| English: 'King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast' | |
|---|---|
 King Christian IV on the "Trinity" in theBattle of Colberger Heide, 1644 | |
National andde facto royal anthem of Denmark | |
| Also known as | Kong Christian Kongesangen (English:'The King's Anthem') |
| Lyrics | Johannes Ewald, 1778 |
| Music | unknown |
| Adopted | 1780 |
| Audio sample | |
Kong Christian stod ved højen mast (instrument) | |
"Kong Christian stod ved højen mast" (Danish:[kʰʌŋˈkʰʁestjænˈstoðˀve̝ˈhʌjˀn̩mæst,-ˈkʰʁæs-];lit. 'King Christian Stood by the Lofty Mast'), or simply "Kong Christian", is the unofficialroyal anthem ofDenmark that officially has equal status of national anthem together with "Der er et yndigt land".[1] However, it is almost exclusively used regarding theDanish royal house and themilitary. The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish and Norwegian sailors during thewars against Sweden (including theTorstenson War) in the 17th and 18th centuries.
On New Year's Eve, it is tradition to sing along as theDanmarks Radio Girl's Choir sings the song on television immediately after midnight following the other national anthem. Usually, only the first verse is sung on official occasions. Adopted in 1780, it is one of the oldest national anthems in the world.[2]
The lyrics first appeared in May 1778[3] inJohannes Ewald'svaudeville playThe Fishermen, which premiered at theRoyal Danish Theatre in January 1780 on the birthday ofKing Christian VII. The play depicts the heroics of fishermen from the northern part ofZealand, who saved many sailors from drowning and then refused to accept a reward for it.[4] For this reason, the play was seen as a tribute to the navy, particularly because of the King Christian song. In the original staging, however, only the final fourth verse was ever sung. The first three verses were omitted because of the animosity they showed towardsSweden, which at the time was an important ally against the United Kingdom as a member of theLeague of Armed Neutrality.[5]
The theme of the song is the heroics of Danish-Norwegian sailors during the wars against Sweden in the 17th and 18th centuries. It specifically names the Danish-Norwegian naval heroesKing Christian IV,Niels Juel andPeter Wessel Tordenskiold. The first verse refers to the 1644Battle of Colberger Heide, where King Christian IV was hurt by shrapnel and thought to be dead but quickly got to his feet and incited his crew to continue the battle.
It has long been debated who composed the song's music.Johann Hartmann, the composer who wrote the score for the original playFiskerne, where the lyrics first appeared, was originally credited with composing the music.[6]
Another suggestion was that Johannes Ewald's friend, High Court judgeDitlev Ludvig Rogert, known to have played the violin, had been the original composer. This claim 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 often wrongly credited toFriedrich Kuhlau. Kuhlau made "King Christian" a popular anthem by using his own arrangement of the score in his playElverhøj,[7] which premiered at the wedding between Crown Prince Frederik (the laterKing Frederik VII) andPrincess Vilhelmine in November 1828.
| Danish original | IPA transcription[a] | English translation[citation needed] (byHenry Wadsworth Longfellow) |
|---|---|---|
Kong Christian stod ved højen mast | [kʰɔŋ ˈkʰʁes.tjæn stoðˀ ʋeð ˈhɔ.jən mæst] | King Christian stood by the lofty mast |
