) a spiritual text? (PDF) 2011