| English: Thou fairest land of mine | |
|---|---|
 Original manuscript of 1906 | |
National anthem of  Faroe Islands | |
| Also known as | Mítt alfagra land (English: My fairest land) |
| Lyrics | Símun av Skarði, 1 February 1906 |
| Music | Petur Alberg, 1907 |
| Adopted | 1948 |
| Audio sample | |
Instrumental version | |
"Tú alfagra land mítt" ("Thou fairest land of mine"), officially "Mítt alfagra land" ("My fairest land"), is thenational anthem of theFaroe Islands. It was written in 1906 by headteacherSímun av Skarði, and the melody was composed in 1907 by violinistPetur Alberg.
The song was written in a work dated 1 February 1906 bySímun av Skarði, the headmaster of a high school in Føgrulið, southwest ofKlaksvík. It was written during a time of strong division in the Faroe Islands between conservatives who wanted to preserveDanish rule and autonomists who wanted more self-government, of which Símun was the latter.[1][2]
ViolinistPetur Alberg wrote the first notes of the music of the anthem on 4 September 1907, after the melody came to him that evening. He later sang the melody down the phone in theLøgting to Símun av Skarði, who liked it. Petur then sent it to a music teacher he knew inAkureyri,Iceland, and to asked him to harmonise it for a male quartet. In October 1907, the male quartet arrangement arrived, and singers began to practice it for a Boxing Day concert inSloan's Hall inTórshavn. Petur, not daring to reveal the song's author, told the singers the song was Icelandic, by a certainJón Sveinsson. However, the singers liked the song. The song was performed at the concert on 26 December 1907, which was the first time any song by Petur had been performed publicly and the first time "Tú alfagra land mítt" was performed publicly.[1]
On 8 January 1908, "Tú alfagra land mítt" was published in the Faroese newspaperTingakrossur.[1][2] It was then published in theLesibók, a literary history in chronological order, in 1911. It was later published in many editions of theSongbók Føroya fólks (Faroese People's Songbook), generally in the number one position, from 1913 through 1959.[1]
In 1925, aNynorsk translation of the song by Rolf Hjort Schøgen was published in theTingakrossur.[1] In 1928, a Danish translation by university student Tormod Jørgensen was published inHøjskolebladet No. 7928.[1][2] An Icelandic translation by Jochum M. Eggertsson appeared in the magazineDvöl in 1935. The same year, a German translation by Ernst Krenn was published in theFøroyaheftið ("Faroese Instalment"), a Faroese booklet at the Nordic Society inVienna, Austria. In 1943, an English translation by Padre G. C. C. Knowleson was featured in the notes of the magazineThe Pioneer by some British soldiers in the Faroe Islands during World War II.[1]
"Tú alfagra land mítt" won out in a rivalry with "Eg oyggjar veit" ("I know some islands"), from 1877, on which song should become the national anthem of the Faroe Islands. "Tú alfagra land mítt" has been sung at all festivals in the Faroe Islands, and it has been in the psalm book of theFaroese Church since 1990. The national radio stationÚtvarp Føroya, established in 1957, played it every night before ending its broadcast for the evening.[1]
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| Faroese original[3] | IPA transcription[a] | Literal English translation |
|---|---|---|
I | 1 | I |
| MeteredDanish translation (by Tormod Jørgensen, 1928)[2] | Metered English translation[3] |
|---|---|
I | I |
